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Total noob when it comes to modding buttons. How did you get the leds into the buttons? And is the power source the 5V?
very small surface mount LED's (about 1mmx1mm) and I drilled a space out for them in the buttons and hot glued them in, as for the control pad, I sanded it down and made a new rocker ball out of hot glue encasing the LED
Ok I seen this in a thread on 8bc, pretty neat-o. As for the power supply its the 5V right?
Ok I seen this in a thread on 8bc, pretty neat-o. As for the power supply its the 5V right?
yup 5v power, also can you link me to the thread? I have never seen this done before
Link: https://8bc.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=22220 you really did this mod without knowing its been done before? Thats awesome
Link: https://8bc.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=22220 you really did this mod without knowing its been done before? Thats awesome
ya, I had the idea as I was building it because I had the LED's next to me on my desk so I thought, hey ive never seen that before im going to try it out!
hopefully not too much longer! just waiting on samples, twiddling thumbs...
you should add some clear silicon start/select buttons, and illuminate them too
Was going to say this!
That looks awesome tho!
I've been wanting to finish mine up will all backlit buttons as well!
Those buttons are actually the same blue as yours. The camera just didn't capture it properly.
Hey asneakyfatcat!
Figured I'd register and post here because of the... fluctuation that 8bc seems to experience with regard to its uptime.
Anyways, I was a little surprised to find an e-mail telling me that my old tutorial thread on 8bc was referenced here! I guess it's being lurked more than I inititally suspected. 
Either way, nice to see more people attempt this mod - mostly because I'm still working on versions of it myself and I'm always curious to see others' results! It looks pretty nice - I like your way of tackling the D-pad and the nub underneath. Can you refer to a datasheet on the LEDs that you used here?
Oh, Justin, seeing the way you lit up Kitsch's new translucent S/S buttons made me curious as to where you located the LEDs you used to illuminate them - mind sharing? I have some of them coming my way in a package and a reference would probably help me out greatly.
EDIT - realized that some of my original post might come across as a thread hack, so I've isolated that segment and put it beneath this line.
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While I'm on the subject of backlit buttons, I'd like to announce that I'm currently preparing a small production run for a kit-worthy version of this! Backlit buttons for the masses! Briefly explained, it comes down to freshly-cast buttons and D-pads with all the proper cavities in place for inserting PLCC2-type SMD LEDs of your choice! (AKA you could choose the color yourself, it's a pretty prominent package size.) I'm considering to offer a barebones-version that you'd have to glue/solder together by yourself, and a completely assembled version with all LEDs and circuitry sturdily in place, all ready to be hooked up to power.
Since I don't have the funds to do an injection moulding run of my designs, I've been going through some experiments with a 3D-printing service. (Could post some pictures if want.) I'm currently in the process of setting up a hand-casting production run. based off a mould made with a polished 3D-printed original. It's my first time working with silicon and I'm taking my time, but I think that in a little while from now I could start rolling out buttons. The D-pad is still undergoing revisions, but will hopefully catch up.
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Last edited by Nun4t4k (Jan 5, 2012 7:03 pm)
Just cut notches in the shell right above the buttons. Gives perfect light distribution. I should probably do a tutorial on this since people ask so often!
A tutorial would be useful when I go to town on my GB shell - wouldn't want to take out more than I need to in order to find the right spot to distribute light from.
If we were to imagine the silicon buttons' simplified shape as a rectangle that's a lot wider than it is tall,would you say that positioning the LEDs in the middle of the long end, or in the middle of the short end, is better? Or is there little difference altogether?
The middle of the long end. So opposite of where the shells says "start" and "select". The buttons absorb light so well you could probably put them anywhere. The distribution is just incredible.
I just made this one today and lit them from the bottom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu3in02L43A
My modding skills were put to the limit when installing a backlight. Thus, achieving the prowess as exhibited here is mind-blowing for moi!
This is really nice. What is the 5v supply? Is it the same point used for the backlight mod? Do the LED run in serial or parallel, and what resistor value are you using? I would guess for standard green LED it'd be about 220R, and something a bit higher for high intensity blue or white?
