Here is how the finished Alpha now looks with the Lightstrip installed on it's shroud, the power inverter wire soldered to it, and the massive Delta fan strapped back to the top. This should be hella purdy when it's turned on! Next, it's time to find a nice little out-of-the-way spot to mount the Lightstrip power inverter and finish up the mod!

While things were apart, I took some time to clean up the Gainward GeForce3 Powerpack. The all copper Icicle cooler that is mounted to the GPU has a Sunon 50 x 50 x 15 strapped to it, which really blows some air across the heatsink for it's size. This fan was provided to me by my buddy Gary over at Sidewinder Computers. The core will run at 255 mhz stable with this solution. The Tin plated copper RAMsinks (early revision..) really help bring out the red color of the PCB, and are efficient enough to push the DDR memory up to 595 mhz! All together, the card probably weighs in at around 2 lbs! That's alot of copper!

Once installed, the inverter never needs to be seen again. With this in mind, I decided to mount it in a location that would be out of the way. They also tend to create a little bit of heat, so it's best to mount it in an area that is higher in the case (hot air always rises...) and will allow the small amount of extra heat to stay out of the motherboard area of the case. As you can see, this area of the Lian Li is a perfect choice, while also allowing for easy access to it if need be in the future.

Time to make the final connections!

There are two sets of two wires that run in and out of the inverter. The red and black lines are the +12v (red) and -12v (black) for input power from the power supply. The two white wires that exit the other end are the lines that supply the inverted power to the individual Lightstrip pieces. In this mod, there is a total of 3 separate Lightstrips installed in different locations, each with its' own wires that must be connected to these inverter output lines.

Polarity is not a concern for the inverter output lines, however the input lines to it are polarity sensitive, and must be connected to the computer's power supply correctly.

For quick and easy Lightstrip connections to the inverter output lines, I chose to use crimp-on style automotive spade connectors, so in case there is ever a want to remove or add a Lightstrip, it will be nice and simple to do.

The last task in this mod is to add a switch to the case lighting to allow it to be turned on or off at will. Since I did not want to go drilling holes in my $200 aluminum case when I don't have to, I decided to make use of one of my favorite things for this purpose...........the Digital Doc 5 fan controller. It works perfectly by turning the lighting on or off with a single button, and requires no extra switches or drill holes. Just connect the inverter power lines to a 3 pin connector, and plug it into the back of the Digital Doc 5 on one of the fan channels. Problem solved.

Put everything back together, and for the finishing touch, I added a custom 'Tweakmonster' window badge I had specially made to complete it all.

As you can see, the mod turned out quite nice indeed. The pictures don't do it anywhere enough justice. Not bad for an otherwise boring evening.

The Lightstrips featured in this article can be had from any of my retail stores worldwide.

Questions, comments, other Lightstrip mods and other feedback can be directed here.