HTpro/9910 - Can the backlight color be changed? Anyone Try?

Post by **The Robman** » Fri May 06, 2005 9:54 am

Hey Jim,
Looks cool! Btw, where are the LEDs located in relation to the buttons that they illuminate? I'm thinking it might be nice to extend the "white" section a little lower to include the transport keys and just leave the macro/learning/pip buttons red. Is that possible with the way the LEDs are layed out? I think it might also be a good idea to use white for the right angled LCD display.

Also, what did you end up doing to get the red LEDs to work? Did you swap them out or add a resistor?

jherrick · Post by **jherrick** » Fri May 06, 2005 10:17 am

Rob, thanks.

The LEDs location can be seen in the first photos I posted (page 1). I think it would be possible to bring the white down.

As far as white for the right angles, I'm not sure where to find those LEDs. I know where to get blue right angle, but not white.

I ended up putting a 500 Ohm resister in series with each red branch of the parallel circuit to enable an equal voltage drop across all branches. This involved cutting the trace and soldering on the resistor to bridge the gap. It wasn't a problem to do, but finding the right resistance was trial and error. I started with 1, 2, and 5 Ohm, then went to 20, 30, 40, then finally went to 100, 250, and 500. I knew once the 250 dimly lit the other LEDs that I was getting close.

bob_m · Post by **bob_m** » Fri May 06, 2005 10:35 am

Cool

maxse · Post by **maxse** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:43 pm

cool stuff. But just a question: Is it possible to make all those LEDs brighter. They look kinda dim to me. Is it possible to make them just slightly brighter?

jherrick · Post by **jherrick** » Tue May 10, 2005 6:50 am

The LEDs are about the same brightness as the original reds, but the LCD display is dimmer because I don't have the right angle LEDs. I would get those if I was going to do the mod for anyone.

I suppose if you wanted to run the remote off 9V like has been referenced above in these posts, it would make the LEDs brighter, and the batteries I was using may have finally started to wear down; I had been doing a lot of LED testing with them.

Capn Trips · Post by **Capn Trips** » Tue May 10, 2005 6:59 am

jherrick wrote:I would have to have at least 14 people that wanted to pay $10.00 each for their remote to get modded. ... If the interest is generated, and people felt strongly enough about the color of their backlighting that they wanted to pay $13.65 to get it changed, I would do it.

I'd take you up on the offer. I have two HTPros that I'd like modified with the Red, White & Blue option (one at a time, though) Are you approaching critical mass for takers on this?

jherrick · Post by **jherrick** » Tue May 10, 2005 9:47 am

Actually, Cap'n, you're the first. Evidently most people are satisfied with their red. I don't think I can understand why, though.

Revwillie · Post by **Revwillie** » Wed May 11, 2005 3:30 pm

I had three 2117s and curiousity got the better of me, so I swapped one 2117 for 2 HTPros (thanks, Pete). The HTPro is great except for two things:

a) Red, Red, Red...feel like I'm in a dark room
b) The backlight turns OFF when I hold down a button (like volume)

so, my questions are:

is that ebay source the best place to get blue or white SMD LEDs? EDIT: sorry, I guess you went with mouser.

considering your demonstrated knowledge of the backlight circuit, can the backlight be modded to stay on when a key is pressed?

Do you have to wear coke bottle glasses to see the solder joints?

You say you normally work on smaller parts. What kind of iron works well?

Post by **The Robman** » Wed May 11, 2005 3:48 pm

Revwillie wrote:considering your demonstrated knowledge of the backlight circuit, can the backlight be modded to stay on when a key is pressed?

This can be fixed by using an extender.

Revwillie wrote:Do you have to wear coke bottle glasses to see the solder joints? You say you normally work on smaller parts. What kind of iron works well?

If you have normal eyesight (which is where we lose John Fine

) you can see the solder joints quite easily. You can use a regular iron if you like, as Jim described earlier in this thread, or you can use the "tweezer" type iron that I posted some info about earlier.

Revwillie · Post by **Revwillie** » Wed May 11, 2005 4:03 pm

The Robman wrote: This can be fixed by using an extender.

I'm so out of the loop it's not funny.

The Robman wrote: If you have normal eyesight (which is where we lose John Fine ) you can see the solder joints quite easily. You can use a regular iron if you like, as Jim described earlier in this thread, or you can use the "tweezer" type iron that I posted some info about earlier.

I might try my 'cold heat' iron {now, dodging vegetables thrown from all directions}. Radio shack has started selling replacement tips and I have a conical one now.

jherrick · Post by **jherrick** » Wed May 11, 2005 5:46 pm

Revwillie wrote: I might try my 'cold heat' iron {now, dodging vegetables thrown from all directions}. Radio shack has started selling replacement tips and I have a conical one now.

Actually, I would caution against the cold heat iron. I followed the thread that was in this forum on that iron as well as having researched it myself. The main drawback to using that iron for soldering most components is that it does not regulate the heat output. Most components (including these LEDs) have a fairly specific range of heat that the manufacturer recommend one not exceed when soldering them. One feature of the cold heat iron is the instantaneous heat, but it is unfortunately not regulated.

You asked what iron I use. At home I use a Weller with a digital temperature control. I set it to about 700F. I got the station on a yard sale for about $10.00. At work I use a Xytronic solder/desolder station that has an integrated vacuum (for solder removal) and compressor (for hot air soldering), and has an optional tweezer that is very convienent for removal of SMT components.
Jim

SilentBob · Post by **SilentBob** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 5:01 pm

Jim,

I've been offline for a while and just got around to reading this post. If you ever decide to mod some remotes, I'd be interested in getting a red/white/blue one. Especially if you could get the right-angle LEDs.

I'm not very familiar with electronic components, but since you seem to be, and seem to know the innards of this remote, I was wondering if it would be possible to add a voltage doubler to the RF transmitter and obtain the same functionality that I am gaining using my modified battery.

Now that I have swapped in the LiIon battery, I do like the fact that it is rechargeable. Don't really care if the LEDs drain my battery faster either

I does suck that I can't properly close the battery door, though. I was just wondering if there would be a way to get the transmit power boost without changing the battery.

Thanks.

hamuel · Post by **hamuel** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 11:07 pm

Jim,

I'm game for all white LEDs if you're interested in pursuing your mod a little further. I just picked up a few 9910's and plan to retire the 15 or so assorted non-JP1 remotes in the house so the 9910's will be used all the time. I would like to test the visibility & battery life on one unit before considering converting the others.

From a practicality standpoint, I have an extremely difficult time reading black on red (or red on black) whether it's on a monitor, paper or yes, even a remote. From my perspective, dropping a few $ might be a little easier than trying to memorize the placement of 60 buttons on the 9910.

Glenn

Revwillie · Post by **Revwillie** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 1:30 pm

I'm still considering this mod and $14 seems fair. What's the verdict on battery life with all white super-bright LEDs?

jherrick · Post by **jherrick** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 2:45 pm

The interest appears to have increased a bit as of late. I am still willing to do any of the mods. I can do red/white/blue, all blue, or all white (all with the correct right angle LEDs). If anyone is seriously interested, please email me so I can get an idea how many LEDs to order. My email is available from my profile.
Jim

JP1 Remotes

HTpro/9910 - Can the backlight color be changed? Anyone Try?

Step away for a couple of weeks and this is what I miss!

Re: Step away for a couple of weeks and this is what I miss!

Re: Step away for a couple of weeks and this is what I miss!

Re: Step away for a couple of weeks and this is what I miss!