Working through another LED circuit, I had an aha moment about the JD45. At some point in the design cycles, I rotated the silkscreen semicircle for the backlight transistor. Note that the CIRCUIT is fine, just the little picture of the transistor is rotated.
So, to make it all be happy, just install the transistor on the back with the flat towards the bottom (spacebar) edge of the board.
Then all will be well.
- Ron | samwisekoi
p.s. Electrically-minded readers will immediately see that upside-down, the transistor would have to let the backlight current flow FROM the emitter TO the collector. This works poorly with an NPN transistor. but rotate it 180, and we have C to E when B is high and life is good!