(UPDATED) Sizzling! Cold Cathodes w/PS for $9.50 or less!!! Be gentle-they've never heard of AT

[zGhost]

NOt a bad price.... Can't say that I've ever order from them but the price does looks good.

IMHO: always order the parts and not the kit. It's unbelievable how easy things hook up the kit isn't needed.... besides if you buy everything seperate it's less expensive.... Unless of course because of shipping [ BuckMaster: I dont like the shipping prices because everytime you add a product your shipping gos UP! ] it doesn't work out....

zGhost.

 

[Xtasy]

Has anyone tried if the inverter would handle two cathodes? Also, could the switch turn on two cathodes, been thinking about putting two in my case? Can someone generalize how it would be setup, would it be cc to inverter to psu, where would the switch connect to? Thanks. Great find also!

 

[Seizure]

SVC has the entire kit with on/off switch for $19 shipped. I think i'll go with SVC instead.

 

[Cheval]

opps I wrote the wrong message to the wrong thread. :disgust:

This looks like a good deal...gonna see about it tomorrow for my antec case!!

 

[Lizardman]

Its funny i called these guys up a week before you posted this thread and asked them if I could buy the acrlic tube seperatly and they said no. hahah i just oreder 4 tubes and 2 lights and invertors. good deal.

 

[Xtasy]

Where does the inverter get the voltage? Could you get a molex connector and connect the cc to the molex and then the molex to a psu molex connector?

 

[BuckMaster]

It looks like they changed the prices to the kits, went up to $27.99! You can still get a good deal on the lights and inverters!

 

[babylon5]

Please bare with me, I am a total newbie to installing this, so excuse my ignorance.

I now have the Cold-Cathode Flourescent Lamp - Blue V-FLB 12Inch and also the Inverter

How do I give it power exactly? I figured out that the light is plugged into the inverter, and there is one more white plug
left to plug to my power supply. But the connectors don't fit. So is my solution to buy some kind of connector at Frys?
Or modded some cables so that the white plug would be connected to my power supply?

Or, would it be possible to plug the light directly to the power supply cables in any way? Probably not?

And the power switch as mention in previous posts, what is the name of the power switch exactly?

thanks

 

[Slickone]

OK, this was posted almost a week ago. Surely some of you have received and tried the lights by now? How are they? Or do those people just not check back in on this thread?

 

[mdcrab]

Someone already asked this, but I didn't see any answer. Can two tubes be powerred off of one inverter or do you have to have an separate inverter for each tube?

Also, are these tubes fragile? Should you place them in acrylic tubes?

tia,
mdcrab

 

[BuckMaster]

babylon5, Not sure mine hasnt been shipped and I havnt seen the setup yet and wires.

Slickone, Mines been shipped and should get it next week.

mdcrab, From reading in someones above post it to use 1 tube per inverter. So no you cant use two on one inverter. But feel free to try and let us know if it works

 

[EXman]

I just got my 2 4" ones they are more like 3'' actually but I already have a 12" so I needed smaller ones to fit into my top and sides of the case. There is nothing but bare leads (wish it had at least a 4molex) but I do not care about the switch I just run them all the time.

 

[EXman]

Got my CC tubes hooked up had to solder a lil bit and hook it up to a Molex. But I have my 2 4" tubes one under the PSU and one taped to the roof of my case. Along with my 12'' (that was $30) on the bottom I got three lights and the whole window lights up great now. the 2 4" CC's are great to put in odd places. if you do not care about a lil extra work these are a steal.

 

[DorkBoy]

Thanks for the post

 

[babylon5]

Defiant1 or anyone:

I plugged the CC tube and it did lit up, but only at the very end of either side of the tube, i.e. the middle of the CC tube stays dark. Am I plugging it incorrectly or is it something else? I bought 2 CC tubes, and the same thing happened to the other CC tube.

 

[DEFIANT1]

Originally posted by: babylon5
Defiant1 or anyone:

I plugged the CC tube and it did lit up, but only at the very end of either side of the tube, i.e. the middle of the CC tube stays dark. Am I plugging it incorrectly or is it something else? I bought 2 CC tubes, and the same thing happened to the other CC tube.

Two possibilities: Did you buy the inverters (1 ea per CC tube) as well? From your description, it sounds like you're having a power issue. Assuming that you have the inverter (?) check the schematic to the inverter, and make sure your +/- connections aren't backwards. Are you using the 12V +/- from your PSU, and not the 5V +/- side? Easy to check - the red wire, and the black wire right next to it are 5V DC, the remaining two (Yellow or Blue, and Black) are 12V DC.
If everything is connected properly, grab the volt-meter, and check the output from your 12V lines; you could have a failing PSU. If proper, then RMA the CC and Inverter.

 

[babylon5]

DEFIANT1,

I am using the red & black wire to power the light, not yelllow & blue...so that explains why my light isn't lit up in the middle section!

and yes I did buy the inverter too! I bought two CC tubes, and I guess if I want two CC tubes in my case I need to buy one more inverter.

Thanks DEFIANT1 for the great deal and your technical help!

 

[DEFIANT1]

That would be correct! You MUST use a 12 volt power lead!

 

[Morpheux]

Ok, I just got mine. I bought everything individually. How do I mount the light in the tube and have the wires outside the tube? Do I have to cut the wires on the CC? What is the silver wire for inside the tube?

 

[babylon5]

Ok, I just got mine. I bought everything individually. How do I mount the light in the tube and have the wires outside the tube? Do I have to cut the wires on the CC? What is the silver wire for inside the tube?

By the tube do you mean the rectangular plastic thing that protects the CC when you open the package? I just took the CC out of the 'tube' plastic thing , and stick it to my case with straps. No cutting wire necessary. I don't see any silver wire with mine, just the wires from the CC.

Then just hook it up to the inverter (to insulate by leaving it inside the white box) and you're in business.

 

[HarryK]

Originally posted by: Morpheux
What is the silver wire for inside the tube?

That has something to do with how these tubes work. I didn't buy these, but that really thin interior wire is present on all the ones I've seen.

Oh, this is a quote from the website you ordered from :

"There is 2ft of wire between the bulb and power supply and 2ft of wire between the power supply and the switch. Only a very thin wire runs the length of the tube, so small it's hardly noticeable"

 

[RedDwarf]

Here is my take on the little silver wire inside the acrylic tube you bought. The wire is used to attach one end of the cold cathode tube; you would remove the wire that is presently there i.e. the flexible white one and attach the silver wire to it. Then I would get some heat shrink to seal that end and the rest of the silver wire would run the length of the cc tube. So you wouldn't see really see the wire when the cc is up and running. On the end you didn't remove white wire from; you would either solder or attach the rest of the white wire you removed from the opposite end of the cc to the silver wire. That way you can complete the circuit. Then you just hook it up to the inverter and connect to the power supply and you?re ready to go. Insert switch if you feel you need to turn the cc on and off. So that's my take, correct me if I'm wrong

 

[ezland00]

is there any way i can use one Inverter for 2 Cold-Cathode Tubes? how would that be setup?

AIM: zouxi2001
Email: ezland00@hotmail.com

 

[DEFIANT1]

Originally posted by: ezland00
is there any way i can use one Inverter for 2 Cold-Cathode Tubes? how would that be setup?

AIM: zouxi2001
Email: ezland00@hotmail.com

No.

The inverters require 12VDC, and only put out enough power for one light. Several peeps have already tried the 2-on-1 trick, and been greatly disappointed when only the ends of the tubes light up, and they end up paying more (because of shipping a second order) because they tried to go cheap.

 

[Gaard]

I sucked in Art class and I have no eye for color coordination. What color bulb would you guys get for a black case, MSI (red PCB) board, and black rounded cables?