Has anyone ever tried repairing any LEDs on their JVL Retro unit? They use these surface mount RGB's, and I noticed a couple are acting up....where one of the colors is missing or really dim. Any thoughts on how to identify these?
I've never seen a JVL Retro, and definitely never worked on one... but you'd want to check how the LEDs are wired. If it's simply 3 LEDs in one package, then you'd want to determine whether it's common anode or common cathode. Common cathode is basically where the 3 LEDs share the - pin, and each color has its own +. Common anode is the opposite, where + is shared between all LEDs and - each LED has its own -.
Some are also addressable, where power is always connected, then the system over serial digital lines to tell the chip inside the LED to turn on/off. There are several different types, but the "NeoPixel" (WS2811 style) is one type: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1655 .
Once you figure that out, you need to make sure you have the correct size LED... you can use calipers to measure and compare to the package type in the datasheet. And make sure the pinout is the same.