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The stock Virtue Board indicator light is hidden behind the red power button jewel. This makes it very hard to discern what colour is showing and what setting your are changing.
This mod replaces the surface mount RGB LED with a single RGB LED which you can move to the back of the frame or anywhere else you'd like. It is a super bright LED which is quite viewable in day light.
Let's start out by laying out all the materials needed
1 x Tri-color RGB LED Common Anode (PN = Ledtronics L200CWRGB1KN-1A-IL)
3 x 220 ohm 0805 SMT resistors (PN = Koa RM73B2ALTD221J)
2 feet Black Wire 28AWG (PN = Belden 8597 010)
2 feet Red Wire 28AWG (PN = Belden 8597 002)
3 inches Heatshrink 1/16" (PN = Alpha FIT-221B-1/16 BK)
The Virute Ion Board comes with the option to connect a membrane pad. I highly suggest you take advantage and use it. It is a huge improvement over the stock power button. When the membrane pad is connected, the lower button changes to control the eye on/off. Start by measuring out the position for the membrane pad. If you haven't already done so, do not stick it on yet! Make sure to put it high enough on the back of the grip so the connector is straight and lined up with the bottom of the battery compartment. Mark it's position with a pencil.
Measure out and mark the center line for the LED. Mark off a horizontal cross line about 10mm up from the membrane pad mark. This mark can actually be anywhere along the frame just make sure it is atleast 8mm above the membrane pad mark and on the flat part of the back of the frame.
Use a center punch to give the drill bit something to grab onto. This is important to ensure that the drill bit does not wander.
Clamp the frame in a vise using a folded paper towel to protect the frame from teeth marks. Make sure to clamp the frame by the lower handle only. If you clamp the frame on the upper section, you could easily squish the sides of the trigger frame together and the board will no longer fit. Drill a small pilot hole for the LED cross-hash. Use a 5mm drill bit. For you yanks and your wacky imperial system use a 3/16" drill bit and enlarge the hole slightly with a circular file. Take your time when drilling and make sure to line it up perfectly with your center punch.
Use a standard 82* countersink bit to finish the hole. Again, make sure to line it up on both x and y axis before lowering the bit. Remember to remove any flashing on the inside of the frame with a small file.
Here's the modded frame. Paint the countersink to match your frames colour.
Now you have to break out your soldering equipment. I can't stress enough that the Virtue uses very small surface mount components. Although the board itself is much better quality than the stock ion board, you can still lift the pads and destroy the board if you apply too much heat. A fine tiped iron is a must and a temperature control unit will help. A big soldering gun will NOT work! A coldheat soldering iron will NOT work! You should have some water soluble flux and some solder wick to do a proper job. I highly suggest only attempting this if you have previous SMT soldering experience and the proper equipment. If you a soldering newbie and absolutely must attempt this, practice on an old cell phone board or an old graphics card or any other techno scrap you may have lying around. Try removing components and then putting them back on.
Desoldering SMT components is easier if you add a blob of solder to each side of the component. Then with the soldering iron, quickly bounce back and forth between the blobs like you're stick handling a hockey puck. Eventually, both blobs will be melted at the same time and the part will slide right off. Do not pry up the part with the tip! Do not leave the heat on one pad for too long! Make sure your tip is clean and tinned.
The first thing we want to do is remove the solenoid tee-fitting and armature. Store them in a safe place.
Remove the surface mount resistors in positions R3, R4 and R5. Use the hockey puck method described above.
Clean off the excess solder on the pads. This will make installing the new resistors easier.
Now remove the surface mount RGB LED. It is labelled "LED" on the board. Removing this component is a little tricky because it has four leads. I suggest adding a blob of solder to all four leads then lying the soldering iron tip across the back of the LED. Your trying to contact and melt all four at the same time, then it will slide off the board. Take your time and resist the urge to pry the part up with the iron tip. When the LED slides off, make note of how it came out. Write this info down just incase you want to put it back in for some reason. Clean off the old solder with some solder wick then add a touch of fresh solder.
This is what it should look like with all the components removed.
Install the 220 ohm 0805 resistors in R3, R4 and R5. It's easiest to add a tiny bit of solder to the right hand pad, heat the pad and slide the resistor into position with tweezers. Once it's centered, remove the heat and the resistor will stay in place as you solder the other side. Then go back and add a touch of solder to the right hand side to prevent cold solder joints. Polarity does not matter for resistors.
Strip and tin a 1 foot length of red wire. Solder it to the lowest pad of "LED". Make sure that there is no solder bridges to any other pads.
Feed the wire over the sail hose cavity, down beside the capacitor and through the lower hole in the trigger switch as shown.
Strip and tin a 1 foot length of black wire. Solder it to the next pad of "LED". Make sure that there is no solder bridges to any other pads. Run it along the same path as the first red wire.
Strip and tin another 1 foot length of black wire. Solder it to the next pad of "LED". Make sure that there is no solder bridges to any other pads.
Run the wire along the opposite side of the capacitor and down through the lower trigger switch hole as shown.
Strip and tin another 1 foot length of red wire. Solder it to the top pad of "LED". Make sure that there is no solder bridges to any other pads. Run the wire along the same path as the previous wire.
Here is the modded board with all the wires in place. I brought the wires down in the grooves on the sides of the capacitor. They have to stay in the capacitor grooves or the board won't side in to the frame properly. This layout works very well and is very robust. All the wires have a strain relief and nothing binds when sliding the board into the trigger frame. Clean the board throughly with isopropanol alcohol and q-tips. Remember, flux is conductive and you have to get it all out of there or your board will do funny things (or not work at all). Let the board sit for a couple hours (or blow it out with compressed air) so any residual alcohol can exaporate.
Put a 1cm length of heatshrink tube over each of the wires and slide them up out of the way. Trim all four wires so they are 10cm long from the bottom of the board (length not shown in pic). Strip and tin the ends.
Bend the LED leads and trim to the length shown.
Solder in the LED. There is a clearer connection diagram in the next step.
The lead closest to the LEDs flat spot connects to the red wire going to the top pad on the board.
The next lead connects to the red wire going to the bottom pad on the board.
The next lead connects to the black wire going to the pad 2nd from the top on the board.
The lead furthest from the LEDs flat spot connects to the black wire going to the 3rd pad from the top on the board.
Here's the simplified line drawing of all the connections.
Now might be a good time to test it. Attach a battery and push the power button while holding the trigger down. Cycle through the firing modes. Make sure the board behaves as usual. Make sure all three colours are working in the LED. Test the Green...
Test the Red...
and test the Blue.
Move the heatshrink tubing over the solder joints on the LED. Shrink the tubing with a heatgun or a lighter. Be careful if using a lighter. You do not have to put the heatshrink into the flame, just close to it. Do not melt the plastic case of the LED.
Plug the LED into the hole. It should fit just tight enough so that it stays in the hole but not so tight that you can't get it out when you have to remove the board. Lay the wires neatly in the bottom of the battery compartment.
Install the battery. If you did a proper job, there should be lots of room for the battery. Make sure the grips are not pinching any wires before you tighten the screws down.
Here's a vid of cycling through the settings.
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