DigiDoc 5 Backlight Mod...I Finally did it!!!

[PsycoPhreak]

well, it was more difficult than I had originally thought, but since the materials for my case haven't come in yet i figured I might as well Mod the DigiDoc5 while I waited... (heres the link to my case mod project... http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?threadid=57666

It is a HUGE improvement over the factory lighting, but I wouldn't undertake something like this unless your very skilled with soldering under a 12X magnifying glass...heh heh

Anyway, here are the pics...

This is factory (as we all know

[PsycoPhreak]

Here is the Modified version...:D :D :D

[PsycoPhreak]

Ohh...By the way, the backlight is an EL strip I scavenged out of an old timex alarm clock...lol

[PsycoPhreak]

Check this out, an added bonus i didn't anticipate...Since i left the Factory Lighting intact and installed the EL strip under the lcd, when the factory lighting is on AND the new Blue EL light, it lights it up PURPLE!!!...heh heh

So now i have 3 different colors to pick from...:D

[Oni]

That is w00t!! Wish I could do that w/ my Compunurse.

[PsycoPhreak]

As long as its an LCD, an EL strip placed behind it will definetly work!!

[Oni]

really!? Where would I get one of these wonderful strips, and how would I power it?!

[PsycoPhreak]

Well, I got lucky and had the clock with it already in it, i just gutted the components and reworked a small inverter board for it.

Alas, we are all not this lucky,(i'm usually not either..lol)

But, you can do a search for "Electroluminescent" and you will find a ton of links to places to order sheets of this stuff and the small inverters they need to be powered with!!!

[Oni]

Ok, I'll end up doing that again when I have money to burn. Thx!

[WyrmMaster]

Iv been meaning to do that to my compunurse, but havent wanted to spend the money. Looks really nice by the way. And the purple is COOL.

[*JEREMY*]

Turned out nice,I was wanting to mod mine but never got around to it.

[PYROMANIAC]

i'd like to add a backlight to my compunerse...how would you power that?

[Morbid]

http://www.beingseen.com/

This sells the flexible EL lights in sheets, cables and flatlite's. I'll probably be buying some as well... might find a cheaper site somewhere, i'll let you know if I do.

[PsycoPhreak]

Thanks for all the great feedback people!

As far as Moding the Compunurse, there shouldn't be any problem in doing so except for one thing, if the LCD backing material (usually a silver looking type of sticker) isn't transparent (like the DigiDoc's is) then it would have to be peeled off VERY CAREFULLY, then the EL strip can be put behind it no problem, otherwise no light will shine through. sometimes the backing of LCD's without lighting is just placed behind it to give it the silver look ( i'm not familiar with the LCD panel in the compunurse, wheather its "stuck on" or just placed behind it...anyone?)

As far as powering the EL lighting, it uses a small DC to AC converter which usually can be purchased from whoever sells the EL material itself, you have to check with the vendor, but the gerneral specs on the power source for EL lighting is anywhere between 70 to 240 volts AC at anywhere from 60 Hz to 4000 Hz
(the higher the voltage, the brighter, the higher the frequency, the truer the color will be if I remember correctly)

It actually can be plugged right into a wall outlet but the color will suffer a great deal due to the houshold current frequency (which is 60 Hz here in the USA, not sure what is is elsewhere)

I'm running all mine off of 2 small Inverters that accept 12 volts in and output 140 volts at 2000 Hz ( just to give an idea...:D )

[eh?]

:D

[dizzy_g]

You can get them at RS (http://www.rswww.com).

They come in different sizes some big enough to cover the side of case! :D :D :D

If i had the money i'd get some but i'm just a poor student!:(

[Kingslayer]

That is sweet, that blue really makes a difference doesnt it?

[Dissolved]

ill have to save this thread.. cuz if i get the extra cash, a dd5 is the next mod im doing!

god i sure love that blue... mmm :D

PsycoPhreak : what size blue led did you use? and whats the mcd rating?
thanks

[f155mph]

That look sweet, how long and how much did it take???

[PsycoPhreak]

Originally posted by Dissolved
ill have to save this thread.. cuz if i get the extra cash, a dd5 is the next mod im doing!

god i sure love that blue... mmm :D

PsycoPhreak : what size blue led did you use? and whats the mcd rating?
thanks



The lighting used isn't from a LED, it's a small EL (ElectroLuminescent) strip, unfortunately, blue LED's just didn't have the light and the look I was going for.

As far as how long it took, i'd say about an hour, the hardest part was disassembling the DigiDoc and removing the LCD, placing the strip behind it then positioning the LCD back in position ( there was a small white strip of plastic behind the light spreader that i had to remove in order to fit the EL strip) the LCD is fragile so I took my time with it.

I should have stoped along the way to take pictures, but, as I mentioned before, the camera I have is crappy and didn't want to work on my other system..lol

The Mod is definetly worth it, as the light given off is much cleaner, makes the display much easier to read.

[Dissolved]

Originally posted by PsycoPhreak




The lighting used isn't from a LED, it's a small EL (ElectroLuminescent) strip, unfortunately, blue LED's just didn't have the light and the look I was going for.

As far as how long it took, i'd say about an hour, the hardest part was disassembling the DigiDoc and removing the LCD, placing the strip behind it then positioning the LCD back in position ( there was a small white strip of plastic behind the light spreader that i had to remove in order to fit the EL strip) the LCD is fragile so I took my time with it.

I should have stoped along the way to take pictures, but, as I mentioned before, the camera I have is crappy and didn't want to work on my other system..lol

The Mod is definetly worth it, as the light given off is much cleaner, makes the display much easier to read.

i thought the strip made it purple tho?
im confused.. u modded it to blue, then the strip made it purple right?
am i lost or missing something?????? :confused: :confused:

[PsycoPhreak]

Actually, the strip made it blue, but I also left the stock lighting (2 orange/red LED's...one on either side of the display) in place. So when i turn on the blue light and turn on the factory lighting, it looks purple.

I left the factory lighting in place for 3 reasons...

1. when I don't have any of the lights on in my case I keep the factory lights on. ( you can click here (http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?threadid=57666) to see my case and the lighting )

2. If I ever want to undo the mod, all i have to do is remove the EL strip and its back to normal.

3. it wasn't in the way...lol

[Dissolved]

Originally posted by PsycoPhreak
Actually, the strip made it blue, but I also left the stock lighting (2 orange/red LED's...one on either side of the display) in place. So when i turn on the blue light and turn on the factory lighting, it looks purple.

I left the factory lighting in place for 3 reasons...

1. when I don't have any of the lights on in my case I keep the factory lights on. ( you can click here (http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?threadid=57666) to see my case and the lighting )

2. If I ever want to undo the mod, all i have to do is remove the EL strip and its back to normal.

3. it wasn't in the way...lol

awww ok.. i guess if i can get a dd5 under 45 bucks, ill do that mode, cuz that blue color is just so awesome.. i mean id cuz stare at it all day lol

[hunter00]

you got a step-by-step for this mod? i want a dd5 but it doesn't fit into my plans for a blue/yellow case . ..

[leobob]

I found a site that sells EL kits, which looks as though they would work here.

The website is here. (http://www.microstru.com/exp2.html)

They have a wide range of kits, and allow the EL to be different colors and shapes.

Think this will work?

[PsycoPhreak]

Originally posted by hunter00
you got a step-by-step for this mod? i want a dd5 but it doesn't fit into my plans for a blue/yellow case . ..

Step by step is easy, disassembling the DD5 is a snap and anyone can do it, the tricky part is to take the LCD off, its not that hard but one slip and it could be bye bye for the LCD.

Its held in place by a small metal frame that has lugs that are passed thru small slits in the circuit board, the have to be twisted slighty to straighten them so they can pass through and release the LCD.

the hard part is getting the EL under the LCD, first it has to be trimmed to size, then it must be checked for thickness...(to thick and the LCD won't sit close enough for the contact pads to make contact with the board, if it is too thick..the light spreader..( a small rectangle of clear plastic that sits directly under the LCD to spread the light out from the factory LED's) must be thinned out..(sanded down very gently then buffed to make it clear again )

once that is done and a trial fit has been successful, the wires to the EL strip can be soldered or bonded on with whatever adhesive came with the EL kit and the LCD placed over it and mounted in reverse of the way it came off.

Careful attention is to be paid to the way the LCD is positioned, if its off a little it may display incorrectly, the way i got it to go back right is I pushed the lugs of the metal frame in about half way and held the board straight up with the LCD facing me, and it slipped right into place, once thats done, just push the lugs all the way back through and twist to retain the LCD once again, but don't twist them to far as it may cut into the traces that are right near the slits in the board.

Next step is to test the EL strip, hook up the power from the inverter/driver and it should light if done occording to the instructions, if it works, then place the sensor and fan board back on the front LCD board and plug in the power connector and see if the display shows correctly ( just make sure it looks normal, if not, you have to loosen up the frame again and shift the LCD until it does.

with that done, reassemble the entire unit and just run the wires from the EL strip whichever way suits your instalation and connect to the power source..( inverter ) and that should be it!

I really wish I was able to take pictures of how I did it, i gotta buy a better camera... :eh?:



Originally posted by leobob
I found a site that sells EL kits, which looks as though they would work here.

The website is here. (http://www.microstru.com/exp2.html)

They have a wide range of kits, and allow the EL to be different colors and shapes.

Think this will work?

those kits might be ok to use, although the sheets look a bit thick, and when adding the color overlay to them it will become thicker.....my thought is to just find an EL strip that is already the color you want...the thinner, the better, but, those kits can work with a bit more time and patience...:D

[rivercom9]

Whats a good thickness?

[PsycoPhreak]

That I can't be sure of, any thickness will work and I have seen some EL sheets really thin, and some of them are a bit thicker than a piece of paper, the only thing the thickness will affect is the amount of space there is behind the LCD...to thick and some modification to the lightspreader is involved...to thin..well, to thin isn't a problem a piece of scotch tape holding it in place can't fix...:D

[WyrmMaster]

An alternative (and probably cheaper) way of doing this using LED's can be found over at Virtual Hideout (http://www.virtual-hideout.net/guides/digidoc5_blueled_mod/index.shtml) if anyones interested. Thats the way im planning on doing mine as soon as i order some of those backlighting LED's.

[PsycoPhreak]

Very true, but the LEDs didn't give me that "crystal clear" look I wanted...the edges of the lcd were brighter than the center with the leds...as it is with the stock ones too, I was going for complete saturation with no dull spots, just looks so much better...:D

[glassknife]

Looks great:burn: