I'm trying to build a custom circuit for a somewhat advanced HDD activity light. Basically, I'm going to have a frosted motif of some kind in my window (either by chemical frosting, dremel etching, or some other method) that will create a really nice diffuse glow all throughout the design when it's properly lit.

I want to have rows of LEDs surrounding (possibly embedded in the edge of) the acrylic. I want them to be blue by default, and I want to see some green when my hard drive becomes active. Now, I could use LEDs that can do both green/blue (either by switching or reversing polarity), but since one of those seems to be hard to find, especially with the right brightness, I'll likely use just two sets of LEDs.

I need some kind of switch that can turn off one set when the HDD LED circuit is closed, and turn the other one on. So it turns the blue off and the green on. My trouble is that I'm unsure how to use transistors to build such a switch. I've yet to find an actual web page that can tell me exactly how I'm supposed to utilize them in circuits. From what I can tell, you can connect one circuit by putting voltage into another. So...what exactly does that mean? Do I connect my LED circuit to two of the leads on the transistor and like...apply some voltage to the other? Exactly do I need to do?

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

Yoshi's doing his mods on TechTV all this week. I'd suggest watching TSS (The Screen Savers) and asking here really good modding community. It was featured on TSS today. Have fun

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I don't have cable anymore, but I'll check out that site. I already asked on SharkyForums, but you don't get many good people over there. Just a lot of them.
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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

[This message has been edited by Emon (edited May 10, 2004).]

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/modtips/story/0,24330,3686750,00.html Leet mod. TSS own you.

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if you had asked this two years ago i would have been able to tell you what to do without a second thought...I built a bloody frequency modulated signal transmitted that could send numbers across a room...

i'll have a read up and ask a few friends, if i figure out you'll get a reply in a few days...from what I gather it should be easy, you can even get a chip that does it for you.

anyhow, i'll try and find out.

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I heard someone say once that the world is a fine place and that it was worth fighting for....I agree with the last part.

People of our generation should not be subjected to mornings.

Rbots website

I put 'modding' a case with lights on exactly the same level as the chavs and jocks that buy a little Ford Focus and turbocharge it up with nitrous oxide and thatnot and supercharge it down the street.
I've put masking tape over all of the lights on my grey box, so not to make for annoying distractions when watching DVDs.

ePanorama, and in particular this section seems like a good starting point. You can also do what you're trying to do with MOSFETS, but you'll have to search on how to implement those, as I'm still learning how to use them.

[edit]Also found this section, which may be more helpful.

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Our very existence is at stake

[This message has been edited by Ric_Olie (edited May 11, 2004).]

If you want the green and blue LEDs to never both be on, you could make the circuit with only a single inverter. It'll probably require some soldering for best results, but it should be relatively easy and inexpensive.

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Okay two things.

1) You're cool, and you are better than everyone. Also, your post REALLY added to this discussion.

2) Supercharging a focus, and adding other such mods takes thousands. Modding a PC hundreds, MAYBE a thousand if you go wild. Also, it doesn't hurt anyone, whereas if you have a "riced" car we have to see it every day, or hear its stereo every day, which just sucks. Especially when they have the beehive going on at the stoplight, even though that's more funny than sucky.


Sorry, forgot to ask, did the links help at all Emon?
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[This message has been edited by Dj Yoshi (edited May 11, 2004).]

So I suppose it's better if I just sat in my room playing video games all day, instead of working with my hands, fabricating, and learning things.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

Gah. I wish I still had my old logic diagrams from last semester. One of them would have solved this problem for you.

But a NOT gate seems to work here. Here's the logic and what I can remember a NOT gate looking like.

[No, never mind It wouldn't work...]

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[This message has been edited by Gandalf1120 (edited May 11, 2004).]