Casio AE-1200 LED Mod | Casio Royale gets an upgrade with ultra bright green LEDs!

#Casio #AE1200 #Mod
In today's video the ubiquitous Casio Royale AE-1200 gets an upgrade with two ultra-bright green LED replacements! 1206 SMD LED Diode Lights to be exact. If you're gonna complain about something, it probably won't be the lack of mods for the AE-1200. A quick search online brings back a ton of cool upgrades, fixes, tweaks, and changes to this popular, cheap Casio watch. I decided to toss my hat into the ring with this fun, but challenging, mod.
To swap out the white LEDs in the AE-1200 for something more colorful you definitely need to get in there and do some soldering. Since I have literally no soldering experience I decided to give this mod a try. How hard could it be? Well, imagine trying to paint a smiley face on a grain of sand after drinking three cups of coffee. These LEDs are tiny. So tiny, in fact, that I almost gave up after wasting two control boards. Luckily these watches are cheap so I Amazon'd a couple more and tried again. And eventually succeeded.
After giving myself a pat on the back I sat in the dark and soaked in all the juicy, sweet, green light from my upgraded AE-1200. You can do it to! Just follow these instructions and learn from my mistakes. Links to everything in this video are below:
Casio AE-1200 "Casio Royale" Watch:
amzn.to/2ZtQYBI
1206 SMD LED Diode Lights (Super Bright Green):
www.ebay.com/i...
Soldering Iron Kit:
amzn.to/3zscZ2U
Solder Paste:
amzn.to/3ynL2YT
Desoldering Braid:
amzn.to/3sQV3wB
Lee Filters Swatch Book Designers Edition:
ebay.to/2yrGdF2
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

[@WatchingCasio]

The green gel filter looks a little wavy. I did end up taking it out, trimming it down a bit more, and re-inserting it. Now it looks nice and flat on top of the LCD.

[@WatchingCasio]

Thanks! You can do either. This one is just press fit. But it you want to use different colors, or smaller pieces, you can adhere them.

[@kato223]

I was contemplating getting the AE-1200, but seeing these mods you have cured my contemplating to an actual "I really want this watch now" feeling! Great job!

[@EliteSim]

That's one seriously cool mod, appreciate you showing how it's done too. You're right it's very intricate work but I think you did a great job with it.

[@WatchingCasio]

Thanks a lot!

[@AERHEAD]

Hey WC, this is a sick mod! One thing you might like to know about is flux. It is used when soldering really small connections on PCBs, and makes the whole process a lot easier. They come in sharpie-like pens, and you just scribble some on the pads after you have wicked the old solder off. Then you apply the new solder, and the flux basically attracts the solder to the metal pads and repels it from the substrate. Highly recommend using it if you are gonna solder in a future project, it will save you a ton of frustration.

[@WatchingCasio]

Right on, thank you! Would that work with solder paste too? I had a lot of trouble getting actual solder in there easily but maybe because I didn't use any flux. I'm learning as I go :)

[@AERHEAD]

@@WatchingCasio soldering paste is actually a mixture of solder and flux, which is probably why you found it easier to work with. I prefer using the regular solder because you can control the ratio of solder to flux. Usually the more flux, the easier it is. The flux would probably work with the solder paste, because you are just changing the ratio. In my experience, though, the regular solder and the flux is the best combination for soldering small surface mount components.

[@WatchingCasio]

@@AERHEAD Thanks for all the info. Really appreciate it! Holy cow, awesome channel my friend. Love the vibe. Reminds me of a SOMAfm channel. Awesome stuff. I'm a musician myself. Subscribed.

[@AERHEAD]

@@WatchingCasio dude, thanks so much! your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you for the content you make, it has provided hours of entertainment!

[@thomasbowlin6787]

I have to say that this video is great. I am a electric tech. I thought I could get away with just soldering and I did get it to work but it came apart. I burned out the solder trace on the board but because of all my years of training, I scraped the board with an xato knife and found more tracing to work with but no more soldering even for someone trained, it is a hard job. I just ordered some soldering paste. Best idea in the world, thank you for this great video you have saved me from hours of work. Thank you and have a great day my friend.

[@GihanKashnukaOfficial]

Great job! Also, I want to see another version with the bottom part in negative LCD!!! 😍

[@kinguin7]

1206 isn't THAT small, but holy cow did you jump into the deep end doing that as your first experience. Kudos on not giving up. As someone else said, yeah, you need flux. I've soldered by hand with paste, but I usually use a spool of solder plus a bottle of brush on liquid flux.

[@WatchingCasio]

Haha you're probably right. Once I wanna do something it nips at me until I figure it out and gosh darn it I wanted those LEDs in there. Live and learn! Flux next time :)

[@kinguin7]

@@WatchingCasio subscribed partially for the content, largely because of your persistence haha.

[@01tonghab17]

Love ur methods of putting filters with no glue or tape. Much more easier and faster way

[@Mel-md6cb]

Wow! Great close ups! Super detailed. I might try this out thanks to you!

[@Kurtis4hyr]

Wow, awesome work on this!

[@majesticskiesgaming]

Thanks for the video! Thinking about doing blue for mine using your tips. Green does look pretty sick though

[@badabingbadaboom9251]

One of the geekiest watches gets more geeky. I love it looks something straight out of matrix now. I have it and thanks for showing us this I'll try doing something similar now since I've free time for it. And as always man superb video. Somebody give this man a 100k subs.

[@WatchingCasio]

Haha thanks a lot man!

[@Relumer]

Such a nice mod, like it a lot! Thank you for sharing. I do also enjoy modifying Casio watches. Cheers from Spain!

[@craigsawyer6453]

I have had good luck with taking a wide nylon watchband and cutting/cauterizing notches in the band so that it will fit in between the lugs and still reach beyond the ends of the lugs like the original band. It makes the band size fit the watch better and still allow the spring bars to work well. Give it a try.

[@WatchingCasio]

Ah nice, I've seen some postings about that and it definitely looks cool. Might have to give that a try.

[@craigsawyer6453]

@@WatchingCasio I hope you like it as much as I have. I really enjoy what you do. Thank you.

[@thomasbowlin6787]

Thank you, fantastic video. Great job for never soldiering. Thanks for giving led number 1206.

[@neelsengupta662]

Really nice to see how finickity these things are! Nice job!

[@WatchingCasio]

Thanks!

[@Mel-md6cb]

You have some of the best lighting when it comes to watch reviews. When are you going to review the G-SHOCK red rescue you have as a wallpaper on your channel?

[@WatchingCasio]

Thank you! Ha, good question. I'll see what I can do.

[@ezenteno77]

Impressive work on those LEDs, that is something that I won´t mess around with :P

[@WatchingCasio]

Thank you!

[@sped6954]

I've never messed around with soldering inside a watch either. I'm terrible at it, and I would end up destroying a pcb or something and be out a watch. What I'd like to do, is remove the two amber or orange or whatever you want to call that LEDs in the bottom corners and replace them with white LEDs in all four corners. I'm not even sure if something like that can be done, but it's something I've been thinking about.

[@Ni5ei]

Not sure if the green LEDs were necessary since you've also put green Lee filter on top of the display.

[@graysonsmith7031]

I've done this mod twice (oddly enough I did better on the 1st practice run than the second "actual" one). I was able to do it without the solder wick or paste, just using solder wire. But if your patient or are still waiting for the LEDs to arrive do yourself a favor and order at least the paste as it will hold the LEDs in place while you solder it, other wise you have to hold the LED with tweezers while you're soldering with some jig in place to hold the PCB steady. In the second watch I managed to screw up pretty bad but was able to fix it. I accidentally yanked out the ground pad on one side and the positive pad on the other. How you can fix this is by lightly scratching away the "paint" on the trace it was attached to, making sure not to expose any other pads that the solder might jump onto, then applying an (un)reasonable amount of solder to try to bridge the led back to the nearest source of the original pad. Also it was a bit thicker and required a little more effort to put back together, if the display isn't working properly when your done then make sure all the metal latches are hooked onto the plastic case. I'm really happy with this mod overall and can agree that you could almost use this as a flashlight (but the flashlight on any smartphone or actual flashlight will be brighter).

[@WatchingCasio]

Thanks for your helpful advice :)

[@polyushkopole5292]

Nice but final result still looks a little off, compared with SKMEI ripp off model, you should try to swap the screen of the SKMEI into the CASIO, If it possible result should look amazing

[@ForgottenLore]

Hi, great job for first time soldering. I would recommend getting some leaded solder, it will make the process a lot easier.

[@WatchingCasio]

Thanks! Yep, I got that suggestion before. Still learning :)

[@carloss5740]

Pretty dope mod 👍🏼 Keep up the great content!

[@WatchingCasio]

Appreciate it!

[@realwarriorscholar]

Amazing work! Don’t think I’ll try this one..

[@shmutube]

A black strap with green trim or centerline would really finish it off nicely! Looks great nonetheless!

[@WatchingCasio]

I agree. Thanks for watching!

[@pozidrive]

Thank you for the tutorial. May I know if u bought the modules/ pcb separately or u went through 3 watches? 😂❤ I'd love to attempt this one day once I get the necessary tools

[@dimpfelmoser]

Great job😊 dude!

[@gregorybarry4564]

That's a cool strap.

[@blueclex1222]

Thank u I just got this ❤️

[@bobgox]

another great MOD, thanks for the tutorial, hoping that you do more of these in the future ! BTW, is it at all possible to change / upgrade the LED to blue, or must it be green ? thanks again & happy holidays :)

[@WatchingCasio]

Thanks for checking it out! You can change the LED to pretty much any color you want. I got mine on Ebay, and I think there's a link in the description. They come in a bunch of different colors.

[@bobgox]

@@WatchingCasio > thank you for taking the time to reply, very helpful. love your work, inspiring ! :)

[@ydmf2]

That is so cool!

[@dominic7689]

Wowo , very cool😮 How to find you make same as watch mon ?🙏

[@DiegoCamarero]

Soldering a 2nd LED light is a hack! actually, I'd say it is more than a mod, it is an upgrade. Congrats. One question: are gel filter mods compatible with the hydro mod (silicone oil filling). Thanks!

[@johnbyrne6429]

Just saw this video. Excellent! Could you tell me what camera you used to make this video? I'd like to make similar videos. Thanks!

[@WatchingCasio]

Ha, I just used my Pixel 4a camera. HD phone cameras with decent lighting (2 soft boxes) work wonders.

[@mrosomarvelous]

Hello, loved your video and subscribed. Where did you get that single pass stretch band? Please and thank you

[@WatchingCasio]

Cheapnatostraps.com !

[@mrosomarvelous]

@@WatchingCasio hell yeah, thank you sir

[@mr.disney4740]

Good video..New SUBSCRIBER!

[@adminmovie]

is there any way to fix the burn in appread in the center of the lcd ? it is now rapidly growing..

[@kamehamehajim]

Nice mod, has retro sci-fi vibe. Are those new LEDs going to affect battery life? Thought, 10 years is default for this watch, so probably not an issue at all. Also those LEDs exactly fit the case like they are meant for it)

[@WatchingCasio]

That's what I was trying to go for. And yeah, it will probably affect battery life due to the size and the fact that I press the button a lot more now haha.

[@Feldwaldwiese]

The size doesn’t matter, the current for the LEDs will be almost the same as with the original ones.

[@DawaShyangbo]

I love your videos can you show or tell me that can we modify Casio a1362 watch so it can look premium

[@jotr.9786]

wouldn't putting the green filters make the screen green even without changing the leds?

[@imMATTure]

Looks great! I just want to make the bulb glow green. Could i just paint the yellowish bulb light with a blue marker?

[@WatchingCasio]

Eh probably not. You'd have to use green LEDs.

[@strinity511]

Thank you for sharing definitely plan on doing this.

[@ManoharOfficial]

Could I use the same LED's for a A158W? I want to do a dual LED mod (remove the original too). I'm just concerned that the PCB wouldn't like the extra power draw from the 1206 SMD LED, glitch out or burn out etc. Which one should I use, the 0805 or 1206 SMD LED for the A158WA-1Q? TIA

[@Mirokuofnite]

Nice mod. Wonder how red would look.

[@WatchingCasio]

I was thinking of doing a red one with negative display.

[@Mirokuofnite]

That sounds really neat.

[@findyoufinally4161]

Is it possible to change led light to el light? I really don't like any digital watch using an led light.

[@DAHBLIFE]

Careful not to wiggle too much, you might rip its pads off. if you're going to do this mod often, I suggest you need a Disordering Iron.

[@WatchingCasio]

Yep, thank you. I'm a total soldering novice but at least it worked haha.

[@DAHBLIFE]

@@WatchingCasio yeaaa! btw, I find your channel very therapeutic. you got yourself a new subscriber ;)

[@WatchingCasio]

@@DAHBLIFE Thanks a ton!

[@gck86]

May I know the strap size? Thanks I brought too big and it cannot fit in. Really love this video and I really want to wear this too.

[@WatchingCasio]

Yeah, it's 18mm. I got mine here: www.cheapestnatostraps.com/collections/elastic-single-pass-straps

[@gck86]

@@WatchingCasio thanks for the reply. Really appreciated. I brought the wrong size at 20mm.

[@SmolStufff]

This looks very finicky. Nice result though.

[@uuuultra]

Eh?

[@JayH2002]

What watch are you wearing? 3:03

[@carmelogambino4219]

Amme mipiace questo chasio da 007

[@BernZ55]

Where are these single pass straps from? The ones I have are to thick to fit between the spring bars...

[@WatchingCasio]

I got them from CheapestNatoStraps.com I believe. Check my AE-1300 Mod video for an exact link.

[@BernZ55]

Watching Casio thanks!

[@ericochoa4034]

Cool mod but I would think that those leds would eat at the battery! So no more 10 year+ battery life. Personally I also think its too bright and the original leds were fine.

[@WatchingCasio]

You might be right on both counts but it's still fun and I like wearing it :)

[@armandoguzman8822]

WOW

[@AS-bs8tb]

Is the water resistance affected by this mod ?

[@AlbertRutter]

Why would you need green LEDs if you're using a green filter anyway?

[@WatchingCasio]

Because the LED color still shines through. Check out my AE-1300 clip where I put in a blue filter but the amber LED shines through.

[@AlbertRutter]

@@WatchingCasio I also have another question. I am going to do this mod on my watch, but my book of lee filters is fairly old, and the gels are scratched quite a bit. Do you think this would be noticeable?

[@WatchingCasio]

@@AlbertRutter Well I guess that depends on how scratched up they are :) Give it a shot. Probably not all that noticable.

[@frankiefugazi]

*A ROYALE WITH CHEESE* Vincent Vega.

[@Emilmarch]

Good work, nice video but please people are also doing brain surgery, please don’t jump in “hey what the heck if they can do, I can do too” 😁. Thank you for the video again.

[@WatchingCasio]

Haha - hey what do you mean, I can try brain surgery!

[@Emilmarch]

@@WatchingCasio I’d like to see the aftermath 😁

[@traviswalker8933]

The AE-1000W and the AE-1200W are being faked as well but you can spot the fake watches by the company logo. There is a Chinese company named 5.11 making these knockoffs.

[@tinytan6559]

The links in the description are all worthless.

[@WatchingCasio]

I'll see if I can update them later man. Sorry. Stuff gets changed around on Amazon and eBay quite often.

[@tinytan6559]

i understand, its cool. i have already found the stuff myself, so no need to do it for me but other people in the future might like it. :)

[@WatchingCasio]

Holy crap yeah those links were messed up LOL. Sorry man! They've been fixed now.