translucent keys would look pretty in the dark. fun to press. the screen was backlit years ago. why is it taking so long to take the other half of this logical step?
-- gnormal, Feb 15 2001

Electroluminescent lighting kit http://www.allelect...-340.html?E+scstore
Bake it yourself. Find an imac-clone keyboard with translucent keys, lay some of this underneath. Cool (in both senses) glowing keys. [rmutt, Feb 15 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Similar idea. (Or what developed into it.) http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/laptops
See annotations, links. [jutta, Feb 15 2001]

Nite-Surfer.com http://www.nite-surfer.com
Looking through your site I think you might find what you are looking for at http://www.nite-surfer.com. But you may also want to check out the HARDFORUM Site and the threads listed below. --- Xtreme-Gamer [Xtreme-Gamer, Feb 15 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Xenix Illuminated Multimedia Keyboard http://www.extremem...m/xenixkey-p1.shtml
[waugsqueke, Oct 04 2004]

Optimus keyboard http://www.artlebed...everything/optimus/
Each key is a small LCD display [dragice, May 28 2007]

Yes waugsqueke, I remember it too... either backlit or glow-in-the-dark. Must've been deleted.
-- PotatoStew, Feb 15 2001


Just try typing at speed on a touch screen. There is parallax error and latency problems on them all (as far as I have experienced). No haptic feedback is an issue as well.
-- bristolz, Feb 15 2001


I'd love a lightup keyboard...

This was definately posted a while back...
-- StarChaser, Feb 15 2001


Ah, I think jutta's link is the one I was remembering. It doesn't have a very self-explanatory idea name...
-- PotatoStew, Feb 20 2001


Check out these Sites too!!!

Twenty-First Century Technologies, Inc.

URL: http://www.nite-surfer.com

Pictures: http://home.att.net/~btechinc/proto1.gif

Keyboard MOD & References Lighted Keyboard Suppliers ---- http://www.hardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=94437

Does Any One Work For a Key Board Co.? ---- http://www.hardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=115697

laptop keyboard mod ---- http://www.hardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=119658

Every popular keyboard lighting. ---- http://www.hardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=112311

Mod #1 - Keyboard ---- http://www.hardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=91148

Keyboard Mod - Part 2 ---- http://www.hardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=94950

keyboard mod part 3?? ---- http://www.hardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=96549

Keyboard mod...guide to follow on VH ---- http://www.hardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=118711
-- Xtreme-Gamer, Apr 10 2001


Rumors of Apple backlighting their PowerBook keyboards have been flying around for at least a year. Like most Apple rumors, I imagine that they have such a beast in a lab somewhere even if they aren't planning to market it.

Even having a little lamp (which plugs into your USB port) is very handy. Backlighting the keys might not be as useful. For me, at least, I need to simply see the edges of the keys (and the occasional "&" symbol or something) - backlighting wouldn't help as much as forelighting in this case.
-- randydarden, Apr 10 2001


Hmmm, backlit keyboard - why not use reflective key caps that takes advantage of the laptop's existing backlit screen to make the keyboard visible in the dark? PowerBooks have transparent keys - putting a reflective layer under the transparent surface should be enough to illuminate the keyboard in dark conditions, and the key labels are printed on top so they should be clearly visible as shadowed masks. The beauty with this idea is of course that it takes no power from the battery, so you can see your keys when typing in the dark without sacrificing battery life. Has anyone seen reflective key caps like this? Sorry if this is an old idea.
-- macsolve, Jun 18 2001


Tonight, I searched the web for backlit keyboards- I wanted to get pricing, and possibly purchase one because I often use my PC in the dark- It didn't occur to me that such a device does not exist- This is unbelievable! Many new keyboards are USB which would easily power a backlit keyboard- Someone needs to realize the potential market and make this keyboard a reality- I'd buy one- I found this web-site during my search for a backlit keyboard- See my pre-punched computer/copier paper idea-
-- yenko, Jan 25 2003


Mostly baked. Some of the really cool backlit keyboards where just the letters are lit are in use by emergency services or the military. Some company holds the patent on this idea and they charge a fortune for using. If you run a search on ruggedized backlit keyboard you'll find several companies that make them. Most are not in the standard 101 key format most everyone uses with PCs. They are also $350+. The eluminx keyboard got around the patent by lighting the whole board, but it just doesn't look as cool.
-- wandererx, Oct 01 2003


I've had an eluminx keyboard for some time: http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/keyboards/5c3f/
-- Arachnid, Apr 18 2004



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