How do I connect a LED to a CD-ROM?

[Brian]

Well.. the HD led should light up anyway so I guess it could be a HD/CD indicator. There are a few IDE splitters available that gives the option of adding a indication led for the second IDE chain. If you keep the HD on the first IDE chain and the CD on the second and then that led would do it I think. While you're at it with adding leds to the machine you should concider adding a PCMCIA Activity led aswell (great for when you use a PCMCIA Ethernet card).

[Brian]

The splitter (controller) will have an external connector for a led if you want to cause the design of the hack show how to add that.

This page showing the hack is in swedish but I think you'll be able to use it anyway.

That led should only light up when the CD is in use but I don't know if the HD led will shine TOO at that time.

[Brian]

@Orjan

I don't think that will work... you need to make the full device or you'll have the CD led light at the same time as the HD led all the time anyway so.

So as it's a realy simple hardware to make you should try it... ELFA will have all the bit's you need for peanuts.

[Brian]

The scematic say you should connect the led to the second IDE connector not the first as it will be if you solder it to the IDE controller. It would possibly work but would if so result in the led light up when the HD led light up so you'd have 2 leds flashing at the same time... so quite useless.