Guide Backlit DVDs/CDs in Slot loading drive. -Guide

Lighted Slot DVD


If you have a MODEL 120S go here:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?postid=383550#post383550

Otherwise keep reading for a model 106S

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This mod is an idea I came up with while playing with LED's.
When you put a Superbright LED behind a CD the whole CD lights up.
Plus the effect depends on the angle the view is looking from, so the effect moves as you move.
It also has a very nice effect when ejecting CD's and DVD's
-This drive will end up in my Media PC

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The DVD Drive: A Pioneer 106S Slot Loading DVD
Very nice, rock solid stable. Dyed black in a previous mod

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The LED, a Superbright Red LED
(These aren't even the brightest LED's in this system)
Running at 30mA through a 100Ohm resistor at 5Volts

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At first I thought I would have to make a circuit to turn the LED on and off whenever you inserted an DVD.

If not, it may interfere with the Laser (Which is also red).
But upon opening the drive I saw two micro switches at the very back of the drive.
SW1 (top) is activated when no CD is in the system. And SW2 (Left) is activated when a CD in inserted.
On the connector RED is SW1, BLUE is SW2 and White is Ground.

Well we can use these switches to make our LED automatically turn off when you insert a CD.
By wiring the ground pin to the RED wire, or SW1.
When a CD in inserted into the system SW1 is disconnected from ground,
therefore making the LED disconnected from ground, turning the LED off.

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The only thing left is to wire the Posative wire through an Resistor to +5volts.

I did this at the main power connector, which was right near the LED

(Note the extra wire on the resistor above was cut off before running)

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With the LED on and secure you can use needle nose pliers to aim the LED out the front of the drive.

This takes a little bit of testing to get the proper effect, centering, and maximum intensisty

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Without a CD inserted the drive looks like this, you can barley see the RED through the dust filter.

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But insert a CD and you get a brilliant, bright glow across the whole CD.

With a very nice spectral effect that changes as your viewing angle changes.

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From above you can see the whole CD it lit up

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The overall effect is insane in person, and will leave your friends guessing how you did it. (Tell them about me of course)

 

Re: Backlit DVDs/CDs in Slot loading drive.

Wow, your DVD-ROM can read LEDs? That's optical storage taken to new levels of literalness.

 

It's 2am, but fixed the guide...
(No comments though?)

 

I like! Classy.

 

i think its awesome, but, i also think that the slot looks abit small
any chance on making it abit bigger?

 

Very nice!

If the led didn't affect the reading as suggested then you could have it blu when the disk is in and red when empty?

 

Really nice !!!

This is one that i'm gonna do when I get my PC

 

wow, I have planned to do that to my CD-ROM just last night while writing down some notes. At least now I can see how it's possible

 

excellant work - wish i had thought of it

well done

 

Are you sure the LED will interfere with the DVD while it's reading? I remember debating this in another recent thread. Would it hurt to try Zap?

PS: it looks amazing. Well done. I can't wait to see the next step in this project .

 

So long as the LED doesn't emit any infrared light it shouldn't be a problem, since the laser is an IR laser.

 

Actually according to howstuffworks the laser of a CD player is IR (780nm) but the laser of a DVD is red (640nm). This is how DVDs are able to get such a small spiral of pits compared to CD. However the LED might be something like 625nm and might not affect the light sensor on the DVD player.

 

Duh, I forgot it was a DVD player. I just kept reading all the references to CD's in the guide.

 

If you remove the felt (Dust cover) the slot is much bigger, but this is not the point of this mod, it's to light up CD's as you instert and remove them. The next step of this mod is to light up the whole slot. (See bottom of post)

There is a door that closes so if you used blue when inserted you would not be able to see it. But yes the other switch can be used for this.
So you can still use this technique to setup different LED's on the outside of the DVD drive.

Yes the LED will interfere with the DVD laser, as it is visible RED.
BUT if you read the post. (People stop picture browsing)
You will see I wired the LED to a switch that was already in the DVD drive, so the LED DOES turn off when you instert and LED.
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The next step will be lighting the whole slot.
But with a twist, I will make the lights on the slot, flash OFF when the drive is accessed. OR mabye just dim to 50% when accesses. Experimentation will determine that.

I will be using ViperZ's technique for that
Illuminated DVD

 

You mis-read my post. I asked if you were sure that it WOULD interfere with the laser. IE I saw that you wern't going to have it lit up when the DVD was in the drive and was wondering what happened when the led was on all the time. I thought maybe if the led and laser were different wavelengths then the light sensor might be able to ignore the led wavelength.
Anyway if the door closes when a DVD is in there then I guess there's not much point.

So I don't picture browse - most of the time . Especially on such a great project such as this.

 

very nice.

 

Dude, thats very nice.... gonna have to try that with mine.

 

That's cool.. It reminds me of what the disc player in my car does when you put in a disk... You can see it much better at night like that... Good guide and implementation, and use of available switches inside the case. It's always nice when you don't have to *******ize everything in the equipment to make the mod work. Utilizing available circuitry without adding a bunch of external, or even internal wiring is a definite bonus.

 

Sorry DEX, I am tired...

Yes the LED does mess up the laser, as the player would read a CD but not a DVD when the LED was lit.
(It seems to use a dual IR/RED laser in these readers)
That's why I had to figure out a switch.

If you are doing Blue or any other color it will probably not mess up the DVD's laser.

Also when playing with the LED if you aim it just right it hits an optical sensor, and tries to pull in a CD

 

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