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Written by Chris Tangora
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Sunday, 13 April 2008 |
A simple way to add some snap to your Mac Pro or Power Mac tower is external lighting. Here's how Ron Krell did his external lighting mod to his Power Mac G4. You could do this mod with almost any tower, be it a G3 Smurf or a Mac Pro. You may also find ways to incorporate this behind monitors or your desk. With only 8 steps and no heavy electrical work this is a good beginner's DIY hack.
Parts Needed
1. Mac G3, G4 and possibly a G5 or MacPro tower. I'm not familiar enough with the later Macs so I don't know how easy it would be to mount the inverter inside the case but everything else should be pretty straightforward. I chose the Quicksilver G4 because that's what I have. (the MDD G4 might not work because everything is upside down...... But anything is possible)
2. Four pieces of double-sided tape or sticky foam. I used Foam because I had some lying around but about anything will work. I considered using velcro too because the velcro would allow for easy removal of the tubes. It doesn't matter what you use as long as it holds the tubes in place.
3. Cold Cathode Light kit. I bought a Sunbeam brand kit off an eBay seller for $11.50 shipped. You may find the CC light kits for less if you shop around. I chose the dual UV light kit but you can use any color. Even if you have to buy the drill bit, the entire mod shouldn't cost more than $20.00.
About the light kit, from Sunbeams site
Specifications :
- Brand: Sunbeam
- Model: CCKPT2-30-UV
- Tube diameter: 3.0mm
- Input voltage of inverter: 12v
- Output voltage of inverter: 680v
- Current draw: 5.0mA
- Brightness: 28,000~30,000 cd/m˛
- Lifetime: 30,000 hours
Features :
- 12V Dual inverter
- Back switch with PCI plate (to turn the light ON/OFF)
- High brightness & long lifetime
- Easy installation
- Compatible with Sound control module
As you can see from photo A, there is not much to it the kit. Two tubes with wires, an inverter with a switch and a molex pass-thru connector.
Tools needed
Drill and 3/8 inch drill bit. (used to drill hole in switch backplate for wiring to pass through)
Phillips screwdriver
Steps
1. Unplug your Mac, and open it up. You'll need an empty PCI slot for the switch-plate to mount into the case, If you do not have an empty PCI slot you can always mount the switch inside the case or on the bottom if necessary.
2. Remove the lowest blank PCI slot cover. I had to use the lowest slot because the wiring in my kit was almost too short and I have to be careful when opening the case so that it does not pull on the inverter, or unplug the wires.
3. Drill the 3/8" hole into the switch cover plate (Photo B) for the CC wiring to pass through, The kit you have may require a different sized hole, basically it just has to be big enough to get both wires trough. I still need to install a rubber grommet to protect the wires from the metal edges in the hole. The metal could wear through the insulation on the wiring eventually so it's a good idea to protect it.
I could have drilled a hole in the bottom of the G4's case but I didn't want to leave any permanent marks. Drilling a hole in the bottom of the case is probably the best option due to the length of the CC tube wires in my kit.
4. Unplug the CC tube wiring from the inverter and mount the CC switch in the empty PCI slot opening. There is a small open space on the right side of the hard drives in my G4 that the inverter fits nicely into. A G5 or MacPro may be a little harder to find room for the inverter. Don't plug in the molex connector to power yet save that for last.
5. Turn the Mac on it's side, or upside down so you are looking at the bottom of the case. You should measure and make some marks where you want the tubes to be mounted. I just eyeballed it and mounted the tubes about and inch away from each side of the case where the metal meets the plastic. It was far enough under the case that I can only see the light fixture if I bend down to look under the case.
I kinda just centered the two tubes in the exposed metal area under the case. (See photo C)
6. Now that the tubes are mounted just feed the wiring from the tubes through the hole drilled in the switch-plate (Photo D) and plug them into the inverter. My kit had wires that were shorter than I would have preferred but they are just long enough. I could have mounted the tubes further back under the case to help but I wanted the lighting centered under the case as much as possible. Once the tube wires are plugged into the inverter, tuck the inverter into the space on the right side of the hard drives, or wherever you prefer.
7. Next just plug an open male molex connector from your Mac's power supply to the female molex connector on the inverter. If you do not have any open power connectors the inverter comes with a male/female pass-thru so you can plug it in-line from any of the power connections for hard drives or optical drives.
8. Now I can plug the Mac in and power it up. If the lights come on great, if not just flip the switch on the back of the Mac and it should work.
If nothing happens, unplug your Mac and double check all connections a make sure no wires got pinched anywhere.
That's all there is to it. An easy 8 step process to lighting up your Mac for less than $25.
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