lazer led hard drive?

[sabooya]

Would I be able to wire this up to my hard drive light from my motherboard? Or will it not be powerful enough? Alternatively would it work with a sound activation module as a second resort?
http://www.pcextreme.com/catalog/sku/lit-126.html

Also if I put that at the base of plexi shining up through it would it glow?

[crenn]

It may work with a sound activation module. But you cannot link that up with the HDD LED indicator with your motherboard.
The plexi may glow , but not evenly.

[sabooya]

should I just get a 4 inch cathode ( maybe 2 ) then with a sound module\?

[J-Roc]

You would need to amplify the power. Thoes lights are 12v and if im not mistaken, the HDD activity light pin header on the motherboard is 3v.

[sabooya]

any suggestions on what to buy to do that?

[mtekk]

What you can do is use a MOSFET (or a BJT if you wish but has different terminology) connect the hard drive activity lead to the base, then the source lead to your +5 or +12v source and then the drain to the positive lead of that LED array. Then the ground goes to ground. I can get a schematic up if you need once I get home. You don't want to power any high drain things through the motherboard as it could fry it through too high of current draw.

[xmastree]

I'd be tempted to use an opto-isolator instead. That way none of the light's power is passing through the motherboard supply rails.

[mtekk]

I'd be tempted to use an opto-isolator instead. That way none of the light's power is passing through the motherboard supply rails.

With a MOSFET there is virtually no draw from the motherboard, even with a BJT the draw wouldn't be that much if designed correctly (which is why I'll give schematics if he needs them). The voltage/current leakage in a MOSFET will never even come close to the power consumption of an LED, which is what those motherboard headers are designed to provide. This should be far less than what a opto-isolator uses. Line noise caused by the LEDs is more or less negligible in this case and the MOSFET will be sufficient for keeping that feedback noise minimal. MOSFETs are also more economical that opto-isolators (about a 10:1 ratio on price from what I've found via some quick e-bay searching).