Californeon Lightstrips

Reviews: Cases

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Brian Kristensen
Kurtis
Californeon
May. 7, 2003

Specifications

Introduction

You have seen the Tweakmonster lightstrips (See the review here), but did you know they aren't the original light strips? You may think "well, what could be any different between brands... They're just lightstrips!" Well, I thought the same thing. Today I have the original lightstrips from Californeon, and we will find out what the differences are, if any.

You Said Original?

Californeon, in the beginning, actually made the light strips for Tweakmonster. Tweakmonster isn't the first to bring light strips to the market, but they may be the most popular with the computer crowd. Californeon's lightstrips, unlike Tweakmonster's, are aimed towards a vast array of uses. They have sets for computers, signs, buildings, cars, trailers, boats, interrior decoration, bicycles, pathway lighting, and much more. Each use requires different setups, and Californeon has kits that work for every use. For a car, the light strip plugs into the 12v wires that the lights of your car use. For a motorcycle or a bicycle, there is a battery operated pack. For computers, there is a 4 pin molex connector.

First Looks

Californeon sent us a green lightstrip and a yellow lightstrip for use within a computer. They also sent us a lightstrip set for a bicycle for some reason, we won't be testing that. Each package contains the correlating items and instructions on how to install and care for each.

Testing

The computer lightstrips I received from Californeon are much longer than the Tweakmonster ones. Californeon supplies five (5) feet of lightstrip, whereas Tweakmonster supplies two and a half feet (2.5). Upon digging around the Tweakmonster site, I found our that Tweakmonster offers five (5) foot versions as well.

Just like the Tweakmonster lightstrips, the Californeon strips can be cut down in size to accomodate any length. They also have an adhesive backing which is still sticky after removing them a few times, allowing for removal and reapplication should you get a new case or something. The lightstrips, just like Tweakmonster's, emit no heat, and the inverter emits so little heat that it can not be felt. The lightstrips are also bendable to let you hug the curves in you case.

So far, the lightstrips have proven identical to the Tweakmonster lightstrips. As you may have guessed, the installation was exactly the same as well! Just peel off the backing and stick it where you want it to go, then plug it in! One thing that I noticed is that these lightstrips seem alot brighter than the Tweakmonster ones. I'm not sure what difference there is between EL strips, but Californeon has an advantage here. Note that the difference could just be the different colors, but I can not say for certain.

Note: Case is brighter than it seems in the photos.

Conclusion

Basically, Californeon was the original creater of the EL light strips. They are brighter than Tweakmonsters, but that is the only way they differ. There aren't a ton of lightstrip manufacturers out there, and so far these are the best of their kind. Californeon is probably your best bet for computer lightstrips.

Pros

Brighter than Tweakmonster
Easy to install
Flexible
Can reduce length
Virtually heat-less
Nice looking glow

Cons

none

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Add Comment

18 User Comments

1 - Posted by Kurtis on May 7, 2003 - 11:18 pm

i want some for my boxers, 5 feet SHOULD be enough, but i could possibly need to get a custom 6 foot long one. cough cough. :lol:

2 - Posted by handrail on May 8, 2003 - 12:09 am

were these the same light strips that i have seen used under the keys of keyboards to create a backlit board?

if so, where would you place the inverter and where would you plug them in?

3 - Posted by Kurtis on May 8, 2003 - 12:40 am

no, lit keyboards can be found at http://www.eluminX.com
we have one of those to review and it will be up soon, those use 'EL Lamps' . The way that is works is basically a PCB board with EL ink that gets charged by circuits on the board. EluminX has a patent on this I believe as well.

I haven't seen these lightstrips in many case modifications, its just a nice little thing to add if you want some lighting but not really bright.

4 - Posted by T-shirt on May 8, 2003 - 8:46 am

I want a big lightstrip. I saw some place you could by the el material in 12"x 100 foot rolls :shock: ($$$$)
It can be cut to almost any shape.

5 - Posted by red999 on May 8, 2003 - 9:17 am

You could make your own el wire keyboard. I good article is here:

http://www.virtual-hideout.net/guides/keyboard_el/...

and the wire they use for the mod is better than normal el wire because u dont have to hook up the inverter to the PSU. The wire runs off an inverter that runs off a battery or you can plug it into the wall. Also the interverter attaches and detaches easily so when your not using it u can just unplug it.

6 - Posted by Kurtis on May 8, 2003 - 9:27 am

red999, that sucks though because you have to be plugged into a wall, if most people are like me, they don't even have available outlets, even on the powerstrip. if you want an elluminated keyboard I would say go with the pro version of it (eluminX) unless you just realllly want to make one yourself, just because el wire wont look as good as the EL lamp that evenly lights up everything

7 - Posted by red999 on May 8, 2003 - 10:30 am

your definitely right, the eluminX keyboards are a hell of a lot brighter, just giving another option. And it does have to be plugged in to an outlet. The elwire also runs off a 9v battery, but I dont know how long the battery will last.

8 - Posted by Kurtis on May 8, 2003 - 1:26 pm

you could make the keyboard a 'tiny' bit bigger and integrate a power generator :wink:

9 - Posted by handrail on May 8, 2003 - 2:02 pm

thanks red999, that's what i was looking for.

the eluminX boards are teh shiz, but way too expensive. $95 is more than i want to pay for keyboard. currently i have a $3 imac ripoff i got from directron. it's orange.

i think that the backlit modded ones look good, but yes the powersoucre is an issue.

in the end it doesn't matter really. i hardly use my keyboard. i use the nostromo speedpad for gaming. i love it. once you get used to it there is no going back to a keyboard. i got it from thinkgeek.com: http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/gaming/5b...

and yes, that is my hand in the customer shot. w00t!!

10 - Posted by Kurtis on May 8, 2003 - 2:09 pm

I would like to start trying some new game controllers, I own at CS and other FPS games with WASD keyboard configuration but I can't help but wonder how much better I would be with a speed game controller. After all I own with a joystick 100xmore than i do with keyboard for flying, so why not the same for FPS? :lol:
Next week I will start contacting companies about new game controllers and see if we can score some to review.

11 - Posted by Brian on May 8, 2003 - 3:04 pm

Actually, Kurtis blows at CS. We were at a LAN party, and he used an aimbot!!! ;-)

12 - Posted by Kurtis on May 8, 2003 - 3:12 pm

rofl. yes that was fun. i didn't need it though, after i owned a few rounds someone saw my screen and punched me in the arm lol. i then took off the hax and started to own without it :)
They were like "HE MUST STILL BE HACKING" i was like actually usually im better without em heh. but sometimes i just plain suck :lol:

13 - Posted by handrail on May 8, 2003 - 5:07 pm

i'll write a review of the nostromo speed pad for you, if you like.

i write good...i mean goodest...well...i mean i write well.

engrish.

14 - Posted by Kurtis on May 8, 2003 - 5:17 pm

rofl engrish. Sure man, write up a review with plenty of pictures and if it is good enough we may post it :)
We will give you credit etc, and you won't officially be part of the team or anything, but you never know if we will need someone later :)

15 - Posted by Brian on May 8, 2003 - 9:51 pm

Kurtis, even with the hacks you werent owning :-P

16 - Posted by handrail on May 8, 2003 - 11:52 pm

cool, really? thanks. will do.

all kidding aside, i do actually write quite often. i'm in the middle of writing a novel at the moment. ok, that means nothing in regards to a review, but i will definitely send one your way for consideration.

thanks.

17 - Posted by Kurtis on May 9, 2003 - 12:11 am

cool, just send it to kurtis@thetechlounge.com and I will read it over and show brian when you are done. I look forward to seeing your review

18 - Posted by handrail on May 9, 2003 - 12:59 am

excellent! i'll send one your way around the middle of next week. i am out of town this weekend.

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