hdd led thingy

[2bigfan]

hi
mmmm. i dont know how to ask this but o well. :?

ok i want to have to hdd leds that work like this. u know how a led turns on then turns off right, well i want to have to leds that switch over every time that the hdd gets info.so every time a normel hdd led would flash off my thingy would switch leds. :D

if that makes sents can u tell me how to do it. plez.

[crazybillybob]

BigFan,

Your looking for a flip flop Circuit (using an rs or JK flip flop). Simply you have 2 leds and you want them to waggle with HDD activity Like so.


Norm. HDD LED_______New LED1__________New LED2
On__________________________On________________OFF
Off__________________________ON________________OFF
On__________________________OFF_______________ON
Off__________________________OFF_______________ON
On__________________________ON________________OFF
Off__________________________ON________________OFF

Right?

not describe it and I'll help you find what you need. You will have to build a circuit to do this (IE. your not going to find this on the shelf some where).

Good Luck,
Crazybillybob

[2bigfan]

BigFan,

Your looking for a flip flop Circuit (using an rs or JK flip flop). Simply you have 2 leds and you want them to waggle with HDD activity Like so.


Norm. HDD LED_______New LED1__________New LED2
On__________________________On________________OFF
Off__________________________ON________________OFF
On__________________________OFF_______________ON
Off__________________________OFF_______________ON
On__________________________ON________________OFF
Off__________________________ON________________OFF

Right?

not describe it and I'll help you find what you need. You will have to build a circuit to do this (IE. your not going to find this on the shelf some where).



not ?? do u mean describe. well thats it i think, but i Dont whant the new leds to stay on when the normle led turns off.

like this. (copy of urs)

Norm. HDD LED_______New LED1__________New LED2
On__________________________On________________OFF
Off__________________________OFF________________OF F
On__________________________OFF_______________ON
Off__________________________OFF_______________OFF
On__________________________ON________________OFF
Off__________________________OFF________________OF F

and thanks crazybillybob

[crazybillybob]

I think it's doable I'll have to look around and find a simple circuit to do this...(I don't remember it all right at the moment)....I'll see what I can dig up!

[pointedsirforky]

That'd certainly be possible. Same ideas as what crazybillybob was describing with one small addition circuitry-wise.


hdd led -> flip flop
| | |
->AND->AND
| |
LED1 LED2

the hdd activity led feed goes to both the flip flop and two AND gates.
only when the hdd LED is active will the AND gate allow the output from the flipflop to reach the LEDs.

>edit: right, I'll draw up a diagram later and post it seeing as captain forum here wont let me render ascii art very well. >_<

[Aero]

ok quick question, how much voltage is sent to the HDD activity light from the motherboard?

[2bigfan]

thank alot for all ur help

im gessing that its 1.5v. i would have to get my milty meter out to know.

[PP Mguire]

Hmm, Well i want to use some LEDs for my Xbox. What should i do there? I tried using some green power lEDs but when i plugged them in they where just red. Am i missing something?

[crazybillybob]

Hmm, Well i want to use some LEDs for my Xbox. What should i do there? I tried using some green power lEDs but when i plugged them in they where just red. Am i missing something?

Try truning the LEDs around. It sound like you've got Bicolor LEds (with only 2 leads) These are commonly used as power leds (you know the ones that are red when in standby).

Basicly a Bicolor LED is two led elements inversly joined (side by side in the same enclosure) to the same leads. so when the power is + - the Red LEd is on when the power is - + the green LED is on.

Hope this helps,
Crazybillybob

[Aero]

The xbox LED's actually have multiple colors in them I think, I've seen them be Red, Green, and orange.

[crazybillybob]

The xbox LED's actually have multiple colors in them I think, I've seen them be Red, Green, and orange.


If that's the case then they could change color with diffrent voltages.

How many leads do these LEDs have?


Crazybillybob

[crenn]

Take a read of this:
http://www.ledsales.com.au/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=15&category_id=11

I think that will answer your question.

[crazybillybob]

2Big,
as I think about the led light, the easiest way to do this would be a miccontrollor, that you would program. I'm working with a low cost ($9.00us) one that can be programed easly with your PC. I just have to post a q in there forum to find out if the logic is fastenought for what you want. The down side is the dude that answers these q's went into the hospital over the weekend (his apendix burst) and will be gone for afew weeks. I'll try and get you the info but it's going to take awhile. If this is ok let me know and I'll stick with it. If not that's cool too (I don't know your time table for this mod) just let me know so I don't have to worry about.

Good luck,
Crazybillybob

[2bigfan]

sorry for not posting the last 2 days i was working on my pc. (ill take some pics sone. :) ) eney way i have no time table. :p o i live in oz (australia). $9.00 usd thats about $15.00 aud .

[pointedsirforky]

crazybillybob - most basic-stamp type micro controllers are a smidge slow for that sort of thing, I've worked with them before. While cool, dont expect them to do anything in a hurry. :)

[crenn]

2bigfan, because you're in aussie, it's much easier to help you.

Take a look at this PICAXE controller for LEDs:
http://www.ledsales.com.au/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=57&category_id=24
It should run at 3 volts, and the LED in it is a 4 lead RGB LED (I have a 4 lead RGB LED but not the controller. It might be perfect your project. I just don't know how to get it to run forever when power is on.....

[crazybillybob]

Crenn,
You beat me! I've been looking @ the Pcaxe for another project of mine, but I wasn't sure if it was fast enough. The code for this HDD Light shouldn't be that hard (I don't know the lang. for Picaxe yet so I can give you all an Idea of what I was thinking) basically you set one pin to Input two Pins to Output. Setup a variable (for storage) when the in put goes high (IE light on) increase the variable by 1 then do an If input = high and Vari=even output 1= high if input =high and vari =odd output2=high if input=low output1 and output2=low.

The hard part is going to be setting up the loop cause you have to reset the counter (when it gets to like 1000)


I'll have to think about it more this is all just off the top of my head.
Let me know if you can do this stuff in picaxe land, (that way I can try it or stop thinking about it!)

Crazybillybob

[2bigfan]

wow this is much harder then i thought it would be :( . the only thing i have dong with codeing is makeing a small (****) game in gamemaker.

[robobot]

PP Mguire, green LEDs turn red if you put too much power through them. Are you using resistors with them? If not, you need to. This might help. (http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz)

[pointedsirforky]

i think we've lost sight of the fact that what we're now talking about doing with a micro-controller could be done with 2 chips, small amount of wiring. Cheaper, simpler, probably more reliable.

[sXenoG]

Crazy billy theres a simple way to do this without having huge numbers. make the variable first equal to one. Now using an if statement what you would do is have it so if the varaible is one then add one, else subtract one. So that the only two numbers ever present are one and 2.I havent read what is needed for this mod but for the program ur speaking of since you only need odd and even my method will work as I had to use it for alternating colors on a php shoutbox i made.

EDIT: Oh and I just read the who jk flip flops thing... Well to say the least ive used these b4 and hated every moment using them. I had to do things more sophisticated with them. But to say the least, i do not recomend them to a novice unless you have a program like circuit maker where you can test the wiring first. Breadboards got very messy when i used this chip and i must say I LOVED programable chips far more than jk's.

[crazybillybob]

i think we've lost sight of the fact that what we're now talking about doing with a micro-controller could be done with 2 chips, small amount of wiring. Cheaper, simpler, probably more reliable.

Pointed,

If there is an easier way to do this please step up to the soapbox and let us know. (I sometimes go stright to the easier for me method and skip the easier for everyone else method ).
Crazybillybob

[pointedsirforky]

heh, dont really want to steal your thunder or anything. microcontrollers are teh cool afterall, but, for what we're trying to build here, I dont think it needs to be that involved.

Now, I'm making a promise here. Someone hold me to it if things get hairy around here and I dont get it up in the next day or two.

> I'll draw up a schematic and a layout diagram for the logic needed to drive this. Soon. <

[pointedsirforky]

As promised - the first half - the logic layout.

http://caddish.ath.cx/TBCS/LED-LOGIC.jpg

If anyone sees anything wrong, please let me know, I havent designed this sort of stuff in years.

[crazybillybob]

I haven't tested it. But off the top of my head it looks like it should work....and it should cost all of $5 at radio shack for the parts.... one thing you might want to put a current limiting resister on those LED's.

Good call Pointy, I didn't even think of inverting the in first...Just did, fipflop willn't work.....Microproc time.. :rolleyes:

2Big you should have no priblems with this man! Go to Radio Shack pick up some perf board and the parts and your home free. (or check Oatley's website to see if you can get some parts cheaper from them...they are in OZ too)

Crazybillybob

[pointedsirforky]

The input isnt inverted, just buffered. Technically all the gates on a given IC should be used, even just dummy loaded, so, perhaps I should do something with the fourth one, too. Keeps them from randomly oscillating and causing issues elsewhere. To the best of my knowledge, the flipflop should be fine on its own, though.

Current limiting resistors are a must, didnt include them here because I've forgotten how the math works to figure out a value. :(

[crazybillybob]

Assuming 5 Volt supply and it's a Superbrite LED (0.047A) R=E/I
Then R=5/0.47 or R=106ohms. Your not going to find a 106ohm resistor So you could use a 100ohm in series with a 10ohm. I would use 1/2 Watt type. Both you can get at radio shack.

Now for a standard LED you would need a 150ohm cause it can only handle 0.020a. That is also available @ Radio Shack.

Pointy,
You could tie the input and output to ground on the 4 gate That's Ok with a CMOS chip.
Now I see that it's an AND gate, I thought it was a NAND gate when I made the post about it being inverted...sorry it's been awhile!

Crazybillybob

[sXenoG]

I hate schematics specially with clocks... they iritated the crap outta me i dont kno if my teacher didnt teach me well or what or if im just not getting it.

But if you're expecting to get all the parts at radioshack i find it hard to believe you can get them for 5$ total. My radioshack was selling LED's for atleast a dollar or something outrageous like that their resistors rare outrageous i dont kno. If you have a frys near you check them out they had much better prices. And SORRY if im reporting hte wrong prices all i remember is that it was outrageous when i was looking.

[2bigfan]

thanks for the help love @ all of u. :P

[2bigfan]

o the only shop like radio shack whit in 2 hours of me is dick smiths (* cof * dick smacks * cof *). whats that web site.

[crazybillybob]

2Big,

The Site I mentioned is Oatley Electronics (http://www.oatleyelectronics.com/) Problem is they don't sell what you need I just check to make sure.(they deal in surplus electronics, I found them cause they carry the scooter motors I needed, and more...But till now I didn't look for components). The next two I can think of are Digikey (http://www.digikey.com/) they do global sales, but I think they have a $25us minimum order. Then there is Mouser Electronics (http://www.mouser.com) they also do global but are based in the US, they have no minimum order though. I'm not familiar with any other electronics co. in OZ. Might try googling if these cost to much or take too long to deliver. Sorry man, :( I've got no quick answers for you.


Crazybillybob