Phone Modding Part One

Things you will need:

 A phone to mod
 New LEDs
 T6 Torx screwdriver
 Pliers (for removing LEDs)
 Small tip soldering iron

The next generation of mobile phones are upon us, the standard is now to have colour screens, polyphonic ringtones and the like. So, where does this leave you? Most likely with an out of date phone that shares the same apparence as a few billion other phones Sure you can change the facias but if you want to be a little more unique then why not consider modding your mobile, you never know you might even pull some new chix ;)

There are several mods that can be achieved with a little bit of work and some research, often resulting in spectacular effects and that all important uniqueness that we desire. Over the next few weeks I've got the task of taking you through these mods and explaining some of the tips and tricks along the way. So with out further a do, I bring you Phone Modding Part One, the LEDs.

Thats right, your phone is pack with light emitting diodes (LEDs) that make the LCD display and the keypad readable in low light levels. The backlight of a normal phone LCD is normally lit with bog standard green LEDs, and unless you hadn't guessed I'm going to be showing you how you can mod these LEDs for some very unique results. Unfortunately there are hundreds of makes of mobile each one manufactured in a different way. This means it is impossible for me to show you how to fit LEDs to every single type of phone on the market, but I can do my best to show you the general way in which it is done and the type of results you can expect. The phone I will be experimenting on is a Nokia 7110.

The first step in modding the LEDs in you're phone is to buy some new LEDs. The idea is that these new LEDs are a different colour, such as blue - rather than the usual boring green. These LEDs are available from Shop4Facias for a very reasonable price and in my experience they provide an excellent service. The LEDs they provide are available in following colours:

 Blue
 Green
 Orange
 Purple
 Red
 White
 Yellow

A very good selection!, Shop4Facias also provide information about the type of LED you'll need for your phone and the quantity. Some phones such as the 7110 can have a different colour of LEDs fitted to the keypad than the display but generally I think it's best to keep the colour of LEDs the same all round, especially as some phones wont work with mixed colours.It should be ok to leave the keypad with the original LEDs and just change the display LEDs if this is desired.

Above: You can see how a normal phone LCD looks, with the green LED backlight I was talking about earlier.
Below: How I predict the phone will look after fitting new LEDs.