PC Rider Mod - Jake's Garage

This is another mod from 1998. I was using EL wire to light the front of my case, but after a few months it got so dim you couldn't tell it was even on, so I went looking for something that would last a long time and something original. One day I saw a review posted on the [H] from "Mod the Box" for the "PC Rider," and when I saw it I thought it would be perfect, so I ordered one PC Rider, 16 ultra-bright blue LEDs, and 16 chrome holders, for $75 CAN (about $45 US at the time). The kit is sold by Computuning; they were very friendly and helpful, and even set up a special page for my extra LEDs and holders order.

The instructions that came with it are good. It even comes with a template for a 5¼″ bay install, though I didn't need that. The only thing I used the instructions for was to confirm that the long wire on the LED is the positive.

LED holders and mounting nuts laid out on a table — The chrome holders and mounting nuts from the kit.

The small PC Rider control module — This is the module. It's small and easy to hide. Only 8 wires go to the LEDs, but it supports up to 16; you just make extra wires as you go.

The front vent plastic on the Antec case

The front vent plastic on the Antec case, other side

These holders are really meant to be seen. They look nice and act as a reflector for any light going to the sides. The LEDs are easy to install into the holders, though some wouldn't stay, so I used a drop of super glue to keep them from coming out. The front of my Antec case has a thin piece of plastic on each side of the vent, about ¾″ tall, and the LED holders mount nicely there.

Drilled mounting holes in the case plastic — Holes spaced 1¼″ apart, drilled with a 5/16″ bit.

I put the holes 1¼″ apart so they'd run the whole length of the vent. Keep in mind not to press too hard, because coming out the other side it could punch through the front of the case. It's hard to drill at this angle; on one hole the bit slipped, went through one of the vent gaps, and actually broke in half. I was amazed it didn't crack the plastic.

LED holders installed with a wrench for scale — LED holders installed, just needs a 7/16″ wrench.

After the holes were drilled, the LED holders went in. Simple, just needing a 7/16″ wrench. I bent all the wires from the LEDs to make the wiring fit right.

Wire extension connected to a positive lead, taped

Wire extensions taped to prevent shorting

On one side I had to connect wire extensions that would reach the LED on the opposite side. I put tape over the positive lead to keep it from shorting out.

Module mounted behind the hard drive cage

Wires fed through the case toward the front

I mounted the module behind the HDD cage so it can't be seen, and fed the wires through one of the holes in the front. I only pulled out enough wire to reach each LED and zip-tied them so they wouldn't move.

One side connected, that's the easy part, since the connectors just slide onto the LEDs.

Wire extension being pushed into the back of a connector — Getting the other side to work takes more patience. The wire extension has to be pushed into the back of the connector, right next to the wire already on the LED.

All LEDs installed and wired — All working. Wired so the top LED on the left mirrors the bottom LED on the right, so as one side goes up the other goes down. Flip the switch to HDD activity mode and the lights move in a circular motion.

Blue LED glow visible on the case's side wall — You can see the blue glow, but it's only shining on the side wall where the holders are mounted, and it's not very bright with the room lights off. What could fix that?

Paper, and a big roll of double-sided tape. I figured that would do it.

Small pieces of tape applied to the back of a paper diffuser

I put six small pieces of tape on the back of the paper to hold it against the vent.

Finished paper light diffuser glowing blue over the case vent — There's a small hump in the middle, which spreads the light beam out really well. (I don't actually use this front vent for airflow; there's a piece of black egg-crate foam on the inside to kill HDD noise instead.)

Here's what it looks like in action, and a video of the HDD activity function:

The circular LED pattern in normal mode.

HDD activity mode.