ATake UV Lighting Kit
Review by: Steve
Edited by: Ji4m
Provided by: Wisetech

Introduction:
Adding UV light and UV reactive components to a computer gives a whole new dimension to modding. No more plain old light inside the case. With UV components, stuff will glow in different colour's and add more dramatic effect to a windowed case. Today we're looking at a UV light set from ATake.

In The Box:
(1) UV Cathode Light (Inverter and switch hardwired)
(1) ATA 66/100/133 Round IDE Cable
(1) ATA 66/100/133 Round Floppy Cable

(Package, click to enlarge)

Specs:
ATA Round Cable Key Specifications:
Connector Type: IDE socket 40-pin connector (ATA)
Contact No: 40
Contact Material: Copper Alloy
Insulator Material: PBT and Glass-Fiber
Contact Resistance: 30M ohms maximum, 0.3A
Insulator Resistance: 1000M ohms minimum, 500VDC
Dielectric Withstanding Voltage: 500VAC/minute
Operating Temperature: -40 to +150 Degrees Celsius
Transfer Rate: 66MBps for ATA-66, 100MBps for ATA-100, 133MBps for ATA-133

(Contents, click to enlarge)

(Everything that is included, click to enlarge)

Features:
Since this kit is UV (Ultra Violet), everything that is UV reactive will glow. With the included UV cathode the round IDE cables that are also in the kit glow a blue colour when the cathode is on. This is a very cool effect if you've never had the chance to play around with UV light! One thing I found, is with only one cathode being included, it is hard to position it in a large case where everything can be evenly lit. If they were to include 2 cathodes then the kit would have a better effect for those with larger cases.
The cables themselves glow very brightly even in a well lit room where other lights could interfere with the UV. One thing I would have liked to have seen with the kit would be a second IDE cable included to go to the CD/DVD-ROM devices to continue the trend of round UV cables in the case. In my case I now have a UV reactive floppy and IDE cable, but a regular IDE flat cable to the CD/DVD-ROM drives. I realize that a standard computer may only have one cable if the CD/DVD-ROM drive is connected across the hard drive, but anyone who would be interested in using computer mod's would probably have their hard drives and ROM's on separate cables.
Reading the package, it says that the UV cathode is supposed to flash by sound activity. I put my speakers about as loud as they could go but was unable to see any sort of flashing. This may be due to bad positioning of the inverter or possibly poor sensitivity in the part that controls the flashing.

(IDE and Floppy Cables, click to enlarge)

(UV Cathode, click to enlarge)

(Inverter is hardwired to the cathode, click to enlarge)

Installation:
Installation of the round ATA cables first requires you to remove your current ATA cable. Once that is out, you can then plug the round cable into the motherboard and then into your hard drive(s). Same goes for the round floppy installation.

(Cable ends, click to enlarge)

One thing I like about the cathode is that the inverter is hard wired and can not be unplugged and removed from the cathode. With that, it makes installation a little easier since you don't need to worry about what plugs go where. You simply plug the power connector into an available molex connector and position it where you want. There is also a switch wired onto the inverter which allows you to turn the cathode off when not in use. You may wish to drill a hole in your case to mount the switch or just leave it hang inside on the "on" position like I did.

(Everything running, even the water additive glows! click to enlarge)

Conclusion:
Overall I was very pleased with the UV Lighting Kit from ATake. For those wishing to add the eye catching glow of UV lighting inside your case, this kit gives you everything you need to get started at a great price of around $40 Canadian.

Pros:
UV adds a nice effect inside the case
Cables react nicely to UV Cathode
Round cables increase airflow

Cons:
Another IDE cable would be nice to go to CD-ROM devices
Dual Cathode would give better effect

Rating: 8/10

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A big thanks to the great people at Wisetech who provided the UV Lighting Kit for review!