LED Baybus Guide - VH Guides/How-To's

I've beed getting a lot of emails since I post pics of my Blue LED Baybus asking for help or a more detailed guide! So I've been spending some time doing up this little article for you guys!! Hope you enjoy it!

We overclock, so we want the PC to run cool. So being the extremist that we are, we slap on fans almost everywhere possible in our case. But then it gets a little too noisy due to the fans pushing and pulling air like crazy, even when you're just surfing or doing some office work. Thus came the need to control the noise!

The easiest way to do that is via a switch. You can turn the fans on and off as and when you want it to. So I'm gonna show you how you can construct your own 4-Switch Baybus, with COOL BLUE LEDs as indicators!!

First of all, the parts! You will need 4 SPST switches, 4 Blue LEDs, LED holders and some resistors. The resistors are required as you will need to lower down the 12V line-in from your PSU to the acceptable voltage of the LED. Some other parts include;

Heat shrink tubing
Soldering iron and solders
Spring wire terminals for Fanbus
Hobby kit box for Fanbus
some wires
some screws

Voltage = 1.5V, Amp = 0.015 A. Therefore, to calculate resistance needed for a 12V line-in;

Ohm = (Mains Voltage - LED Voltage) / LED Amperes, so;
Ohm = (12 Volts - 1.5 Volts) / 0.015 A
= 700 Ohms or closest they got is 750 Ohms

You will need to mark out the switch and LED positions on the faceplate and use a drill bit to make the mounting holes. You should get something like the picture above.

Wire connectors and crimping tool
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Close up on wire connectors
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The wire connectors are required to joint the loose ends of the Baybus and the Fanbus to complete the unit later on. The wires will be crimped onto the connectors using the crimping tool.

Two terminals switches
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"ON" and "OFF" indicators
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The switches I used only have two terminals. This makes it easier to understand and connect. It even has an indicator on one side of the switch to tell you at what position will the switch be "ON" or "OFF". That would give you an idea on how to solder the wires and attach the switches to the faceplate.

Front view of faceplate with switches
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Rear view
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If you have drilled the holes on the faceplates, it is a good idea to mount the switches onto it so you can carry out the soldering of the wires a little easier. It would also help you estimate the length of wires to use. Now that you have done that, let's get to the soldering part!

If you have a small bench vice, it will be even better as it will provide a secure grip on the faceplate so you do not have to worry about the faceplates moving around while you're trying to solder the wires. I will start by soldering the wires onto the line-in terminals first. Heat up the iron and place it on the terminal and wire. Then put the solder to the wire and let it melt and bond the wire to the terminal. You can use a heat shrink tube over the connection to prevent any short-circuits, or in my case, to hide the crappy soldering skills!! :O) You will get something like the picture below. The loose wire is for connection to your PSU Molex connector.

Faceplate on bench vice
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Soldering line-in terminals
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Heat shrink tubing
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Line-in terminals with loose end
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Next comes the tricky part. You will need 4 separate wires of about 3 inches long for each line-out terminals. When the switch is in the "ON" state, the voltage will flow from the line-in terminals to the line-out terminals and to the fans. This is needed so that each switch can control different fan.

And like I mentioned before, I will be using an LED for each switch to indicate the "ON" state. And resistors are required to bring down the 12V to the LED rated voltage. Thus, you will need to connect both the 3-inch wire and resistor to the line-out terminal, like so; Do not connect the resistor to the line-in terminals. Doing so will leave the LED lighted no matter what state the switch is at ("ON" or "OFF")!! Do not cover the whole resistor with the shrink tube once done, you will need to connect the loose end to the LED!

Wire and resistor together
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Crappy skills at work!!
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Continue to do the same for the rest of the switches and you'll get something like the picture below. The picture is a little blurry, but you can see the excess resistor wire for connection to the LED connector. Next is to get the LED connector, I used some old "Turbo LED" connectors for easy connection to the LEDs. And in case the LED is faulty, you can easily remove the connector and replace the LED.

In the bottom right picture, you will notice that I soldered the positive wire to the resistor. The white wire is the Ground. I forgot to slide on the shrink tubing first, so I left it the way it is!!! You can always use some electrical tape for it. Always slide the heat shrink tubing first before soldering the joints!!

Completed line-out terminals
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Connection between resistor and LED
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Continue to do the same to the rest of the connectors and resistors. Once finished, crimp on the wire connectors onto the loose end wires to have a finished product like the one below. All the Ground wires from the LEDs are bound together and soldered before crimping.

If you want, you can test the LEDs now. You can hook it up to an external 12VDC PSU, if you have one.

I will talk a little about the Fanbus unit. Previously, I would connect the spring wire terminals to the side of the hobby box. But for this guide, I have attached it to the removable panel. This is due to the fact that the removable panel is a little bit thinner than the box's sides, thus more of the terminals is protruding out of the panel, allowing more area for the soldering iron to work on. It is also much easier to remove for any repairs to the unit.

Once the soldering is done, close up the box and crimp on the wire connectors onto the loose wire's end. Don't forget to label them to prevent any confusion. Then it's time to connect both units together!!

Here's both units after being assembled together. You might want to use some electrical tape to seal off the connection between wires.

The best way to test the LEDs is in the dark, and I have to say that I was pretty satisfied with the finished product. The wire clips works fine too with fans attached to it. Nothing close to what Cliif A has ever done, but still doesn't suck to badly!!!

Two pairs of eyes in the darkness
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Top close up view
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UPDATE!! I just got 5 more bright RED LEDs of the same specs with the Blue ones and a pair of BLUE NEON LIGHTS!!! I decided to change the last two LED positions with the RED LEDs and it simply rocks!!! And since I used the "Turbo LED" connectors, changing it was a breeze! Take a look!!

Now the unit is ready to be fixed to the front bezel of your case to control your fans! I hope I have been detailed enough about this guide. If I do missed out anything, or if you have any further Qs, drop me a mail!! And thanks for reading!!