Changing the light.

Hi guys and gals,

I recently bought a new Xion Vantage Series (AXP-100) when the Thermaltake tower I wanted became unavailable. (http://www.xionusa.com/images/product/case/Vantage/vantage AXP sales tool.JPG)

When the Guy from CompUSA/TigerDirect sold it to me, he said it was fully customizable. and that If I bought a Red LED Fan the whole Tower would light up red. I found out when it arrived that it wasn't true. It's trivial, I know, but My favorite colour is Red. and the tower lights are blue. I contacted TD, they sent me to Xion. Xion apparently has no custom/ replacement parts for their Towers. The Power light is actually painted blue and the LED Light inside the Door is blue, and some how glued according to Xion. I been feeling a bit duped, but then i have seen Sick mods on the net and I am wondering if any of you experts out there can help me make mine the way i want it.

 

Sorry for the late reply,

There really isn't much to it other than rip the old light out and put a new red one in.

If you don't want to void your warranty just follow the power leads and disconnect them and put a blue LED next to where it is,a blob of hot glue will hold it to the inside of the case,double sided foam is also good.

I can't really comment on the power switch without a closer look but that will also require disassembly and the LED changing to a red one,if your not a confident solderer just disconnect the power,at least it won't be blue.

Blue LED's and light kits can be bought from many computer stores or radioshack if your stateside,maplin in the UK.

 

I actually found that the lights are attached to two wires. I'm just not sure how to remove the LED from the old and attach it to the new without rendering the wire inoperable But i was able to buy shrink protector, and the lights from radio shack. I wihs i could get the door off though so that i can re attach the mesh grill to it, it popped out unexpectedly I really didn't know it was so cheap.

As for the power button, i have not been able to find anything which can replace it so it will have to stay blue making the light a light purple. I just need to find a bright LED Exhaust fan now as the intake fan is not bright enough to light up the whole case as I thought it would be

 

Don't then.If your not confident cutting your old wiring apart leave it there.

The lights are probably connected to a molex power connector the same as your hard drives,CDrom ect.so follow the wires back toward the power supply and disconnect,if the wires go directly into the power supply you'll have to open the power supply due to it being custom case and disconnect them in there checking your not damaging any void warranty seals and disconnect the two pin plug.

If you don't wish to do any of that,the other option is to cover the old LED's with tape ect.,LED's are pretty cold so heat won't build up.

I'd tackle this problem first then move onto your new lighting if you don't want to solder.Now to connect your new wiring,you can run it anywhere inside the case,to connect your new wiring once its made your just connect to a any free molex connector.

It really is hard to do any case modding without voiding your warranty,that can be the price of customization:-D If you still want to go ahead with modification cut each LED power wire a couple of inches from the old blue LED,this is just incase you wish to reconnect them at a later date.There will be two wires on each LED,connect two pieces of wire to your new LED and put the heatshrink over each wire.LED's are polarized meaning they can only be connected one way,look at the LED closely it will have one flat edge at its base,this is your negative,either test the cables while your computer is running with a testmeter to find out the polarity of your wires or connect the same way as your old LED's,find the little flat side on the old LED's,I often put a bit of tape on the wires and write - or + on with a marker pen.If the wires are coloured the negative is usually black or white and the positive + is coloured often denoting the voltage.

I hope some of that helps,if your still stuck you'll have to post some pictures of the wiring you don't understand and I'll come up with some idea's:cool

 

Post script

Don't worry about connecting the LED's the wrong way they just won't work,your computer or the LED's won't be damaged,just disconnect and switch.

Another thing if you've never bared wires before,cut the insulation from the end 'about half an inch' with a craft knife and twist the wires together like a rope.

Put your heatsrink over the wires first as after you've connected them you can't,I always make this mistake:-D Twist the two ends of the wires together and solder,if you can't or don't want to solder they should hold pretty good just by twisting the wire's together,then shrink your heatshrink on.

Soldering is best and safest and the way I recommend though,just be careful not to snag any of the wires upon re installation if you don't solder.

EDIT molex wiring looms or LED wiring looms can also be bought from radioshack,just a bit of wire with a molex connector connector on the end is you don't have any spare wire,I often forget people don't have multiple 5 gallon boxes full of spare wire.

If in doubt tell the guy at radioshack what your doing he'll be able to advise.