Continued from the “Nintendo Wiimote LED Mod” article, this guide will demonstrate how to add a backlight to the wiimote’s A button. The A button was chosen since it is distinct from the others being clear instead of the opaque white the rest of the buttons are. This mod ties in with the first wiimote led mod by lighting the A button the same colour as the indicator LED depending on the player number as shown at LED Indicator Mod Step 8. For those looking to mod their wiimotes with only a single colour, I recommend performing the Easy Backlight Mod instead.

What you’ll need:
A Nintendo Wiimote
A Triwing Screwdriver
LEDs (surface mount 0603) in Red, Green, Blue and Yellow
30Gauge Wire
Copper Circuit Tape
Wire Strippers
Glue (optional)
Soldering Iron and Solder
Tweezers

If you’re planning to perform this mod, set aside an evening for each remote you plan to mod. Depending on your skill level it will take anywhere from an hour upto three. As noted above, glue is optional, the main reason is to keep the wire down when routing it to the wiimote’s A button. In this guide, I used hot glue, while its strength isn’t the greatest it has the advantage of being very easy to take off. What I would recommend is to use hot glue temporarily, as shown throughout all the steps, and when complete use something like super-glue that isn’t as thick. Along with the LED indicator mod, I’ve also made available some parts kits to get you what you need all at once, visit the kits page get yours!

Step 1:
Start by stripping and soldering the ends of two lengths of wire directly on the contacts of the indicator LEDs on the wiimote.

Step 2:
Continue by routing the wire up to where the contacts of the A button is on the exposed wiimote.

Step 3:
The next step is to prepare an LED to be used as the backlight. Use the peice of circuit tape and stick on top of a paper label, this will eventually be used to prevent any shorts from occuring from the LED and the wiimote’s PCB.

Step 4:
You’ll then need to cut out a section to make a gap over which the LED will be soldered on to. Continue onto soldering the LED onto the circuit tape.

Step 5:
Once the LED is soldered onto the track, cut it out as shown below. Use the adhesive backing on the paper to hold it onto the wiimote’s PCB, make sure to match the orientation when placing the LED to match the polarity of the indicator LED.

Step 6:
Continue to route the wire for the rest of the LEDs.

Step 7:
Once done you can start to solder the LEDs to the ends of the wires as shown below. Note the hot glue used to keep the wire from shifting while soldering.

Step 8:
When all the soldering is done, insert the batteries into the wiimote and perform a test to ensure all the LEDs have been installed correctly. At this point you can either leave the hot glue, remove it and replace it with a more permanent glue, or remove it all together.

Step 9:
Assemble the cover peice and screw everything back together.

And now you have a backlight on your Nintendo wiimote!
If you think I’ve missed explaining any steps please let me know, and I’ll see what I can do to explain it better.