Shown with DarkStorm's smoke lens and a new set of smoke-colored buttons with the backlit button hack from Brian Mihulka.

The photo is slightly innacurate, the VFD has a more greenish-cyan tint than what came out in the photo. But the buttons still look great with it.

Can't describe the color of the buttons other than to say they really do look like "smoke" color. Very cool.

And for reference, Smoke lens with Green buttons:

And finally, green lens, green buttons:



I like all of them so much, I think I'll switch them around regularly.

And for reference, Smoke lens with Green buttons:

Waaaaaaa! Want green buttons! WRX *NEEEEEEED* Green Buttons!

Can the lighted buttons be turned off while using the empeg? Maybe that is a Hijack feature. I will look...

yeap, hijack feature.

One of the reasons I've not been interested in this hack, as nice as it is, is the inconsistency of the light. That is, the fact that the buttons themselves work as lenses and refract the light in odd ways.

I don't know if the compound that Brian is using to make the replacement would allow for this, but what I think would look very nice is a button made from two different materials, so that the top of the buttons would be opaque, but their bases would be transparent. If the top opaque part ended shortly before the fascia started to obscure the buttons, there would be a light leak around the edge of the buttons, which would tend to outline them. This would allow for a neat, visible-in-the-dark effect, and would get rid of the mottled nature of the light dispersal.

Brian, is there any way for you to do this? I could easily see where it might be incredibly difficult, at best, to get the two plastics (or epoxies or whatever they are) to join without mixing, but I think it would be extraordinarily cool if you could get that to work.

Why is the knob so dark?

IIRC Tony added a disc of milky-white translucent plastic to better spread the light from the LEDs across the knob. That probably steals a bit intensity.

/Michael

That is, the fact that the buttons themselves work as lenses and refract the light in odd ways.

I now have illuminated buttons and can report my observations on the diffraction/refraction of which you speak. I may tinker a bit with white nail polish and will follow Brian's mad scientist adventures with interest and $$$, but if it never changed from what it is now, I'd still be happy (OK, I'm dying for green, but the blue still looks pretty neat with the smoke faceplate). I don't see it as "odd" necessarily, just different. If it came out looking like a Sony, boy would I be pissed!

As far as building the buttons up in different strata, I have to wonder. Those little beasts are *small*. The fact that Brian has produced the current versions so nicely without spending tens of thousands to tool up some vacuum/injection molding continues to impress me.

Anyhow, my thanks again to Brian. I can report that my glass is *way* more than half full. As always, YRIMV.

OOOOOH!

Brian, I hope these will be available soon! Wow!

Tony, can you take a pic in regular light (not backlit)?

I'm also patiently awaiting buttons which disperse the LED light more evenly, but those smoke buttons look great! I'm very encouraged, and hope the issues with getting the proper variety of translucency are resolved in the future.

I'm drooling. My wallet is wiggling. The money inside is desperately trying to get free. ARgh! :-D

Calvin

I hear ya. I'd like to see an "official" backlight conversion service, that is one where I don't feel bad taking someone else's time up for something I might get done locally or even handle myself. It's my only holdup right now. That, and my lack of ownership of blood red buttons...

I can't tell the difference in the colors on these pictures...
I need a color seeing person to help me decide what setup I need...

Red/Green colorblind are we?

In that case, it doesn't matter what color you get as long as it's the clearest to read, right? In which case I would recommend either the empeg green lens with Brian's green buttons, or the Darkstorm Smoke lens with Brian's smoke buttons.

Hello Tony, the back light and the smoke lens looks very good ! And it is much safer when driving at night. Was it hard to install the back light parts ? I realy want to modify my MK2 also. I took a look at the pictures on Brian's site, it doesn't look totaly without risk of damaging the Empeg. Or does it just look harder then it is?
All help is welcome, thanks in advance.

Sebastiaan

Wonder if there's a hope for "neon smoke" lenses which do the same neon thing that the other neon lenses do? Those would be sweet... Combined with smoke buttons with the proper diffusion and you've got one SICK looking Empeg.

Just one of many threads explaining how difficult this hack is.

Because of my expertise (or lack of) with a soldering iron, I refuse to attempt this modification myself. But I gotta tell ya, I would sell my mother to have this done on MY player. This is just too cool.

I feel like an outsider looking in, and there is nothing I can do about it.

Wonder if there's a hope for "neon smoke" lenses

As I said in the other thread, the neon effect is due to fluorescent material embedded in the plastic. The smoke plastic is not fluorescent, hence there would be no neon effect if it was edge-cut.

Ahh. Then Steve should put some of that fancy fluorescent stuff in the smoke plastic.

Oh well, it was worth a shot. That would be extremely cool were it possible.

Tony,thanks for the help. Read your post and alot of other tips and suggestions. I will go for it and if I can't do it ( I think I can) then I know a guy who will do this for me. YES !! It will look just amazing in my car ! Have a VW Golf GTI TDI 180 with Alpine out of dashboard flip up monitor , which controls FM / DVD / Navi and my favorite toy the Empeg ! Will send some install pics, Empeg blends in so well.
Good luck to all backlit button installers !!

you can find someone that's handy with a soldering iron and offer him a beer or something (*AFTER* he's finished soldering ) For people that know how to solder, it's no trouble at all.

Greetings!

As Tony said, this photo is not quite accurate. I just installed a modified display (thanks Mark!!!) into my smoke/smoke player. In order to get the smoke buttons to match the smoke from DarkStorm's lens, I recommend using a combination of two gel filters over the LEDs: bastard amber (162) and peacock blue (115). I hope to put this into place and get some end photos later.

Where can you obtain the gel filters separately? I heard Steve is not selling them separately from the lenses?

Calvin

Greetings!

Hm... Didn't know that. You can try to go direct... Rob, are you accepting orders in this small a quantity?

Greetings!

Note: anyone wanting to try this, it is a bit tricky. Still trying myself, but not having luck so far. I am getting much more fond of the contrast anyway... : )

Greetings!

I have been informed out-of-band that the source for the gel material for the empeg lenses is through DarkStorm exclusively. You should get all of your gel material through him for all empeg purposes.

Meanwhile, still not having any luck putting gel around the LEDs. Working on it...