Flipper Zero RGB Backlight Guide [basically complete]

DISCLAIMER

Installation of this mod will void your warranty with Flipper Devices. You (not myself, not Flipper Devices, Inc.) are liable for any damages incurred from installation of this mod. That being said, I've never seen a flipper damaged by this modification.

Tools/Materials needed

To perform this mod, ensure you have the following on hand:

Initial Disassembly

Please follow the Ifixit guide for disassembly instructions, up to step 11. I may add them here in the future with additions I've learned from doing this.

Removing the original backlight

You'll need to desolder the backlight from the main board — the pads are pretty big and may take a little while to heat up, not to mention the solder seems to have a high melting temperature. Usually, I add a bit of my own (lower melt) solder to the iron first to help it melt faster.

Peel back the white plastic sticker from the back of the screen. Don't lose it — it helps to reflect the light and keeps the screen from having a slight green tint from the PCB below.

Now, just pull out the original backlight from the display. Some of them seem to be glued in a little on the edges — if you're having trouble, first insert a thin object (e.g. a Jimmy) between the edges of the backlight and the screen around them, then grab a pair of pliers and pull on one of the legs until it gives out.

Installing the RGB backlight

Now that the original backlight is out, we can install the new one.

Solder your wire to the data-in point on the back of the backlight — it's much harder to do when the backlight is already in place. Make sure the wire is oriented as shown below, it's much easier to work with that way.

Put the RGB backlight back into the screen, right where the original one was.

Put the screen back in place. Make sure not to forget the white reflector that goes behind it.

Solder the screen back in place.

Bring the wire up towards the pad labeled VIBRO, making sure the wire below the screen stays against the backlight — this will be important later.

Clip the wire just above the VIBRO pad, and strip enough of it to solder to the pad.

Use some more wire to connect the left leg (viewed from the back) of the backlight to some ground pin. I usually strip enough to wrap the wire once around the leg, then immerse the whole loop in the solder blob.

There's a few different ground points available. I would recommend using one of the ground pins of the GPIO connector as they're relatively easy to reach (even with larger iron tips), but I often use GND3.

Make sure to reconnect the screen's ribbon cable!

Now that you've installed the backlight, it's a great time to test if your wiring works before you put the whole thing back together. See this section for installation instructions — there's no need to connect the rest of the flipper (battery, secondary board, etc.) to flash firmware. If all is in working order, continue below (and if not, check your wiring!)

If you're using particularly thick wire, such as the 28 AWG ones I provide, you'll need to modify the button chassis slightly. Using a pair of flush cutters or a hobby knife, shave down this bit of plastic shown to allow the wire to pass under it without being pinched.

After being handled all this time, your flipper's screen definitely has more fingerprints than a murder weapon. Make sure to give it a nice shine, optionally with some isopropanol — just make sure it dries before you start reassembling.

Follow the Ifixit guide in reverse, starting from step 10. Power on the flipper and enjoy your new multicolor screen!

Installing RGB Firmware

In order to actually work, firmware that supports the RGB backlight must be installed — fully official firmware will not work. I have my own RGB-enabled fork of the official firmware available on my github, but most mainstream custom firmwares also support it. For the scope of this guide, I'll only describe the process of installing my fork — CFW isn't hard, if you want it, you can figure it out :)

Make sure you have qFlipper installed. Download the latest release of the firmware (the .tgz file)

Frequently Asked Questions