As cool as the Steam Deck looks with RGB lighting, you might not want to try customizing your device just yet. A Reddit user who tried the mod found that while adding the RGB LEDs doesn’t draw much power from the battery, it can cause some pretty big problems with the Steam Deck motherboard.
The “RGBDeck” mod started making the rounds on Reddit earlier this month, with u/WUBBSY document the process of putting a small microcontroller and LED strips on the device. They topped it off with a transparent back made of JSAUX, causing the lights to shine through the case while the Steam Deck is powered on. The end result gives the Steam Deck a nice pop of color (in a very gamer PC way).
Adam Honse (u/CalcProgrammer1), the developer behind the open-source lighting platform Open RGBAlso tried the mod and even came with an integration that allows users to customize the Steam Deck’s lighting through the app. Honse has since, however posted an update Saturday night that advises against trying it, noting that it “appears to be a significant pain on the motherboard”.
According to Honse, the root of the problem is a small component “that didn’t like the extra power draw on the internal USB connection between the motherboard and the controller PCB,” where he bought the 5V needed to power the RGB lights. to supply power. That piece failed after a few days, causing the lights and controller to exhibit some funky behavior before stopping working altogether.
It also did some damage to a component on the Steam Deck’s motherboard, which is supposed to cut the 5V power to the controller board when the device is in sleep mode. As explained by Honse, that piece no longer cuts power to the controller when the Steam Deck is in standby, causing the device to lose power. “We will have to find a new source of 5V that can handle higher current,” explains Honse.
In other words, the mod just isn’t here yet, and that’s okay; I’m just glad Honse stepped up before other modders start breaking their Steam Decks. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we see a possible solution (at least until Valve decides to include RGB in the Steam Deck by default).
