Im back with a noobish question

myname2 · Post by **myname2** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 8:18 pm

I recently modded my sisters n64 to have leds in it.. I ran them in series, and attached them to the 12volt pins on the mobo. Now my question is, I am going to do my brothers system now, and would like to know if there is a way to step up the juice to, say, 24 volts? what I am thinking is attach a wire to the pin, then attach a transformer or whatever the heck I need to that, then rig up a bunch of leds in series, and connect them back to the other pin. Would this work? and please, no answers like, "yeah, get this or that.." I want a specific answer, so I can go to the store and grab it. It is a ntsc system. Oh yeah, pics of the 64 I did for my sis:
Front:

Left:

Right:

There are leds on the bottom too

Post by **Triton** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 8:22 pm

why the bottom? isnt that kind of pointless? i would have put em shinin on the cartridge or somthing

Post by **gannon** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 8:30 pm

Triton wrote: i would have put em shinin on the cartridge or somthing

*goes to clean out the cartridge slot* Oww!! I'm blind!!!!!!!
Anyways, why don't you run them in parallel?

myname2 · Post by **myname2** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 8:43 pm

yeah, i thought it would show under the system, I was going on the assumption that the feet would lift it enough...

Ok, next qeustion. Could I atach an led to the controller port pins, yno, the three ones inside the system? Ive seen pinouts for them on the net.. or could that screw something up? not sure about parrallel.. I need to figure out how Id do that.

Post by **gannon** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 8:52 pm

In series you attach the + lead of one led to the - lead of the next one. In parallel you attach all the + together and then all the - together. That way you avoid the voltage drop after each led so you can use a lower voltage. As for the cart. slot, I'd say draw power from some other place than the 3 pins to avoid blowing a fuse.

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 8:54 pm

Connect the LEDs to the controller ground.
Serial vs. Parallel setup instructions here.

myname2 · Post by **myname2** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 8:56 pm

Thanx Gannon. I asked about the 3 pin thing because I want to light up the controller ports, I could care less about the cartridge slot. It would be very easy to light it that way, but you said I could blow a fuse.... Is there a way around that?
Nos: thanx for the link. would I just attach the other end to the positive? I tried that, and the Led blew out, the ports give 3.6 volts.... Im thinkin Ill attach them all individually with a resistor... 1 set of led and resistor on each port.

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:06 pm

If you have common voltage or ground, you only need one resistor. I don't feel like drawing, so here is a slived's renderring:

Code: Select all

5V+ -> LEDs in parallel -> LED grounds to resistor -> resistor to ground

Resistor depends on your LEDs specs.

myname2 · Post by **myname2** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:27 pm

Ok, wait a minute, I just got confused. If I ran them in parrallel, wouldnt I need a heavy duty resistor? I mean, its a 12volt line.....

Post by **gannon** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:32 pm

depends on the led draw and you'd probably want to wire a resistor to each led seperatly.

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:44 pm

Why not just go from the 7.2V line after the 7805? I'm not sure, but I believe that the 12V line (and therefore the 7.2V line) is 800mA, so you don't need a very big resistor. With a 9V battery, you need a 470ohm with one basic red LED.

Post by **gannon** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:52 pm

nos_slived wrote:Why not just go from the 7.2V line after the 7805?

Most smt regulators can only handle 500mA, and you don't want to fry it.

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:58 pm

You will et the same thing from the LEDs no matter whether you connect them with a common resistor or separate ones.

corky_the_portabiliser · Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:04 am

wow im going to have leds on my n64p definitely!!

myname2 · Post by **myname2** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:08 pm

So I could just put the resistor at the beginning of my parrallel line? like attach a wire to the positive, then a resitor, then leds?