Glad you posted the power supply video. I was thinking the powersupply was the little plug in pack you use for a laptop. This is way different and will take a bit more to hook it all up. I need to find a good schematic of what wires do what and how to hack it. Luckily, my uncle owns a computer repair company so hopefully he will have a few laying around.
Still collecting bottle caps, this will be the end of my sanity I think.
LOL Spider, It is rather funny how this bottle cap collection affects you. I find myself choosing drinks in the deli just based on what caps are on the bottles.
But here's a helpfull hint on the caps and power supplies..... NETWORKING.
Since I've been doing this for a year I can instantly identify which caps I want and I mention it to all of my friends. I'll see the correct cap on a friends beverage container and ask them if they drink a LOT of that. You will be surprised at how many of your friends will help you if you just speak up. YES, a few will give you the ULTIMATE funny look, But, most people really get it, especially if you mention that your lights are "Environmentally Green(er)". My dad gave me two bags of caps which he religiously saved for me, and I had a few friends do the same thing. I also always keep my eyes peeled on recycling day, as well as recycling bins at work, and always find a few. It can get kind of addictive in an geeky kinda way.
The same thing applies to the power supplies. I ask friends if they have old computers. I usually get one or two that way. But after a while you might get a motherload. I have a good friend stop by last week and dropped off 7 of 'em. Just speak up and put the word out.
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As for hacking your power supply, Make a rudimentary testor by using a 9V battery. If your array of 3 has a resistor already attached you can use the 9V battery to see if they light up. Touch the long leg of your finished grouping to the positive button on the 9V battery, and the short leg with the resistor to the negative button on the battery.. They won't be as bright, but they WILL Light if you wired them correctly. You now have a testor for your CPS.
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As for hacking a CPS, it really is easier than you think. First, test your power supply to make sure it's working just by plugging it in. If it has an On/Off switch, turn it on. If you see/feel a fan working inside it, and/or an indicator light (Sometimes in the button itself), it's likely that it is working just fine.
Just note this: if it already has an On/Off switch, the hack is the easiest, and you probably don't even need to open the power supply up.
You can do a quick test by sliding the legs of your tested (finished) LED grouping into one of the clips of your power supply in the following mannor. Pick a small clip with 4 wires (Usually used to power up a hard drive), Slide the positive (long) leg of your LEDs into the spot where the yellow wire is attached, and the short leg with the resistor into the slot where a black wire is. It should Light the LED array. If it doesn't light try plugging the LED's opposite just in case you soldered the resistor on differently. You WON"T hurt the lights by hooking them up backwards, they just won't light. If Your LED's work than your already pretty much ready to go. Pick any clip with 4 wires, cut the clip off, Strip the yellow and one black wire, and your ready to go. For Halloween you will attach your Landscape wire (or other connection system) to JUST THESE TWO WIRES.
If you don't have an On/Off switch, the thing to look for is the Green wire comming out of the back of your CPS (not all CPS's have them, but most do). In this case, a Simple hack would be to cut the green wire and one black wire (near the white clip), strip 1/2" of insulation off the ends of both, and twist them together with a wire nut. That green wire (if it has one) is the ON/OFF wire and will activate your power supply when you plug it in as long as it is grounded to a black wire. If you want to live dangerously, You can use a metal paper clip to bridge the circuit between the black wire and the GREEN wire in the clip without cutting it off (FOR TESTING PURPOSES ONLY!!! BE CAREFUL!!). You can also attach a switch between these two wires. THe guy in the video did this INSIDE the body of the power supply.
If it Still doesn't work, then you probably need to impart a "load" on the power supply to get it to turn on. All this means is it needs an LED for the CPS to sense a load (You can use one of your resistorized groupings of 3 LED's as a temporary fix). With your power supply off, Temporarily attach the long leg (+) of your LED grouping to the yellow wire, and the short leg, with the resistor soldered on, to the black wire. As I said before you can just plug your LED's in the small clip as I mentioned above.
If it STILL doesn't work with your (Tested) LED's, your CPS likely has an issue. I wouldn't throw it out untill you have someone more experianced look at it since there are some variables on some older CPS's that I'm not familiar with.
If you have any more questions, Joe (Hpropman) and MANY others are a LOT more familiar with Electronics and can likely offer more information.
In Summary, I'd look for a CPS with a lighted switch built in it for your first hack, It really simplifies the process.
