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Laptop Keyboard Project

R

rhinodj

n00b
Joined
Aug 28, 2004
Messages
15
I am starting this thread to hopefully get some assistance with my planned project...its gonna be a small one. I want to backlight the keys of my Inspiron 8200 laptop. I plan on using EL strip for this job..I need some assistance as to where I can get the power to light the strip from....I have no clue where to put it...any help would be appreciated...

Laptop:

Dell Inspiron 8200
2.4 Ghz P4M
90 Gb Hdd
512 MB Ram
Ati Radeon 9000 64/Mb
15 UXGA Ultrasharp Display
802.11b Wireless Card
8X DVD+R/Dual Layer CD-R/RW
 
Call me a simpleton, but why don't you just spare yourself the trouble and do it like IBM does with its Thinkpads--have a nice white LED angled perfectly across the keys?
 
I have an 8200 also, and had the same plans as you but from looking at the EL wire, its power
requires an inverter and unfortunately I dont know of an inverter that would fit inside the
chassis, the only other way I may light up the keyboard is use optical wiring that would carry
light from an ultra bright led that can fit inside the chassis, but I would have to carve holes in
the keys for the light to shine through (a la powerbook style). The IBM way is uneven and
casts unwanted light on the lcd panel.

I've tried to see if those illuminex keybard keys would be able to fit on the key switches...
sadly no.
 
youre not a simpleton...I understand that its easier to do that...but thats not what I want....i want to make it look really sweet...just doing it like that is boring...i dont want to light up the letters either...i just want the light to outline the keys so that they can be seen in the dark....as for the power...there has to be a solution...and im sure if there is one ill find the help to get it done here...
 
I haven't worked on the Inspiron line of laptops, but I've repaied many a Dell Latitude laptop. Have you removed the keyboard yet? On the Latitude line, the keyboards are really thin with an aluminum backer behind them, leaving ZERO room between the keys and the backer. Basically, when you depress the keys, they go all the way to the backer. They're attached with a scissors-style lever for the key-depress action, and sit right above the key button. (Not to mention the key spacing is REALLY tight.) It's really ambicious, but I'd remove the keyboard first and see if it's physically do-able.

Also, all of the Dell laptop keyboards I've seen are not transparent key style. Assuming you could find a way to get a light source behind them, I don't think that they'd light up. Unless you had something different in mind? My best suggestion at this point would be to get some ultra brite LEDs, put em under the keyboard, and run fiber optic line (fishing line if you want to cheat) up and over to the keyboard and run it BETWEEN the keys. Sand the line so it's rough, and it should give you an ambient lighting effect.

I just cannot think how to light the keys themselves from underneath, or key the light through the keys if you do.
 
I believe the EL strips are plenty thin enought to allow for proper travel of the keys...
In the meant time, my 8200 looks like this:

nakedlaptop_01.jpg

nakedlaptop_02.jpg
 
Yeah, the El Strips would prolly be thin enough to fit, but you're back to the question of where to hide the inverter?
 
okay...a few things...i hate to repeat myself, but no matter how many times i say it..i seem to get the same replies....first...i dont want to light up the keys or the letters on the keys...i know that the keys are opaque and lighting the keys themselves isnt possible...i just want to light the OUTLINE of the keys...just so its a cool effect...second...ive already done the research and the el strip will fit under the keys or even behind the keyboard...the strip is very bright and even through the small holes on the underside are sufficient for enough light to outline the keys...my only concern is where to place the inverter in the case and....where to draw the power from...i am not good with the electrical...so im not sure how to tackle the power issue....as far as the leds and the fiber optics...that sounds like it would probably work...but it sounds way more complicated than just using the el tape....but im not sure...
 
The hard drive has 5 volts going to it (not sure the pins) and so does the USB, perhaps you could tap off either of those.

Not sure about the inverter, could you possibly make it an "attached" external box?
 
could the inverter fit in one of the front bays (where the floppy and batteries go)? Especially the left one in the back. You wouldnt be able to fit a floppy in there anymore, but a 2nd battery could probably still fit. Thats the best place I can think of to put the inverter.
 
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