This is a mod that can be tailored to many machines but, for my purposes, was installed on my CZ-70 Pro. As much as I like the CZ series, the one downside for me was that even with the illuminated digital meter display, I found that I was not happy with trying to navigate the touch-pad control panel solely by feel during night hunting on the beach. The illuminated display not only signficantly reduces precious battery life but also fails to provide any illumination of the keypad control buttons. Too often, I would find myself either having to turn on the power robbing display to double check the setting changes that I had just made or having to stop and use a penlight while making changes to the settings.
What I came up with was a integrated "nightlight" that projects a subtle, narrow beam of ambient light directly to the center of the keypad, complete with on/off function and an independent "AAA" power source that will power the low-power amber LED light source (mounted beaneath the foam grip) for more than 140 hours on a single pair of alkaline "AAA" batteries. Current flow was reduced to proper level using a 1/4 watt 220 ohm resistor placed inline with the LED anode (+ side). On/Off switch was mounted on the cuff end of the shaft after replacing the stock shaft cap with a standard 7/8" rubber cap that is meant for use on chair legs. Typical LED life is better than 100,000 hours.
The end result has proven highly efficient and ended my problem of having to feel my way around the control panel in near total darkness conditions. Perhaps this post will help others experiencing the same frustration during night hunts.
What I came up with was a integrated "nightlight" that projects a subtle, narrow beam of ambient light directly to the center of the keypad, complete with on/off function and an independent "AAA" power source that will power the low-power amber LED light source (mounted beaneath the foam grip) for more than 140 hours on a single pair of alkaline "AAA" batteries. Current flow was reduced to proper level using a 1/4 watt 220 ohm resistor placed inline with the LED anode (+ side). On/Off switch was mounted on the cuff end of the shaft after replacing the stock shaft cap with a standard 7/8" rubber cap that is meant for use on chair legs. Typical LED life is better than 100,000 hours.
The end result has proven highly efficient and ended my problem of having to feel my way around the control panel in near total darkness conditions. Perhaps this post will help others experiencing the same frustration during night hunts.