The final mod was a power LED. Again, I was shocked to discover the TG16 does not have a power light. I've seen a lot of power light mods on the TG16, but the one I liked the most was one that illuminated the logo from the backside. Since the logo has color in it, the best would be a white LED mounted behind it.
For this mod we need 1) a power source, 2) the LED, 3) a resistor, and 4) some wires. Most LEDs take between 2 and 3.5 volts to light up, so we need to find a power source that is at least a volt or two above that. Fortunately the TG16 has a 5 volt regulator (highlighted below).
I turned the system on and used my multimeter identify the 5V and ground pins. I then soldered a wire onto each. Here's a closeup of the voltage regulator after attaching the wires.
Next you need to solder the LED and resistor onto these wires to make one big loop (don't forget about LED polarity). It is true the LED will run off of 5V without the resistor, so why add the resistor? If you run an LED off of more volts than it was designed for, the LED will 1) generate more heat, 2) burn out much quicker, and 3) may even shine at a different color. But what value resistor do we need?
To calculate the resistor value we need 3 pieces of info. First we need to know the total volts being used to power the LED (let's call it Vt). Second we need to know the voltage of the LED, usually called the Forward Voltage (let's call it Vf). And finally we need to know the current in amps of the LED (let's call it I). Using my multimeter I tested the 5 volt regulator and got a value of 5.03V, so this is my Vt value. For my LED, I chose Digikey part number 1080-1006-ND. According to the datasheet on this LED, it has a forward voltage of 3.2 (Vf) and a current of 20 milliamps (I).
Our total voltage is 5.03, but we only want 3.2 for the LED, So we need to "burn off" 1.83V in the resistor (let's call that Vr). We only need one formula, V=IR (volts equal amps * resistance). Vr = I * R. We know Vr and I, so the formula becomes 1.83 = .02 * R. When you divide that out you end up with 91.5 ohms. So you need to use a resistor close to that value. I used a 91 ohm resistor.
Next solder it all up. Be sure and cover the exposed LED and resistor leads with heat shrink or electrical tape to prevent shorts. I then taped the LED onto the top of the metal RF shield around the circuit board.
The final step is to enlarge the hole for the light to illuminate the underside of the logo. If you use a razor blade you can very easily remove the TG16 logo. I then used both a Dremel and razor blades to cut a square hole in the case. Be sure to leave a lip around the opening so you can glue the logo back down. Here is a picture of the opening. Notice the LED inside the hole.
The last thing to do is glue the logo back down. It looks pretty cool when you turn the system on.
For this mod we need 1) a power source, 2) the LED, 3) a resistor, and 4) some wires. Most LEDs take between 2 and 3.5 volts to light up, so we need to find a power source that is at least a volt or two above that. Fortunately the TG16 has a 5 volt regulator (highlighted below).
I turned the system on and used my multimeter identify the 5V and ground pins. I then soldered a wire onto each. Here's a closeup of the voltage regulator after attaching the wires.
Next you need to solder the LED and resistor onto these wires to make one big loop (don't forget about LED polarity). It is true the LED will run off of 5V without the resistor, so why add the resistor? If you run an LED off of more volts than it was designed for, the LED will 1) generate more heat, 2) burn out much quicker, and 3) may even shine at a different color. But what value resistor do we need?
To calculate the resistor value we need 3 pieces of info. First we need to know the total volts being used to power the LED (let's call it Vt). Second we need to know the voltage of the LED, usually called the Forward Voltage (let's call it Vf). And finally we need to know the current in amps of the LED (let's call it I). Using my multimeter I tested the 5 volt regulator and got a value of 5.03V, so this is my Vt value. For my LED, I chose Digikey part number 1080-1006-ND. According to the datasheet on this LED, it has a forward voltage of 3.2 (Vf) and a current of 20 milliamps (I).
Our total voltage is 5.03, but we only want 3.2 for the LED, So we need to "burn off" 1.83V in the resistor (let's call that Vr). We only need one formula, V=IR (volts equal amps * resistance). Vr = I * R. We know Vr and I, so the formula becomes 1.83 = .02 * R. When you divide that out you end up with 91.5 ohms. So you need to use a resistor close to that value. I used a 91 ohm resistor.
Next solder it all up. Be sure and cover the exposed LED and resistor leads with heat shrink or electrical tape to prevent shorts. I then taped the LED onto the top of the metal RF shield around the circuit board.
The final step is to enlarge the hole for the light to illuminate the underside of the logo. If you use a razor blade you can very easily remove the TG16 logo. I then used both a Dremel and razor blades to cut a square hole in the case. Be sure to leave a lip around the opening so you can glue the logo back down. Here is a picture of the opening. Notice the LED inside the hole.
The last thing to do is glue the logo back down. It looks pretty cool when you turn the system on.