Not enough power from 4 pin?

I am modding my case but I can not get enough power to make this device (hard to explaine but kind of like a light) work correct.
If I connect direct to a outlet it works fine, when I connect from a 4 pin (yellow) and (black) it barely works. If I use a smaller version of this device it does have enough power but the small device will not work for my case. I don't think I need much more power and I think my PSU (500 watt) can supply it I just don't know how to make that happen.
Can anyone help.

I'm confused. Your outlet provides 120V, 60Hz AC power. The line in your computer provides 12V DC power. the device you're trying to power needs to be able to run on 12v DC (if you have a AC->DC converter (big box you plug into the outlet)) then the device should power up if connected to the 12v rail.

If it drew too many amps then the PSU would give you problems and it would most likely not start up, or your other 12v devices wouldn't turn on.

[QUOTE=drumz0rz] the device you're trying to power needs to be able to run on 12v DC (if you have a AC->DC converter (big box you plug into the outlet)) then the device should power up if connected to the 12v rail.
QUOTE]

I have a regular Ultra 500watt PSU. Also I'm very new to this so my appologies now for some silly questions.
12v rail? is that the yellow or black wire? I've even tried attaching a second 4pin yellow and black (not sure if that was smart or not) but it still did not make it any brighter. The device only remained dim.

what is the device your trying to connect? that would help us out bit.

yes, also a picture might help as I'm really struggling to visualize something that can be plugged into a wall, or multiple molex connectors.

the "12 volt rail" is the 12v line supplied by the power supply. Some have 2 of these, most have 1. In your typical 4-pin molex connector you have a yellow wire, a red wire and 2 black wires. Black is always a ground in DC circuits(this goes for pretty much any device, including cars, and houses). The yellow is the 12v line and the red is the 5v line. DC circuits work by grounding the powered line to get a flow of electrons (whereas AC you need to connect the positive to the negative creating a loop, and then there's a separate ground (green wire). Also, in AC circuits negative is usually a black wire and positive is typically red or white, but can be anything)).

For the USA, there are two prevailing color coding standards for 120VAC wiring. Premise wiring, for buildings and homes, uses black for positive and white for neutral (usually grounded neutral), refer to NEC. Industrial (control circuitry) wiring uses red for positive and white for neutral, refer to NEMA. Green is always ground in AC power circuits.

Computer power supplies use yellow for +12VDC, red for +5VDC, and black for common (0VDC).

The best rule of thumb is to not trust that it was wired properly: check with a meter.

And anything that is designed to work when plugged into a household wall outlet (120VAC) will not work when connected to the output of a computer power supply (12VDC).

Ben N1NP

I could not post a image but here is the url "//img90.imageshack.us/img90/1339/4pin.jpg" that shows basically how I have it connected now. It is a glass that goes transparent when a current is put to it. It does not require a lot of voltage but slightly more that what i am currently getting. "youtube.com/watch?v=-aliXxhFmd8" also shows this.

"And anything that is designed to work when plugged into a household wall outlet (120VAC) will not work when connected to the output of a computer power supply (12VDC)."
But I can get it to work a slightly smaller size so I guess this stuff works DC as well.

Your diagram would be more helpful if we had more information.

What is the required supply voltage?
How many amps?

Do you have an instruction manual or data sheet or even a part number and manufacturer name for your device?

Ben N1NP

The voltage it needs should be around 12-14volts to make it fully see thru, I don't have any kind of meter or test equipment like that. Also I don't have any data sheets or anything either. I got this stuff as a sample and thought I would try it on my case. I have no idea what kind of amps it needs.

This is some information i found online,
-Operate off of ordinary AC voltage (110VAC)
-Require very little power (less than 7.0 watts per square meter)