Case Lighting with the CorsairLink Lighting Node and h100i CPU Cooler

Posted on March 31, 2014 by C.G.B.Spender

Introduction

Feeling like my computer needed some modifications I decided it was time to add some lighting to it.  With that big window in the side of it, adding some lights to show off the hardware inside just made sense.  In the past I had used a cold cathode tube to light my case which worked well but was limited to a single color.  Today, multi-color or RGB LEDs are common for case lighting and these would be my light source of choice.  With them I could light my case with any color I’d like and be able to change it on the fly. Definitely cool stuff!

When I built my new computer last fall I installed a Corsair h100i water cooler to keep the CPU cool.  One of the features of this cooler is Corsair’s CorsairLink which allows you to monitor the temperature of the water cooler, set the fan speed either based on the temperature or at a fixed speed and even change the color of the little LED that illuminates the Corsair logo on the pump block (color also can be based on temp or fixed) all from an application installed on your PC.  CorsairLink is not limited to just owners of the h100i however.  Corsair sells a module they call the CorsairLink Commander which allows you to control up to 8 channels of CorsairLink accessories like fan controllers, temp sensors and even LED case lighting.  For my computer it was the LED lighting accessory, the CorsairLink Lighting Node, that I was most interested in.

When I first looked into the CorsairLink Lighting Node it seemed like I might need to buy a CorsairLink Commander to use it.  While the lighting node is only $30, the commander runs about $55.  With no plans to use it to control fans (I use the Asus AI Suite software along with the fan headers on the motherboard) the Commander seemed like a lot of extra money to spend just to use the lighting node.  I thought to myself, “maybe I can use the h100i to control it?  It does seem to have a port that isn’t being used that looks just like the ones on the Commander.”  Of course Corsair’s website was no help in determining if the h100i could be used to control the lighting node but, the users of the forums seemed to be indicating that it could.  With fair confidence that it would work I went ahead and ordered it and guess what?  It works!

Unpacking the Corsair Link Lighting Node

The CorsairLink Lighting Node comes in OEM packaging, simply a small pCorsairLink Lighting Node Kit Contentslain brown box with the Corsair logo and a sticker to identify the part. In side the box you will find the following: Continue reading →

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A View from the Curiosity Rover on Mars

Posted on February 18, 2014 by C.G.B.Spender

Today I ran across this article about the Curiosity Rover on Mars and they had this really cool 360 degree panorama on the page that shows the view.  I thought it so cool that I wanted to share it here!  Have a look yourself below.


Mars Panorama – Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 530 in Out of this World

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Twitch Streamin’ and YouTubein’

Posted on January 30, 2014 by C.G.B.Spender

Several months ago I discovered the live video gaming streaming service Twitch.tv through the Battlefield Podcast. Over several episodes I would hear that they were doing the podcast live over Twitch.tv so I decided to check it out. After browsing around it I thought, "well this is kind of cool!" and I wanted to try it out.

Last November I built a new gaming PC to take on Battlefield 4 and with it I picked up an Avermedia Live Gamer Portable capture device. I got it not only to try streaming but also to just record my gameplay in general. I always find that you are better able to see what a person is doing wrong or doing really good when you are watching them but, it is very difficult to tell what you are doing good or bad when you are actually playing. Kills and deaths come so quick in games like Battlefield so it’s good to be able to go back and review what happened.

So now I find myself doing some streaming from time to time and have done same game related YouTube videos as well. I’ll never spend the time on it required to become popular enough to receive donations and make a living off of it but, it’s a fun hobby to do from time to time.

You can check out my Twitch.tv and YouTube channels by following the links below.

Links can also be found in the links section of this weblog.

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Grand Theft Auto 5 Gameplay Trailer

Posted on July 9, 2013 by C.G.B.Spender

This morning Rockstar Games released the first gameplay trailer for Grand Theft Auto 5.  After watching this trailer I have to say the game looks amazing and I’m eagerly waiting for the September 17th release!  Have a look below.

The size of this new world is incredible!  I’m glad to see they are bringing planes back to the game because it looks like you’re gonna need them just to traverse this huge world!  It also appears that there is a ton of non-story line content to the game as well like ATV riding (racing I’m sure) in the mountains, trading stocks, buying real estate, etc.  Seems like you will be able to spend a ton of time in this world without even touching the main story!

One major point I found interesting, and of some concern, is the fact that the game will have three playable protagonists.  Switching between lead characters in games has always been something I‘ve never cared for as I like to get tied to the story of one character and hate it when I’m forced to switch to another.  Certainly I expect there to be some forced character switches in this game at least at the beginning as they introduce the three but hopefully once you are past that, the switching will be optional.  I’m not sure what other people think of this but my guess is most will find one character that they relate to the most and end up playing primarily that character.

One thing I loved about GTA: San Andreas was the variety of environments in the game.  GTA:IV was a good game and the city was huge but, the game was kind of a let down to me because of the lack of variety in the environment.  It was just a big city.  In GTA:V the variety is back and does it ever look gorgeous!  At the end of the trailer they sneak peaked some multiplayer action going down.  Multi-player was fun in GTA:IV but, thanks to the variety of environments I think it will be way better in GTA:V!

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Camping at Mohican

Posted on July 23, 2012 by C.G.B.Spender

Last weekend my girlfriend, a couple of friends and I went to Mohican for some fun camping, canoeing and hiking.  I had never been to Mohican before so it was all new to me and I found myself pleasantly surprised.  I didn’t realize that Mohican offered as much to see and do.  I thought it was just a place to go canoeing!

During my stay we camped in the toy hauler at Camp Toodik on a great campsite right next to the river.  The site was down a large hill from the rest of the park in a less developed ares making it more secluded.  The site was also very wide so we weren’t bunched up against our neighbors.  At night it was very dark as there are no lights in this park of the campground.  It was about as close to being out in the woods as you can get while still having electric and water hookup.  It was nice!

A note for anyone who wants to stay down by the river at Camp Toodik: the road down is rather steep as well as unpaved.  I would not recommend taking your travel trailer down it unless you have 4WD or a dually else you might not get back up!

While we were there we of course did some canoeing.  We also did some sight-seeing in the park, visiting the Gorge Overlook, climbing the fire tower and hiking from the Cover Bridge to Big and Little Lyon falls to Pleasant Hill Dam and back to the Bridge.  Below is a map that shows some tracks and waypoints from our trip.


View Mohican Camping Trip July 2012 in a larger map

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