Led Wiring Help

[jessehclark]

OK, so, I had a thread going about what color lights to put in my case, and about window ideas.. i appreciated everyone's input, and now its time to put it into action. the final product will be a surprise, but need some help.

first: i found some awesome led strips on ebay. like, $5 with free shipping and its 30 leds prewired. pretty sweet, i thought. but my electrical knowledge is limited, and i dont understand how you can put 30 2volt leds on a strip that runs off of a 12 volt source...are they just not running at full brightness? how's that work?

also- has anyone used a pot or other type of dimmer to control the brightness of leds or cathodes? is it possible?

and lastly... if i dont think i can handle a complex engraving on plexi myself, where can i go to have it engraved? any ideas on how much it would cost? (we're looking at a 4" or 5" by 9" etching on an 11 by 9 piece...

so, all i'll say for now is...i just bought two rolls of red EL wire....