Modern Vespa

Every time I go out at night, seeing the buttons in the photo area is almost impossible.

Has anyone tried putting some kind of LED strip or something similar so they can be seen?

Some like a backlight, not direct light, something like what cars have been using for a while now in the interior that allows you to see where door handles, or the glove compartment and similar items are.

Backlighting the buttons themselves is gonna be a pig of a job, although illuminating a replica of the trim piece might be doable by way of a 3d printer and a clear plastic material

you could probably find boats switches that light up that could replace the current switches. Google is your friend.

I think initially about that, but like to maintain as "original" as possible, so try to find another options 😉

Backlighting the original buttons is going to be difficult since they are solid dark plastic with the icon printed on and there is no provision for internal illumination.

Can't you just remember the button position by memory just like the button for the indicators or the horn?

I completely agree that backlighting the original buttons is basically impossible since they're made of solid, dark black plastic. I was more thinking about whether the light can't pass through the "gaps" left by the buttons?

Maybe I misused the term backlight. Perhaps something like what I explained in the first post that many cars (Audi, for example) have for the door handle area, etc., a kind of indirect or surrounding light that can provide some soft light to that area, nothing intrusive, that allows to see where they are. Not sure if I explain the idea?

Maybe try to run a piece of 12V Flexible LED Strip Waterproof Sign at the rear of the panel to light up the area a bit, not the best looking but would work if the light came through the gaps at the rear of the buttons.

I'd try some clear fluorescent tape or paint on the buttons first.

Easy and cheap to try, and completely reversible in case you change your mind.

Available at many hobby and RC shops.

https://www.warcolours.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=171

And if you really want to experiment with true backlit buttons, I have access to the original buttons from the supplier to Piaggio (without the icons, just plain)

That's what I think in first place, but not sure if is enough space so the light do anything, and this is why I ask if someone do it before 😉 need to dismantle to do a test at night.

Fluorescent tape or paint is no my first choice, and to be honest, it hadn't occurred to me, I have to digest it a little. But you are in Belgium, being able to have them in hand for experimentation could be a very expensive experiment at this time, especially with the taxes on anything that arrives in the US and then being able to send it to Venezuela. But I really appreciate the offer.

You are in Venezuela, so what does the US have to do with this?

As of this writing you couldn't even send a box of toothpicks to the US since all major carriers have stopped shipments because it is not economical and logistically feasible to do so

Until the political winds change drastically the US is currently on course for global irrelevance.

Sending a package directly to Venezuela is basically a package lost, so all of us use a door to door services that have flat rates based in weight or volume and do warranty about the contents. Most of them are in Miami, but I use one that comes from Madrid too (at a higher rate for sure).

So for me most of time US is the centralized point to receive from the world and send to Vzla

My MP3 is an older one so I don't have those buttons on the dash so I don't know how much space there is between the actual buttons and the dash, but maybe you could use a piece of LED strip/tape under the dash placed against the buttons. There might be enough light passing between the buttons and the dash to be useful.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/VOEWT-Daylight-Flexible-Bedroom-Included/dp/B0DHV7VTTR/ref=sr_1_4_sspa

You can cut the strip to whatever length you need.

Good idea. Be sure to get the 12 volt variety that will match your scooter's electrical system. They can be cut into pieces, usually comprising multiples of three LED's and one resistor, but you'll have to solder wires to the cut pieces.

I order this variant from Amazon, before read the last 2 comments:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C49RFRDN?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1 (If it doesn't work for me for this, I'll definitely use it for something else in the future )

I select this ones as is IP68 in case of some water ingress or humidity as is a bike.

But in any case, I need to test with everything disassembled to see if the light passes or not, to be sure of the viability of the idea...

Thanks all for the ideas and opinions

That looks perfect. Hope it works out for you.