Back-lit 12 Gauge D-Pad
IntroductionThis tutorial will show you how I back-light my 12 Gauge D-Pads. This could probably be done using a stock D-Pad, but I don't have any stock D-Pads at the moment, so I haven't tried it with one.
Parts Needed- 1 - Disassembled 12 Gauge D-Pad
- 0603 LEDs
- 30 AWG wire
- Heat Shrink Tubing
I'm not listing the bottom half of the D-Pad because I consider it part of the D-Pad assembly, same with the individual parts (12ga cap, modified D-Pad nub/upper half, D-Pad base/bottom half.)
Tools Needed- Rotary Tool
- Hot Glue Gun
- Soldering Iron
- Pen Knife
- Tweezers
- Marker
- 1/16" Drill Bit
- 1/8" Spherical Engraving Bit
Some of this should be obvious to an experienced modder. Don't ask me what 1/16 or 1/8 is in metric as I don't know and don't care,
google it if you need to know.
Difficulty rating: 3/5
This mod isn't really all that complex (in fact it's really simple), but I put it at a 3 because it can be frustrating to get everything together and based on the number of LEDs used you may have to test fit and adjust multiple times.
Average Time to Complete: Experienced: 30 minutes
Inexperienced: 30-60 minutes
Notes:Most notes are listed above or below, in their respective sections. In addition to those already listed:
This tutorial assumes that you have already partially constructed a 12 Gauge D-Pad. If you want to do this mod in addition to the 12 Gauge D-Pad it is best to do this portion after you cut down the stock D-Pad but before you glue the 12 Gauge cap to it. If you have already finished your 12 Gauge D-Pad then you will have to disassemble it (not that it's that hard).
I'm not going to show the power points to solder to on the controller board since that information is out there in a million places and they're the same points you use for every other mod out there.
Many people ask about my wiring, I use red and blue wire so that I know which is power and which is ground. I use a twisted pair (that I twist myself) because I personally think it looks cleaner and it makes it easier to run multiple wires (like power and ground) to one place.
I'll say it now before anyone asks, because I know someone will... In the last picture in the tutorial, the red bottle cap with a black '101' on it is from a bottle of Shiner 101, it is a Czech-style Pilsner (I did not intentionally put that bottle cap in the picture, and I was not drinking and modding...). If you're interested, click the spoiler for more info... [spoiler]Shiner Beers are produced by the
Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX. Shiner currently produces 6 styles year-round (one of which is only available in sampler 6-packs), 3 seasonal styles, and 1 anniversary style. They have been producing special limited edition anniversary brews (since their 96th anniversary), in different traditional styles, to celebrate their Centennial anniversary. They intended to stop at the 100th anniversary, but these brews have become so popular that the program has been extended indefinitely, and they are now producing the 102 (a Double Wheat). Originally Shiner Beers were available only in Texas, but now are sold in 38 of the 50 United States; though I still have to drive a few cases up north (about 1900 miles) to my sister every year as she lives in one of the few states that doesn't sell it (doing so is only illegal if transported across state lines for resale).
Spoetzl Brewery Wiki /BeerLesson [/spoiler]
Disclaimer: Neither AcidMods or myself condone under-age drinking, drinking and driving, or drinking and modding. If you choose to drink, please do so responsibly, and DO NOT drive or mod while under the influence.
Step By Step TutorialStep 1:
Make up your 'wiring harness'. This is really simple and straight forward. The number of LEDs used is up to you.
First wire the LEDs with short leads (measure the needed length from the inner edge of the shell to the center of the shell).
Then solder those leads to main leads. Then put some heat shrink over those solder joints.
[spoiler]
Here you can see how I made up my 'wiring harness'...[/spoiler]
Step 2:
You will need to modify the upper half of the D-Pad a little more. Drill a hole in the middle of the upper half of the D-Pad, make sure that it is centered in the D-Pad (it is easiest to drill from the underside to make sure the hole is centered). Now, feed the main leads through the hole you just made from top to bottom (LEDs should be on top and the main leads should come out the bottom) and test the fit. Make sure that the solder joints wrapped in heat shrink will fit through the hole and fit in between the screw holes and lock tabs. Once it fits properly, remove the wiring harness from the modified D-Pad.
Step 3:
Adjust the positioning of the LEDs in the shell so that they are spread evenly and as far to the outside edge of the shell as possible and so that the solder joints are in the center of the shell. Once you have everything properly positioned, remove the harness and put a little dab of hot glue down and press the first LED into the glue. Continue doing this for each LED on your harness.
Step 4:
Feed the main leads through the hole you drilled in the D-Pad, but don't set it all the way in. Make sure that everything is positioned so that the shell will have the proper orientation when finished (see the
D-Pad tutorial for how to do this). Now add some hot glue to the center of the shell around the solder joints and then press the D-Pad down into place. Now that you're done with steps 2, 3, and 4, you should have something that looks like this:
[spoiler]
Here you can sort of see the placement of the LEDs, as well as the solder joints...[/spoiler]
Step 5:
Now you will need to modify the lower half of the D-Pad. First, you'll need to drill a recess in between the screw holes (this is where I use the spherical engraving bit) so that the solder joints can fit in between them, it should look like this:
[spoiler]
Recess cut...[/spoiler]
Step 6:
Now, take the upper half of your controller shell, flip it upside down, place the D-Pad bottom in it's place and mark the empty recess with a marker. Now you'll need to drill a hole in the center between the screw holes and the lock tab holes, make sure that it's centered; however you need to drill at a slight angle towards the spot that you just marked. Drill another hole into the side of the lower half aligned with the spot you marked. Now, use your pen knife to cut a notch into the lip of the lower half. The holes and the notch allow you to feed the main leads through the assembly without pinching or severing the leads.
[spoiler]
Hole placement...
This is where the hole should exit...
Here you can see the notch you cut in the lip and the second hole to feed the wires through...[/spoiler]
Step 7:
Now you'll need to put everything together... First, put the top half of the D-Pad in place, then flip over the upper half of the controller shell and carefully feed the main leads through the holes you drilled in the bottom half of the D-Pad. Feed the main leads through the holes little by little until you have the leads coming out at the notch you cut, you really only need a little bit of the leads to come through the notch so that you can pull them the rest of the way through once the two halves are together. Now you can snap the two halves of the D-Pad together, put the stock screws in place to hold the two halves together, and feed the wires the rest of the way through.
[spoiler]
All put together with the main leads coming out at the notch you cut. You can make this notch wider than you see here (you can actually make it as wide as the notch in the upper half of the controller shell if you want...).[/spoiler]
Step 8:
All you should have left to do is route the wires to the power points and solder them to their respective places (I am going to skip showing you the wires soldered to the power points since that is pretty straight forward, self-explanatory, and the power points are no different than any other mod).
[spoiler]
Routing the wires through the bottom half of the D-Pad...
This one is here again because it's a good picture of where to route the wires so that you can attach them to the solder points...[/spoiler]
Put it all together, power it on and you should have something that looks like this:
All done and lit up...
Congratulations, you now have a back-lit 12 Gauge D-Pad! Enjoy!
