Roadster Stereo SMD LEDs
The Roadster uses a great deal more surface mounted LEDs than the For2 which restricts the changing and what colour filters you can use.
Mod difficulty:
Mod Credit: evilution
Each of the SMD LEDS on the Roadster are PLCC-2 (TANTAL/B) and they
are a very common fitment and should cost less than 50p each.
On rare occasions, smart have used 4.0 x 4.0 right angled SMD LEDs
This is where I got mine from, clicky.
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CrazyLeds can change y
SMD Orientation
Like most LEDs, they only work one way around. Standard LEDs are marked with a single flat edge and 1 shorter leg. The SMD LEDs have a recessed triangle in the corner, these are marked as red in the pictures.
Soldering SMD LEDs
The first job is to remove the existing LEDs, you have 3 ways to remove them:
1. Use two soldering irons, one on each joint and flick the LED off;
2. Use one soldering iron and a solder sucker, can be awkward because of the size;
3. Use one soldering iron and some solder wick to remove the excess.
Once the board has been purged of LEDs, clean the board up and flux the solder pads on the board and LEDs. Position one of the replacements and quickly solder each side.
The 'normal' way to solder is to touch the tip to the device and push the
solder against the tip and the device until it melts. When soldering SMDs
this isn't recommended as the heat will kill it.
It is better to melt the solder onto the tip and quickly dab the soldered tip onto the LED, this limits the heat transfer, a flux pen will help the solder flow to the LED quickly shortening the time even more.
Once they have all been done, visually check the whole thing before testing, if any of
them don't work then check the solder joint and the orientation of the LED.
Roadster Stereo
First off you need to unhook all 8 plastic clips, four on each side.
With those unhooked you can pull the volume knob off and the face comes off.
With the front off you can see the different chassis sides,
the For2 chassis has holes that the face slots through.
The first job is to remove the existing LEDs, you have 3 ways to remove them:
1. Use two soldering irons, one on each joint and flick the LED off;
2. Use one soldering iron and a solder sucker, can be awkward because of the size;
3. Use one soldering iron and some solder wick to remove the excess.
Melt the solder onto the tip and quickly dab the soldered tip onto the LED,
this limits the heat transfer, a flux pen will help the solder flow to the LED
quickly shortening the time even more.
As you can see I have purposely soldered them on really badly to prove that you don't have to be precise.
And despite my terrible soldering efforts you can see that they all work.
You can save yourself 1 LED by only leaving the original LED behind the word 'track'.
The LED behind the word 'tuning' over powers it and lights the whole button perfectly.
Replacing the side facing LCD LED lights
The side facing LEDs are pretty much the same LED as what we fitted before but in a different package. Voltages are the same and so are the orientation marks.
They aren't very easy to remove, you can do some serious damage to the coppor track on the radio if you try and desolder them. I found the best way way to unhook the 2 contacts from the front and carefully rock them back and forth until they snap off.
You are left with the old contact which is easy to desolder or solder over.
I placed 2 of the normal SMD LEDs face down and in the same
direction on a bit of sticky tape to hold them in place while I solder.
Flux the contacts and join the 2 LEDs with a fast dab of solder.
Also solder a few strands of wire at the ends of both.
Put the joined pair in place, wrap the wire around the original contacts left from the old LEDs, make sure the orientation marks go the same direction (facing right).
Solder both ends down and fold any excess wire out of the way.
Go and plug it in and test it out before replacing the front.
With the headlights off the screen glows a bright vivid blue,
with the headlights on, the screen dims to a nice brightness.
are a very common fitment and should cost less than 50p each.
On rare occasions, smart have used 4.0 x 4.0 right angled SMD LEDs
This is where I got mine from, clicky.
Like most LEDs, they only work one way around. Standard LEDs are marked with a single flat edge and 1 shorter leg. The SMD LEDs have a recessed triangle in the corner, these are marked as red in the pictures.
Soldering SMD LEDs
The first job is to remove the existing LEDs, you have 3 ways to remove them:
1. Use two soldering irons, one on each joint and flick the LED off;
2. Use one soldering iron and a solder sucker, can be awkward because of the size;
3. Use one soldering iron and some solder wick to remove the excess.
Once the board has been purged of LEDs, clean the board up and flux the solder pads on the board and LEDs. Position one of the replacements and quickly solder each side.
The 'normal' way to solder is to touch the tip to the device and push the
solder against the tip and the device until it melts. When soldering SMDs
this isn't recommended as the heat will kill it.
It is better to melt the solder onto the tip and quickly dab the soldered tip onto the LED, this limits the heat transfer, a flux pen will help the solder flow to the LED quickly shortening the time even more.
Once they have all been done, visually check the whole thing before testing, if any of
them don't work then check the solder joint and the orientation of the LED.
Roadster Stereo
First off you need to unhook all 8 plastic clips, four on each side.
With those unhooked you can pull the volume knob off and the face comes off.
With the front off you can see the different chassis sides,
the For2 chassis has holes that the face slots through.
The first job is to remove the existing LEDs, you have 3 ways to remove them:
1. Use two soldering irons, one on each joint and flick the LED off;
2. Use one soldering iron and a solder sucker, can be awkward because of the size;
3. Use one soldering iron and some solder wick to remove the excess.
Melt the solder onto the tip and quickly dab the soldered tip onto the LED,
this limits the heat transfer, a flux pen will help the solder flow to the LED
quickly shortening the time even more.
As you can see I have purposely soldered them on really badly to prove that you don't have to be precise.
And despite my terrible soldering efforts you can see that they all work.
You can save yourself 1 LED by only leaving the original LED behind the word 'track'.
The LED behind the word 'tuning' over powers it and lights the whole button perfectly.
Replacing the side facing LCD LED lights
The side facing LEDs are pretty much the same LED as what we fitted before but in a different package. Voltages are the same and so are the orientation marks.
They aren't very easy to remove, you can do some serious damage to the coppor track on the radio if you try and desolder them. I found the best way way to unhook the 2 contacts from the front and carefully rock them back and forth until they snap off.
You are left with the old contact which is easy to desolder or solder over.
I placed 2 of the normal SMD LEDs face down and in the same
direction on a bit of sticky tape to hold them in place while I solder.
Flux the contacts and join the 2 LEDs with a fast dab of solder.
Also solder a few strands of wire at the ends of both.
Put the joined pair in place, wrap the wire around the original contacts left from the old LEDs, make sure the orientation marks go the same direction (facing right).
Solder both ends down and fold any excess wire out of the way.
Go and plug it in and test it out before replacing the front.
With the headlights off the screen glows a bright vivid blue,
with the headlights on, the screen dims to a nice brightness.
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