Lit Buttons Frequently Asked Questions:

1. My top button is stuck.
2. My left and/or right button is stuck.
3. My empeg (MKII) knob is slipping off.
4. My RioCar (MKIIa) knob is slipping off.
5. How do I remove my knob which is on too tight?
6. Can I make my knob less tight?

1. Why do the button and knob lights flash when I use them?
2. Why are the lights dimmer with my car headlights on than when they're off?
3. Why does the outside edge of my knob appear dark or the wrong color?
4. Why don't my button and knob colors match?
5. My player is going into standby after installing the buttons!
6. My player is rewinding, fast forwarding, and/or scrolling menus on its own!

1. What do I need to use lit buttons?
2. Who should be thanked for helping with this project?
3. Will Greenlights replace broken parts?
4. What are the specifications of these parts?
5. Why are both knobs included?
6. How were the design, material, and other details chosen?
7. Why were these colors chosen?
8. Can I get custom colors?
9. If I hack or modify my buttons in a cool way, can they be posted in the Gallery?
10. What is "the curse" anyway?

Answers:

1. My top button is stuck.
   • Your top button may be rotated 90 degrees incorrectly on the button switch. Take the fascia off and ensure that the wide part of the button base connects with the wide part of the button switch, as shown below.
     
   • You may also be experiencing a problem because your fascia is on too tight.
2. My left and/or right button is stuck.
   • There may be a small tab of extra plastic on the tip of the left and right buttons. This can be shaved off with a razor, sand paper, or other tools.
   • More likely, your fascia may be screwed on too tight, causing the slightly angled button holes in the fascia to press the buttons down. To quickly resolve this, loosen the top left and/or bottom left fascia screws by a quarter or half turn.
     This problem has been experienced often while using raised lenses from Darkstorm and BC LaserWorks (Filener), sometimes while using flat lenses from BC LaserWorks (Filener), and rarely while using flat factory lenses. The thinner lenses allow the fascia to be tightened further. Washers between the lens and fascia may also resolve this.
     This problem is likely caused by manufacturing variation in the buttons. During production, a slight change in quantity of plastic used in the parts would change the amount they shrunk while cooling. More plastic caused less shrinkage thus buttons are tighter in the holes of the fascia.
   • The button holes in your lens may be pressed against the tip of the left button or blocking the tip of the right button. The tips of the button holes in the lens can be filed out using a cylindrical file or a Dremel tool as shown below.
     
3. My empeg (MKII, circular shaft) knob is slipping off.
   You should use the black rubber ring from your original knob in your Greenlights knob. Place the ring around the shaft, then place on the knob. The ring should be in the end of the knob shaft.
4. My RioCar (MKIIa, D-shaped shaft) knob is slipping off.
   You may use a Dremel tool or drill to cut two notches into the knob's shaft connector so it matches the original RioCar (MKIIa) knob. Then, use the circular "spring" from the original knob to pull the two halves of the shaft connector back together.
   
5. How do I remove my knob which is on too tight?
   The knob can be easily removed using pliers, leverage, and gentle pressure. Reference the following image and follow these steps:
   
   
   • Wrap a scrap of thick paper or cardstock around the knob to protect it from the pliers.
   • Position the pliers perpendicular to the handle below the knob. You may want a scrap of thick paper or cardstock between the pliers and handle to protect the handle which scratches easily (I learned the hard way).
   • Use the pliers to grasp the knob tightly, but not tight enough to cause the knob to squeeze inward.
   • Hold the player down with one hand and GENTLY press down on the pliers handles. Increase pressure until you feel the knob quickly rise a small amount.
   • Use less downward pressure on the pliers to remove the knob the rest of the way.
   Some people will say this could break the handle, though gentle controled pressure should avoid that. The alternative is pivoting the pliers on the hinge end of the handle, though this seems too far from the knob to give good upward pull on the knob, instead dangerously pulling it at an angle.
   I used the above method at least 20 times while testing the knobs and the worst that happened was a scratch to my handle. A reminder, Greenlights takes no responsibility for damage caused by its products, by the use of its products, or by the advice it provides.
6. Can I make my knob less tight?
   Your RioCar (MKIIa, D-shaped shaft) knob can be made less tight using the cut and spring method. No attempt has been made to loosen empeg (MKII, circular shaft) knobs yet, but careful work with a drill or Dremel tool inside the knob shaft may do it... at your own risk.

1. Why do the button and knob lights flash when I use them?
   This is a known side effect for the button illumination kit. This thread on the empegBBS should help to clarify.
2. Why are the lights dimmer with my car headlights on than when they're off?
   This is an intentional feature of the Hijack kernel. The reasoning behind this is apparently: dimmer with headlights on because it's easier to see the buttons at night, brighter in the day to overcome the sunlight. This thread on the empegBBS should clarify in many levels of detail.
3. Why does the outside edge of my knob appear dark or the wrong color?
   The hole in the lens for the knob shaft may be too small, blocking the knob LED light. This is common on many Darkstorm and factory lenses; knob shaft hole measuring about 1.1cm. BC LaserWorks (Filener) lenses have an acceptable hole size of about 1.6cm. The hole may be cut larger using a Dremel tool or other cutting tool.
4. Why don't my button and knob colors match?
   
   • Though the buttons and knobs use identical coloration, the color of the button and knob LEDs (lights) may vary. Photos on the products page of this site show an LED kit from Eutronix which is estimated to have "cool blue" phosphor (9300K color temperature) button LEDs and "daylight" (5000K color temperature) knob LEDs.
   • Despite our quality assurance procedures (shown below), you may have received a part that received too much dye. Please see our return policy to receive a replacement.
   
5. My player is going into standby after installing the buttons!
   The top button may be stuck for reasons explained at this FAQ entry.
6. My player is rewinding, fast forwarding, and/or scrolling menus on its own!
   The left or right button may be stuck for reasons explained at this FAQ entry.

1. What do I need to use lit buttons?
   
   • Lit buttons in your choice of colors.
   • Lighting kit and optionally kit install services from Eutronix.
   • Hijack kernel to enable the lights.
     To install Hijack: Tony's empeg Logo Editor for Windows or the Unix commands listed under "Installing the Kernel" on the Hijack page.
   • Matching colored lenses from BC LaserWorks (formerly Filener).
2. Who should be thanked for helping with this project?
   Without help from a bunch of people, this project would have never happened. (I'll use empegBBS names to protect the guilty::ahem:: innocent)
   • Rob V, without whose generosity this project simply WOULD NOT have happened.
   • Rob S, whose generosity allowed many manufacturers across America to see what they'd be getting into.
   • The manufacturer that I used, for dealing with my picky revisions, crafting the ridiculously small part details, and answering my endless basic questions.
   • Eutronix, for blazing the trail, providing solid advice, and sacrificing supplies for the cause.
   • BC LaserWorks, for providing supplies and info to aid in matching lens colors.
   • Mach, for endless insight, ideas, and information; and for being somewhat of a godfather of empeg / RioCar physical customizations.
   • Ezekiel, for production advice and constantly converting and modifying CAD files when manufacturers couldn't read them.
   • JrFaust, for sacrificing an out-of-production factory blue lens for color matching.
   • pgrzelak, who generously loaned items from the depths of his collection and provided good advice.
   • mlord, (also see below) for sacrificing parts when I was in a pinch.
   • EVERYONE on the empegBBS, for all of your great input and constant feedback on the project!
   Other people helped tremendously without even knowing it, so it's very important to thank them also.
   • Drakino, for hosting the empegBBS; without which, none of this would have ever been known about.
   • oliver, for hosting excellent photographs of the rare Eutronix buttons which I referenced constantly.
   • mlord, for giving us the code to work these lights.
   • bmihulka, who, as I understand it, designed and hand crafted the original lit buttons in 2002 AND designed and created the first lighting kits.
   • The empeg team, for creating such a fulfilling and adaptable device.
3. Will Greenlights replace broken parts?
   If you received a broken part, please see our return policy to receive a replacement.
4. What are the specifications of these parts?
   The lit buttons and knobs are created from polycarbonate and use custom colorant matched to current lenses offered by BC LaserWorks (Filener). They were created in a P20 pre-hardened steel injection molding tool. The parts have a thermal tolerance which should survive any ambient temperatures and have a strength to survive their intended use. Further details would need to be researched.
5. Why are both knobs included?
   Since empeg and RioCar units have different knob shafts, each lit button set comes with knobs to accommodate both. If you buy another empeg with a different knob shaft, or your knob shaft breaks and is replaced by the other style, then you already have the lit knob to fit. You could even fit the empeg (MKII, circular shaft) knob on a RioCar (MKIIa, D-shaped shaft) for a different appearance.
6. How were the design, material, and other details chosen?
   The designs, materials, and other project details were chosen in the public forum of the empegBBS by its members. Suggestions and ideas were shared, polls were taken, and majority ruled to decide the outcome. Doing a search for "buttons" in the subject of posts in the General and Projects forums will show the discussion.
7. Why were these colors chosen?
   The colors red, smoke, green, and amber were chosen to match the lenses currently available from BC LaserWorks (formrely Filener). These colors closely match dashboard lighting for many cars in production. The blue was chosen to match the original and Darkstorm blue lenses, which are no longer produced, but a lens gel solution from BC LaserWorks (Filener) could duplicate the color.
   The crystal buttons required no color and allow for custom coloration or modification. The black buttons were created because their color was inexpensive and they also allow interesting modifications. Examples of modifications can be seen in the Gallery.
8. Can I get custom colors?
   Custom coloration can be achieved by modifying Crystal Sets (or even colored Single Sets). Be creative by adding colored end-glow fiber or acrylic rods, applying translucent colored paint (inside the parts), or adding phosphorescent sculpey clay or UV paint (for UV LEDs). Apply metallic paint or other non-translucent material, mask off shapes, or use tools to cut shapes directly into the parts.
   Due to the high cost of color matching and producing these sets, custom colored production parts are not available.
9. If I hack or modify my buttons in a cool way, can they be posted in the Gallery?
   Let me ask you, can I use your photos of your cool modification in the Gallery? I'd love to! Either send them to or post them to the empegBBS (noting if they may be reproduced on the Greenlights Gallery). Thanks for sharing your work!
10. What is "the curse" anyway?
    If I vanish mysteriously one day (after having fulfilled all orders, of course), then you'll know.
    "The curse", which is now hopefully broken, seemed to haunt previous attempts to produce lit buttons (and other empeg / RioCar physical add-ons). People who attempted these project either "disappeared" or worked with a supplier who did. This is largely just a joke because many empeg community casters such as Mach, lopan, and JRFaust (?) are still active. As for bmihulka, Casting_Fool, 303, and Darkstorm; the mystery remains.