Just for arguments sake though, wouldn’t the single resistor in my diagram protect the LED anyway? I’m assuming here that 3.3~ volts is the max thats going to be put out at any given time by the PCB (i.e. hitting 3 buttons simultaneously isn’t gonna send out 10+ v. all at once.)
I am going to take your advice on the 74HCT20, I just have an inquisitive mind is all.
Toodles is the guy who told me to go this route. I was concerned about causing damage to the LED or the control pad so I asked him. I never really understood the concept until I saw the logic diagram which is on the data sheet I linked to earlier.
The resistor will only stop or ‘resist’ a certain amount of electricity passing through it. Anything above the value of the resistor is passed on through. You could increase the value of the resistor but it will cause the LED to be dim when one switch is pressed and normal brightness when two are pressed. That is if I understand the concept correctly.
Well, I called around a few places locally but couldn’t get a hold of the 74HCT20. Not being one to shy away from experimentation I had a go at doing it the way I originally intended to.
I’ve had it plugged in for about 24 hours now, just tapping buttons when I walk past and stuff, I left 6 active buttons going for an hour and no problems whatsoever, there definitely was more voltage running through than what my resistor is supposed to allow, but thats not a problem for this particular project as I’m triggering something other than LED’s.
I won’t tell you how long it took me to figure out that I had to wire a ground to my metal case to stop it all going haywire. In hindsight I probably would’ve used a seperate resistor for each output of the hex inverter, but so far so good.
Hey guys, I was wondering if the 74HCT14 would also work for this application. I just ordered a whole bunch, and would hate to find them useless.
Thanks 
anyone willing to post up a video of them doing this ^-^?
Ya that would be nice. Has there been any updated techniques as well since the start of the thread?
Any chance if you guys know this mod will work on a wireless ps3 sixaxis stick? or if a wireless stick is able to light up LEDs without the button activation?
I don’t know if the sixaxis battery is enough to support LEDs
The probelm is not the battery. The sixaxis is not common ground so won’t work. Look here for the wiring setup. http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_diagrams/ps3_diagram2.jpg
hello everyone,
i just finished modding my TE stick with Shinjn board with the led for controller assign
it was fun until i finished then got nothing else to do so i’m thinking of modding the stick button with light activation i read the whole thread but i really dont understand how this work… anyone got free time to explain to me more specifictly what do i need and how do i do it? especially how to put led into a button ^^;; thx…
as for ps3 controller no ground problem… is it possible to add a 3rd partie board or anything to make this work?
I’ve recently received all the parts I ordered to try this mod out. I built my own case and had been using the parts out of a Hori ex3 up until my JLF came in so now I’m pretty excited to build another one and I’d like to give this mod a go. Anyways, I have a few questions about parts and wiring that I was hoping I could get some help with.
Part questions:
Seimitsu LB-39 Ball Top: has an enclosed metal housing where the shaft screws into the ball, so I don’t see how light from LEDs passes through the balltop. Is it common to drill into this metal enclosure to allow light to pass through or did I maybe purchase the wrong balltop? If drilling is the common answer is there anything I should be wary of before drilling? I’ll be using a Dewalt handheld 14.4v drill as I do not have access to a drill press.
Seimitsu PS-14-KN Pushbutton: do people typically place the LEDs inside the button itself and have the legs come out of the bottom of the button via drilled holes or are there different options?
Also, I noticed with the stock hori ex3 buttons a 1 1/8th paddle bit or hole saw worked fine for them, but with these buttons (which are screw in) the hole is a bit to small for the button to slide in. I’ve tried a 1 1/4 paddle bit but it’s slightly to large. Is the only answer here to use a 1 1/8th and then have to sand or drimel the hole to fit or is there a more accurate paddle bit or hole saw that can be purchased (i’ve never seen a metric hole saw or paddle bit set, but I feel like it would be expensive!)
Electric questions:
I’m using a Cthulhu board so I ordered 5v LEDs ( http://www.everlight.com.ua/pdf/standart/204-15UTC-S400-X9.pdf <- link to tech specs) and from what I gather I should obtain 1/8W or greater 68 ohm resistors for them (used a LED calculator with the tech specs of the LED). I plan to use the light up on activation drawings for this. I already have the MM74HCT04N on hand and just need to purchase the resistors and the perf board (which Im hopeful I can grab from Frye’s or Radioshack). The question(s) I have here are:
In order to get the stick to light up I am reading that I might need a 4 input Nand gate chip so that I do not fry my LEDs by sending double voltage to them when I am pressing diagonal. Could this also be accomplished by wiring all 4 signal wires of the stick to one input of the MM74HCT04N and then having the output go to the resistor/LED?
Also, I tested one LED’s brightness by hooking it up to the 5v output of the Cthulhu and one of the grounds and the LED turned on and off seemingly randomly is there no way to just have a LED always on? Is the 5v not constant or maybe not a constant ground?
I realize all of this is not related to this particular thread but I figured the bulk majority is at least relevant.
Thanks!
I’ll take a stab at answering your questions.
Seimitsu has started to use the sealed threaded insert. You have to drill through that to allow the light to light up the LED. The ball may spin in your hand just as the bit breaks through the metal and into the plastic. You are better off using a clamping jig to hold the ball while you drill it out. You will also need to drill out the shaft for the wires to pass through to the LED. This is nearly impossible without a drill press or lathe. I offer this service including drilling the ball top and installing the LED. See my website.
You are limited only by your imagination on this one. I typically drill a hole for the LED to fit into the base right next to the switch.
You can get a metric forstner bits from woodcraft.com They have the 24mm and the 30mm for the two button sizes for less then 15$ each plus shipping.
If you do that your joystick will not work. What you are talking about here will cause a signal to go to all 4 directions whenever the stick is moved. You need to use a 74xx20 logic chip. I use a 74HTC20.
You are risking blowing out the LED running it without a resistor. The maximum voltage is the 'Forward Voltage" which in your case is 3.5v - 4V. I am surprised you haven’t blown the LED already. Get the next size up as a 68 ohm resister is not made. I am not sure about a 75 ohm but I know that a 100 ohm is easily purchased. You will need one resistor for each LED. Once you have this set up properly the LED will stay on as you want it to.
Hi, Im a complete noob to this but one who is willing to learn, could someone tell me an EXACT list of all parts that I would need for this mod?( Im planning on having 6 buttons to light up) 
I already have a 74HC04 hex invertor and 10x 5mm LED’s- Im kinda unsure about the resistors though and how many LED’s for each button etc.
If anyone has the patience to explain in depth then hit me up:tup:
You need the specs on the LED and use a resistor calculator to find out which resistor you need for each LED. You also will need the voltage that you plan on feeding the LED. Typically this is 5v right off the USB cable for the pad. One LED per button would be fine but some people want two on opposite sides of the switch for a more even lighting effect.
Here is a resistor calculator to use. For this application use the single LED calculator.
http://www.hebeiltd.com.cn/?p=zz.led.resistor.calculator
Michael
hi guys i’m a very noob concerning electric stuff and my english is not too good but i’m interest to do this mod… i was thinking is it possible to wire led + resister inside a button and wire them to the button pin? i dont know how this work but since a button need signal to work would that signal be enough to supply for led also?
Thanks, Kaytrim for answering my questions! I’ll be putting in an order to woodcraft.com for that bit - it should save me loads of effort. One last quick question and I think I’ll have most of my bases covered: it is ok to wire the LED that will be illuminating my stick directly to 5v and ground off the Cthuhlu and just have it on all the time if I use a 1/8th watt 100ohm or greater resistor before the LED, right?
That should cover things. Good luck with your mod and post some pictures when you are done.
Michael
Michael, summer’s here finally. You still want to work together on an LED board?
When ever you’re ready Marcus. Shoot me an email.
Michael
:hitit:
You would be lucky to even get 1 mA by shorting the signal and ground pads (use the ammeter), so you’re a long way to properly power a LED. Signals from a game controller cannot be used as power source.
