LED strips with a USB connection? For back of monitors

[azibux1]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this but thought I'd post here as I think you guys will know the answer

I had some cheap pound store 5 LED lights that plug into a USB port.

I have two side by side wall mounted Dell U2412M monitors and I plugged one of these into each monitors rear USB ports and it looked really nice. Posted a picture here a while back

Problem is I usually just use one monitor, so when I had them both on, it looked odd as the LEDs on the strip used more often were dimmer and more 'used'

I was wondering if I could get some LED strips (similar to the ones I have in my case) from the internet and connect a USB connector to them somehow?

I bought and cut up a molex connector for my in case ones and soldered the wires to that ... Is there a similar way to do this with a USB connector?

Also how would it work as the strips would be 12v and USB doesn't provide that surely?

I am trying to DIY something like these Antec ones

Would they (the ones I make) suffer the same issue where one would become dimmer if used more often? Or were the pound store ones just really cheap?

Thanks!

 

[Tealc]

12v strips and 5v USB won't work too well. You'd need to totally rewire each LED to be connected directly to 5v with a resistor in series. It could be done to existing strips but you'd need those resistors and a few bits of wire and a good sharp knife to modify the PCB tracks.

You could build a Dc-dc boost converter to pop the voltage up to 12v but this is not simple and wouldn't be suitable for someone who needs to ask this sort of question.

If you want the LEDs to come on only when the monitor USB is powered up you could use a MOSFET as a switch with its gate wired to the +5v of the USB, so it'll switch oat the 12v when it gets power. The MOSFET would be operating as a switch.

 

[azibux1]

12v strips and 5v USB won't work too well. You'd need to totally rewire each LED to be connected directly to 5v with a resistor in series. It could be done to existing strips but you'd need those resistors and a few bits of wire and a good sharp knife to modify the PCB tracks.

You could build a Dc-dc boost converter to pop the voltage up to 12v but this is not simple and wouldn't be suitable for someone who needs to ask this sort of question.

If you want the LEDs to come on only when the monitor USB is powered up you could use a MOSFET as a switch with its gate wired to the +5v of the USB, so it'll switch oat the 12v when it gets power. The MOSFET would be operating as a switch.

Hmmmm okay then

I think I will probably leave it as it is, rather than that. Not that it doesn't sounds like a good idea, because it does sound good, just that I think the same thing would happen again, one would become more dim than the other as it gets used more often.

How I have it now is that I just have one of the pound store LED strips plugged into the second monitor, so when I have both monitors on, I have a light in the middle of the two, and with just one there is no light

Thanks!