See-Through Love - Modjitsu #25

Lights! With Ron Prouse’s help you can turn that boring PC into something that rivals the most stylishly decorated Xmas tree, with the added advantage of being able to use it all year round!

Go and get NIC'ed
One thing that has always amused me is that fact that most network interface cards (NIC's) have 'tell-tale' LED's facing out of the back of the host PC.

Now, I suppose if you are an entry-level network technician, spending your days crawling around under people's work-stations, then these LED's may put some colour into your life -- but for 'above desk dwellers' they are a dead waste of time.

Most NIC cards will have two LED's, one that is a visual confirmation that the card is actually connected to something (a router, or another card), while the other indicates activity over the connection, and so it gets to pulses!

Which is a pretty cool thing to be able to see. . .except that to get among the action you have to sit and watch the back of your computer.

Surrounded by the dust and cobwebs. And people will talk about you.
Well, we are about to revolutionise the ancient art of NIC-watching forever, with a really simple little mod that will cost less than $10! What's more, this mod will add a couple more impressive looking lights to the front of your computer!

There are two parts to this journey, one at the PCI-card end of town, and then the other at the front bezel. The PCI mod should be a fairly standard affair, while the bezel mod is just a suggestion -- where you mount the lights is really up to your own individual flair.

NIC card mod from the front.

The PCI End
Apart from the obvious (network card!), all you will need for this mod is:
* Two 2V LED's in your favourite size / colours;
* a pair of four-wire connectors (male and female);
* some wire (old ATA cable is really good for this purpose);
* some sort of self-adhesive cable clip;
* a soldering iron, solder and heat-shrink; and
* some left-over plastic sheet, or LED bezels. . .but we will get to that part later!

There is a 99% chance that your NIC will have the LED's mounted in the same configuration as in the picture, that is, four pins that are soldered straight through the circuit-board. The pins are in pairs, positive and negative, and arranged so that the two pins closest to the chrome mounting plate are one pair, the two further away are the other.

On the six different brands of NIC cards that I checked, all had pins that protruded through the PCB enough to solder extension wires straight on to, but, if that isn't suitable, it is simply a matter of loosening the existing LED leads, removing the OEM LED's and then soldering the wires into the holes in the PCB. Measure and cut the length wire needed to reach the mounting point for the new LED's. Remember though that cutting some excess off later is easier than having to join more on!

Strip and pre-solder, or 'tin', the ends and you are ready to solder away.
Once attached, insulate the wires with heat-shrink, and then secure the wires using the cable clip -- to relieve any accidental strain on the soldered joints. I'e used some PVC tubing over the top of the wires to give the 'rounded cable' look, but that is just for aesthetics. At this point you can check that everything is operational by re-installing the card and carefully checking that the 'extension lead' is delivering power. And that's basically it. Too easy :)

Bezel end mod of the NIC card.

The Bezel End
The bezel-end can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. One example is to simply use two 5mm LED bezels (those black things designed to hold LEDs in-place) and drill a couple of holes somewhere suitable. However, there is also the opportunity to really 'tart things up' for next to no cost!

For this example I made a 'reflective' light fitting for a 3.5in drive bay cover-plate, using three pieces of sheet plastic. The first (front) layer is a 2mm thick piece of diffuser from a fluoro-tube fitting, which spreads the light more evenly over the entire front area. The second layer is a piece of 6mm clear acrylic to house the LEDs. The back layer is 3mm mirrored plastic, which will also help to make the light diffuse more. A single 3mm nylon locating screw in the centre holds them together, countersunk into the front layer so that it fits flat against the inside of the cover-plate.

If you want to do something similar, but have no idea where to get the raw materials, then a suggestion is to approach a plastics fabricator and ask if they have any off-cuts for sale.

Usually they will point you at a dumpster and tell you to take whatever you need!
The LEDs are mounted into 5mm diameter holes, drilled at even spacings and glued in with epoxy resin. The four-pin cable connector has been epoxied onto a small Aluminium bracket which is held in place by the centre screw, making the connector-point more secure. The LEDs were then wired into the connector, while making sure to insulate the wires with heat-shrink. Two square holes were filed out of the cover-plate so that the LEDs lined up in the centre of them, and then the assembled light fitting was glued into place.

Snap the cover back into the bezel, connect the cable, and fire up your beast. Woot! Instant flashing light goodness to impress any unsuspecting bystander!

Pointless hard drive mod lit-up.

Pointless Hard Drive Mod
Let me be the first to point out that this is a mod that will do absolutely nothing for the performance of your PC. In fact, if you have a crowded case it is going to take up valuable air space that is better off used for keeping everything that bit cooler.

However, if you have got a case with provision for seven or eight HDDs, and most of the bays are empty, then this is a visual mod that will 'knock 'em for a six'!

The second point that needs to be made is that this is something that you only do to a dead HDD. A deceased HDD. A non-HDD. A 'no visible signs of life' HDD.

Why? Hard drives are manufactured under unbelievably clean conditions to infinitesimal tolerances, and a single spec of dust (or even cigarette smoke) will destroy the internal mechanisms faster than you can say 'back up all important data'. And that isn't even mentioning the effects of static electricity. . .

That said, the inside of a HDD is an incredibly sexy sight with gleaming plates, polished actuating arms, etc. Far too sexy to be hidden away! So, given a dead HDD, some case-space, and a few lights, it is possible to turn a piece of junk into a work of art. All that is needed is:
* A piece of 2mm clear Perspex;
* as many LEDs as you feel the need for;
* your favour