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How to Make A Lighted Keyboard
(Lighted Keyboard Mod)
In this project I'll show you how to make your own lighted (illuminated) keyboard. It's a fun project that requires moderate skill and 1-2 hours free time from start to finish. We're going to use Electroluminescent Wire or as it sometimes called CrazyPC EL Neon Wire as the light source for our illuminated keyboard.
Materials and Tools
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Keyboard
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Hot Glue Gun
Step - 1 Take the Keyboard Apart
Our EL
Wire is 3mm in diameter so we'll need to have a keyboard that has at least
3mm clearance when the keys are depressed. We start by taking the keyboard
apart. I recommend taking a digital snapshot of the keyboard keys prior to
disassembly so that you won't have any problems putting the keys back in
their proper place at the end of the project. Start by popping the keys off.
Usually if you use a flat head screw driver you can gently pry the keys off.
Every
keyboard is different but most keyboards are made with three major pieces: a
back plate, key membrane, and upper housing. The upper housing is the
portion of the keyboard we will snake our EL wire through. But first we need
to remove the back plate. Flip the keyboard over and remove all of the
screws. Make sure to look for any screws that might be hiding under labels.
Usually the keyboard should just come apart although there maybe some
plastic latches that snap apart. Take your time and be careful - we don't
want a cracked keyboard it just wouldn't look good.
Step - 2 Locate a Spot for the EL Neon Wire Inverter
We can either hide the EL Neon Inverter in the keyboard or we can leave it outside the keyboard. Our keyboard is big enough to accommodate the inverter but first we'll have to take it out of the black housing. We put the inverter PCB board in the top of the keyboard where there was plenty of room. Secure with hot glue.
Step - 3 Determine a route for the EL Neon Wire
We have about 6 ft of Neon wire to work with and we've got to find a route that covers all if not most of our keys. On this particular keyboard it is divided into separate sections. At each section we'll need to drill a small hole to pass the EL Neon Wire through. Our starting point will be the in the upper left at the escape key location. We'll run the EL wire through this hole and snake it around all of the keys. Take your time to layout a pattern that will be spread out evenly. The wires should not cross as this will create a high point and probably prevent a key from properly depressing.
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Step - 4 Secure the EL Neon Wire
Once we
have our pattern down we'll use hot glue to hold it all in place. Hot glue
the bottom of the wire as once again we don't want glue interfering with our
keys. Alternatively, you could use super glue but we recommend hot glue as
it can be more easily removed if you need to rework the
EL Neon Wire for any
reason.
Step - 5 Test and Reassemble
Before we reassemble the keyboard hook up the EL Neon Wire and test. You might want to retest before putting the screws back in place to avoid having to take it apart again.Step - 6 Enjoy
Sit back and enjoy your work. Well done!
Author:
Nick Curtiss and a thank you to modding genius Derek Latona for his participation.
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