- Joined
- Mar 8, 2002
- Location
- City of the Evil Empire, Washington
I originally picked up a pair of the blue liquid lightning cathode tubes for an case mod I was thinking of. I was hoping that they would be pretty flickery and give an interesting look to an etching idea. Unfortunately, this did not work out. So here I am sitting with a tube in hand (powered up of course) trying to figure out what to do with it (like any good modder). As I sit looking at the front of my Lian Li 2000b, a lightbulb goes on (other than the tube in my hand). The case has the meshwork front, and on the side of the 5 1/4 bays, there is about an inch of mesh on either side. I think to myself "that could look really cool". I try fitting it into the area between the cages and the face side, and it wouldn't fit.
Your thinking "drat, foiled again", but no, the tube width would fit, but the mounting (and isolation) feet were too big. I think "f**k it, there only going to get thrown in a box if I don't use them". So I start pulling, prodding, twisting, and turning the ends to see how there mounted, and lo and behold, I pop an end off. They are just glued on (granted, there is an ominous crack when the glue gives). I look at the bare tube and its a glass tube with bare electrodes coming out of the end, held inside an acrylic tube by what looks like hot glue. I do like any warm blooded modder would do and powered it up to seee if it still works. Viola, I have a working elecrified tube that will ion arc to the nearest ground. After playing around (and shocking myself a couple time, thank you low amperage, that kinda tickles) I pop the other end off. After pulling connecter off and getting all the extra end pieces off, I pull out trusty roll of electrical tape. I wrap the exposed electrodes and then expand the wrap out to the tube ends. I plug it back in and still it works. No heat or smell of burning plastic, thats a good sign. I then grab the power cable and Zzt. Some of the static charge is traveling on the outside of the cable insulator. I pick up trusty electrical tape and completly wrap the cable from connector to wrapped tube end. This actually didn't shock me (no pun intended), one of the tubes did the same before I 'modded' it. Its just crappy construction.
Just to be safe, I build up a pad of tape on the ends where its going to touch the case and zip tie the sucker in. It turns on, doesn't electrocute anyone and looks really cool through the mesh. I'll try to get pictures later of the ghetto looking mod outside the case and running from inside the case. Heres a link to the tubes.
Liquid lightning tube
Zoned
BTW
[CYA]Perform this mod at your own risk. You are playing with exposed electrified conductors and can possibly damage or short out equipment. blahblahblah[/CYA]
Your thinking "drat, foiled again", but no, the tube width would fit, but the mounting (and isolation) feet were too big. I think "f**k it, there only going to get thrown in a box if I don't use them". So I start pulling, prodding, twisting, and turning the ends to see how there mounted, and lo and behold, I pop an end off. They are just glued on (granted, there is an ominous crack when the glue gives). I look at the bare tube and its a glass tube with bare electrodes coming out of the end, held inside an acrylic tube by what looks like hot glue. I do like any warm blooded modder would do and powered it up to seee if it still works. Viola, I have a working elecrified tube that will ion arc to the nearest ground. After playing around (and shocking myself a couple time, thank you low amperage, that kinda tickles) I pop the other end off. After pulling connecter off and getting all the extra end pieces off, I pull out trusty roll of electrical tape. I wrap the exposed electrodes and then expand the wrap out to the tube ends. I plug it back in and still it works. No heat or smell of burning plastic, thats a good sign. I then grab the power cable and Zzt. Some of the static charge is traveling on the outside of the cable insulator. I pick up trusty electrical tape and completly wrap the cable from connector to wrapped tube end. This actually didn't shock me (no pun intended), one of the tubes did the same before I 'modded' it. Its just crappy construction.
Just to be safe, I build up a pad of tape on the ends where its going to touch the case and zip tie the sucker in. It turns on, doesn't electrocute anyone and looks really cool through the mesh. I'll try to get pictures later of the ghetto looking mod outside the case and running from inside the case. Heres a link to the tubes.
Liquid lightning tube
Zoned
BTW
[CYA]Perform this mod at your own risk. You are playing with exposed electrified conductors and can possibly damage or short out equipment. blahblahblah[/CYA]
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