Electronics Cathodes Running Off Mains Power

Hi guys,
i have a plan of using two cathodes to light up my computer desk area but the pc cathodes i want to use use an inverter which run off a molex connector inside a pc.so i need to know a way of transforming the cathodes so they can run off mains powers while having the switch to turn them on and off.

how can i do this and which is the most in expensive way do doinf my little project.

thanks

 

don't, its stupid and dangerous......mains voltage can, will , and does kill.....

 

all i want to do is light up my room, so using a mains plug or sumthin cant i use pains power to power the two cathodes???

 

I'd imagine you need a transformer to take your 240 VAC high current and turn it into a low current 600 VAC for the cold cathodes. They work at something like what, 20mA? Not even?

 

prob run 20mA but not 100% sure,but i want to know if it can be done and if it can be done then how can i do it then??

 

Just get a wall wart mains -> 12v DC power supply, wire up the molex from the inverter onto there....but a note, DON'T ever hook up an inverter backwards, capacitors will explode (this coming from someone who received incorrently wired ccfl inverter....)

 

im in London dude so we dont have huge-ass wall marts,so thanks for the help anyways

 

touch up your reading....not walmart....wall wart, like a power brick.....

something like this

http://www.mainlinegroup.co.uk/mless/photos/page172~735-1.jpg

 

transformers are readily available....
edit: ah tomd beat me

 

If you have an extra hub or something around they usually run on around 12VDC so u could just take the cord from that or some other thing that u don't need that uses a transformer to change to 12V and then just use that and plug it into the converter, and as said earlier don't plug it in backwards its a bad thing haha

 

or just buy a generic psu and jump start it and run the cathodes off of it.

 

you can get em from Argos. (plus alot of other places)

 

why dont you just extend the main power cables.... thats what i did..... now they light up my whole room...

 

You could try something like this... Its got a four pin molex on the end instead of a normal plug thing.

http://www.xoxide.com/miposunocone.html

 

does anybody know how i can wire up the molex correctly to a wall wart(adaptor) so i dont end up killing my self??

thanks for all the suggestions and keep them cummin

 

The positive (striped) side of the wire coming from the wall wart goes to the yellow wire on the molex. The negative (solid) side goes the the black wire on the molex. This assumes there are two conductors coming from the wall wart. if there's only a single, round wire, strip some insulation off of it, and the stranded (outer) wires are the negative side, and the wire inside this is the positive lead.

You can solder then together then use heatshrink for a nice neat look, or you can just strip the wires, twist them together, and wrap them (separately!) in electrical tape. You could also you automotive style crimp connectors.

Hope this helps!

 

Why don't you jsut get an old psu, and hook it up to just the cathods? You get an old AT one, jsut buy yourself, or even rip a switch out of any old thing, and have that turn it on and off. Then theres no worries about killing yourself, or breaking the lights.

 

yeah, i took an old AT psu apart, cased it real discreetly, and mounted it under my desk. made a box for all the molex's, now i have a psu to run anything that runs off 12v, 5v, or molex power thats really easy to start, use, and mod. works really well, id suggest it to anyone

 

Yeah a second external PSU is handy as hell.
I started using one when the cold cathodes where tripping out my comp causing it to re-boot when flicked on and off.
Funny thing is they are now powered externally and they still trip out the comp. buggered if I know why. All the wiring is done properly, all I can think of is that its interference from the inverters somehow causing it.