QuickFire Rapid Status LED mod

[user 18]

I'm going to do a mod which involves moving the status LEDs on my QFR (usually in the switch itself) to the same place they would be on a filco, above the 6-key cluster. Will be posting a build log here as I progress. I have the wire runs figured out, that won't be a concern. My only issue is the question of what LED colour to use. This board will be used with the toxic keyset from BunnyLake's recent group buy. Any suggestions?

Wiring done for scroll lock LED.


Soldered in the leads


Tuck the lead around the PCB so it can be run to where it needs to go. Using 28-gauge wire for this so I can be sure I have enough clearance. Going to be running 4 leads, one return for each of the caps, scroll and win locks, and one power lead.


Another angle.


I didn't solder yet, because I don't know what LEDs I want, or what other changes I'm going to make. The little clips make testing easy


Lights off


Lights on! Means something works, at least.


Here's a shot of the back of the board with all three runs


And edge detail


Salvaging some LEDs from an old board. These have the same forward voltage as the ones that were on the QFR before, so I don't need to worry about that. The green LEDs I was looking at online had slightly higher voltages. It shouldn't have been a problem, but I might as well use what I have.


Added little flags to the loose ends of each run so I can keep track of which is which until I solder.


Twisted the wires together so they would be easier to manage. I need to route them through a narrow run on the case top, and I couldn't get them to stay unless I grouped them like this.


Finished product

[user 18]

Reserved, just in case.

[SpAmRaY]

Green?

[user 18]

Green?

Green is good. Any recommendations for source? I think I'll need something with some sort of diffuser, so they aren't harsh pinpoints of light. Can't go larger than 3mm diameter either without risking damaging the case. Would prefer to avoid that

Got my first run of wire done, pictures to follow.

[user 18]

Found some nice 3mm green LEDs on a salvage PCB, so I'm going to be moving ahead with this sooner than I expected. More pics soon.

[user 18]

Added some more pics. Will be drilling the holes I need in the case top this afternoon, and will probably have this effectively finished by tonight.

If there are any specific pictures anyone would like to see, please let me know and I'll try to oblige.

[user 18]

Ended up using a 1/8" drill bit for 3mm LEDs, it gives a very snug fit which is what I want. With the particular diodes I used, it leaves just a dome at the surface of the board (also what I wanted).

Didn't take any pictures while I was soldering and putting it back together, was too busy burning my fingers and I didn't have anyone else available to work the camera. It was pretty basic soldering though. Wrapped the loose wire several turns around the leg of the diode, and melted some solder onto it to keep it affixed.

The legs of each diode had to be cut and bent in order to fit in the available depth on the bottom of the board. I ran the wires inside the case to the controller through the small gap between the backspace and 6-key. Getting the wires to stay in this gap was one of the hardest parts of the whole mod.

If you look at the spacing of the LEDs, it's not perfect but it's good enough for me. If anyone has any questions about the mod, feel free to ask. If you want some more specific pictures of the inside, I'm going to be taking this board apart again to paint it once I get my DIY paint booth set up.

[OverKill]

Looks good! nice work.

[CPTBadAss]

Cool! I missed this somehow but I love how it turned out .