can i run a 12v LED straight off my power supply?

[swaffar]

picked up some automotive 12v LED lights cause i wanna light up my U-trak trackball on the cheap.  i've tapped it off of my power supply 12v and i'm thinking of using the mobo HDD activity ground.  this should make my trackball flash with HDD action, but my quest is this.  do i need to wire in a resistor due to the low consumption of the LED or am i cool to just run it straight off my molex?  i'm assuming my LED will flash with the HDD ground, but i think i'm right.  i guessing the mobo would more likely send the ground to complete the circuit as opposed to the 5V right?

[Franco B]

I couldn't tell you about using the HDD ground as I have never heard of such a principal. Will be cool if it works tho 

To answer your other question, yes you can run the 12v automotive LED of your 12v molex. The LED will already have the appropriate resistor attached to it.

[swaffar]

sweet!  thanks for the quick reply.  i'll have to get me some more auto LED's.  they're cheap and much brighter than my nova matrix.

[DaOld Man]

How much current do the bulbs draw? Do you have a link to a pic or specs?