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[whitey86]

Yes you do dependin on how many Leds you have an if you hjave wired in sequnce or parallel.use a resistance calculator it should help you decide which to use
Why don't you use led strips? i know they are a little more expensive but you get a far better result plus you have the option of remote controlled LED's

[dustyxbox]

i thought so just wanted to make sure. ill look into the led strips. thanks.

[pepito01226]

I would go with the light striped. 12v required. Look for ones you can cut and tap a line to extend. They usually sell them 20 cm and 50 cm long. I have done this myself easy route and fits nicely.

[tryintomod]

As everyone else said, it really depends on what LEDs you use. In general you need to ALWAYS use a resistor when using LEDs. If you wire them up "individually" with a normal 3mm/5mm 20mA LED then you can use a 470 ohm 1/4 watt resistor for all colors except red, green, and yellow. For those colors you can use a 560 ohm 1/4 watt resistor.

Alternately, 12v led strips will light your case very well and is all you literally have to do is add 12v and ground do them. They usually have adhesive backing so you can stick them to the case. The 3528 size is perfect. We have lit many consoles and PCs with them.

Let me know if you have any questions

[pepito01226]

QUOTE(dustyxbox @ Jun 13 2013, 07:02 PM)

i have 6, 5mm uv/purple led's that im tring to install to my slim. i have 6 led in series with a 100 ohm 1/4 watt  resistor connected to the mobo. but its not lighting up. cau u give me a hint on why? i think the resistor is the wrong one.

each 5mm LED require 3 volt usually 20 to 25 mA (milliamps).

In a series the voltage is divide and current stays the same throughout.

In a parallel and the voltage is shared equally but current is dropped as more and more Diodes are added.

to figure out the proper amount of resistance (the type of resistor should you get) use this equation

R = (V1 - V2) / I

R=Resistor
v1= Supply voltage
v2= Required voltage (LED voltage)
I= LED current (usually 20mA to 25mA)

(For I you will have to multiply per LED you will use. Example 20mA x 4 LED = 80mA or .08A)

[dustyxbox]

thanks. bright and purple.

just wondering. will the uv leds mess with the dvd lens at all? because mine has a window and was going to light up the inside of the dvd drive.

[tryintomod]

You should ALWAYS add resistors to LEDs. It will make them last longer in pretty much any circumstance. I just got done posting this explanation in a different thread.


The strips work amazing for everything and take all the guess work out of the wire for those that don't care to do some calculations or want to take the extra time for wiring. They are super fast to install as well!


The best way would be the following examples for 12v if you want to wire some in series.

All Colors except what is mentioned below ---> 3 x 3v = 9v Use a 150 ohm 1/4 watt resistor with that setup. Then just duplicate the setup again and you can use whatever LEDs you'd like. This is with a 20mA 3v LEDs.

Red/Yellow/Orange you could do 5 x 2v = 9v Use a 100 ohm 1/4 watt resistor


If you want to just wire each one "individually" then you can go with the below setups on 12v

All colors except below listed: 3v LEDs at 20mA = 470 ohm 1/4 Watt resistor
Red/Yellow/Orange: 2v LEDs at 20mA = 560 ohm 1/4 Watt resistor


Those two setups work wonders on 12V!!! The strips will be the easiest, hands down.

[tryintomod]

Just simply give each UV one a 470 ohm resistor (1/4 watt) and you will be golden. Apply 12v and they will light up really well.