How to Mod a PS3 Controller to Light Up

Opening the Controller

• 1

  Open the controller case. Place the controller face down on a table. Use your 3.5 mm screwdriver to remove the five screws on the back of the controller. There are two screws on the left and right and one in the top-center.

• 2

  Snap off the cover. Place your thumb on the bottom of the case, in the small area between the two analog sticks. Gently push upward to remove it. It may be resistant at first, but do not apply too much force. The internal area of the controller will be exposed. This is known as the PCB.

• 3

  Unscrew the PCB with your 1.4 mm screwdriver. Unscrew the silver screw at the bottom near the analog sticks. You will see a variety of processors as well as the internal workings of some of the buttons. Locate a four-pin plug covered in a thin, clear film.

• 4

  Pull back the film that is covering the four-pin plug. The "L3" and "R3" buttons will come off on their own. This is normal.

Installing the LED

• 5

  Notice a square, white box with a yellow, white and red wire protruding from the right side in the center of the controller. A small portion of those wires can also be seen extending to the left. Pull this to the right to unplug it.

• 6

  Cut your 4-inch copper wire in half with the scissors. Cut it so that one-half is a few millimeters longer than the other. Strip off one or two millimeters of the plastic on each end. Cut the plastic with your scissors and pull it off. Do not to cut too deep or you may damage the wire.

• 7

  Attach the first wire. At the bottom-right of the controller, find a group of holes arranged in two columns. Each hole is marked with a number. Insert the stripped part of the LED's right-hand wire into the hole marked with a "5."

• 8

  Solder the stripped wire to the hole, using your soldering iron.

• 9

  Attach the left wire. Refer to the plug you removed in Step 1. Solder the LED's left wire directly onto the area to the left of the white box, where the red wire of that plug connects to the controller. Do not plug this back in until the soldering is complete.

• 10

  Replace the film that you pulled back when opening the controller. Reinsert the plug from Step 1 as well.

Test the Light

• 11

  Take the plastic controller casing, which was the first section of the controller that you removed, and place it face down. You will see a piece of rubber in the center where the "Start" and "Select" buttons would be.

• 12

  Remove the rubber piece from Step 1. Refer back to the internal part of the controller. You will see a small hole just under the film that you replaced in Step 7 of the previous section. Put the rubber piece on top of the hole and press down to turn on the controller.

• 13

  Attach the LED light to the wire. Take the free left and right ends of the copper wire and connect them with the LED. At this point, the light should turn on. If it does not, remove the wires from the LED and switch them around.

• 14

  Solder the wires to the LED with your soldering iron.

• 15

  Go back to the plastic casing from Step 1 and remove the round, white rubber piece in the center. This is where the "PS" button is located.

• 16

  Arrange the copper wires so that they fit tightly on the controller. Ensure they do not interfere when you replace the other sections of the controller. Carefully peel back the thin film and thread the LED light through the hole.

Reassembling the Controller

• 17

  Reinsert any buttons that may have been removed during the process.

• 18

  Replace the green internal section that you saw in Step 2 of the first section. Put the single screw back in place.

• 19

  Place the plastic case back onto the controller. At this point, the LED will be aligned with the "PS" button. Place back the five screws that you removed in Step 1 of Section 1. The controller will now light up whenever you press the "PS" button.