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How to Build a Baybus

by Lucas Frawley

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Okay, so you have the window, you have the cold cathode tube and, on top of that, you have the cooling system from hell with 18+ fans included. No? Well, okay, but the point is that you have more than one fan and when they're all on it sounds like you're at a runway at LAX. The truth is, most of us have been there. With the onslaught of faster processors, we can't help but have a computer that seems to radiate like a coal furnace. There are more than just a few solutions to this but one of the easiest, and most efficient, is a baybus.

So, what's a baybus? A baybus is simply a switching station for all of those noisy fans in your case. You have fans and the baybus controls those fans with an individual switch for each one. We're going a step further, however. On top of being practical, we also want a baybus that looks good. The way that we're going to do this is with LEDs, or light emitting diodes. In this article, we're going to make a 3 switch single voltage baybus with red LEDs. Yours may be different but the concept is all the same.

To begin, we need to take a look at all our materials. For this guide, we will be using the following items:

3 Red 2.8v LEDs
3 SPST toggle switches
3 80mm fans
A Blank 5.25" faceplate
3 470 Ohm Resistors
Wire
Heat Shrink / Shrink Wrap
A Drill
Drill Bits
A Soldering gun / iron
Solder
Wire cutters or a knife
A Ruler
A Marker
A Molex connector optional
Patience

In the above list, I have indicated to use 470 Ohm resistors. A resistor cuts down the amount of power that is being supplied to the LEDs. Since the fans operate on 12V DC, 12V LEDs (which may be expensive and difficult to find) or resistors to reduce the amount of voltage can be used. There is a very simple equation for figuring out which type of resistor is needed. The equation is below.

In this instance, the supplied power is 12v and the LED voltage is 2.8v and it is 20mA. So the equation is:

(Supplied voltage - LED voltage) / mA or the LED amperes (12 ?2.8) / .020 = 460

There are no 460 Ohm resistors so the closest match must be used, which is 470 Ohm. Make sure to choose the correct resistor in relation to the LEDs. If the correct resistors are not used then the LEDs will not function properly.

The next step is to draw out where to drill on the faceplate. Now, if you will be painting the faceplate, don't worry too much about the pencil marks you make, as the paint will cover these. If you are not painting the faceplate, then make light pencil marks so they will come off easily. Begin by making one vertical line in the middle. This center line will be the middle switch and LED position if an odd number of switches are used. From there, measure from the center line to the outside edge and draw a vertical line in the center of that section so as to mark for the first and third LEDs and switches. Now, for the vertical placements, draw a horizontal line in the center of the faceplate and then choose a length to go above and below that line for the placement of the LEDS and switches. Be sure to have enough room between the switches and LEDs to allow them to both function properly. The point is to choose a layout that will both look nice and will not be too cluttered. The picture in the guidelines is far enough apart so that the LEDs and switches are not too close to the edges.

Once the layout is drawn, choose where the LEDs and switches should be placed and get out the drill. For 5mm LEDs use a 3/16" drill bit. For the standard mini toggle switches use a 7/32" drill bit. If the LEDs do not fit snuggly, use a small dab of hot glue on each once the wiring is completed.

This may be a good time to take out the knife and clean up the edges. If you intend on painting the faceplate, it would be best to sand the surface and holes down at this time and complete the painting process before going further..

Next, do an initial fit of the LEDs and switches to make sure everything looks okay.

Once past this part, take a break and calm down a little. The toughest part is over. There's nothing like getting to this part and cracking the faceplate as you drill the last hole to make you want to give up all together.

Now, that the faceplate is finished, start wiring. There are many ways to connect wires. Some people simply like to twist wires together and tape them with electric tape. You can do this but understand that this can eventually come apart. The better solution is to use solder and shrink tubing. For each wire run, slip some heat shrink tubing over the wires and solder the wires together. From there, simply slip the tubing over the soldered part and heat it with a heat gun or, a lighter. Be sure not to burn it, just heat it up so that it will shrink around the solder point. This is much cleaner and more permanent than electrical tape. There's many different ways that you can do the wiring and "to each his own on" this step. A schematic on the wiring is provided at the end of this guide to assist you with this step. Just remember that only positive wires will run to the switches and the long stem from the LED is the positive, which is where to connect the resistor. Take the +12v wire (yellow) on the molex connector and run it to one stem on the switch. From there, another wire will come from the same stem on the switch and will lead to the same stem on the next switch, and so on until all switches are complete.

Next, attach the resistors to the positive stems of the LEDs. Simply twist one end of the resistor around the positive lead of the LED and solder it. Once finished, slip some heat shrink tubing on these and heat it up.

Now, another positive wire will run from the other stem of each switch and will run to the positive end of each resistor which is on the end of the LEDs.

The ends of the wires coming off of the second stem of the switches Will run to the resistor which is connected to the positive end of the LEDs

The last positive wire run will come from that same position on the LEDs to the positive end of the fan. Just leave a lead wire loose from here, as nothing else will be connected to the fan until the project is finished.

The negative run will come from the 12V GND (black wire right next to the +12v yellow wire) on the molex connector to the negative stem on the LED. Another negative wire will run from the same stem of the LED to the negative wire on the fan. Then, start again from the negative wire on the Molex connector and run it to the negative stem on the next LED until all LEDs are finished.

Congratulations, the wiring is finished! Now, connect the positive and negative wires from each switch and LED to the fans to ensure they work properly.

The end result will be a single switch being turned on and the light and fan relative to that switch will both come on.

If this doesn't work right away, don't worry; we've all been there. Simply recheck the wiring in comparison to the schematic I have provided and make adjustments accordingly. This will take a lot of patience and intricate work but the end result is definitely worth it. One nice addition to keep everything nice and neat is to enclose all of the wiring in a small project case or wiring box. If one is unavailable you could also use the outside casing of a broken CD-Rom Drive. The case helps reduce wiring clutter inside your case. Once everything is complete you can install the completed baybus into the system. Now you can turn off the fans when you're just chillin' on the Internet and turn them all on when you're doing some heavy fraggin' at the next LAN party.

The above article is provided on a reference basis. The author or associated company is not responsible for any damage or injury as a result of following or improperly following these instructions.

(c) Directron.com, All rights reserved

If you find this article useful, please create a link to it from your website or tell a friend about it. If you have any comments or suggestions about this article, please email information@directron.us

Related Articles and Products: | Mod Dictionary | Other Mod Guides | Case Mod Forum |

| Pre-made Baybus | Mounting service | Case Fans | Tools | Cable Management | Switches and Controllers |

(lp 11/19/02)

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