I posted to the Mac Mod section of MacNN about this hoping to figure out how to backlight my pismo keyboard. It turns out I inspired someone to illuminate his apple pro keyboard, not exactly what I had in mind. However I think Apple could at least start by using glow-in-the-dark paint for the white letters on the keyboard. The light from the screen should be enough then, right?
It's quite cool but the lack of key action and defined keys (non visual clues on where the keys are) could maake typing a chore. some early 80's home Computers (Sinclair Z81 etc.) had touch pad keyboards and people didn't really like them. You wood have to develop a bumpy LCD
why not just using some optic fiber light around the keyboard or at just some place.
Also, the kensington Flylight for example has a wide area of exposure and draw very little power from my pbook : I imagine that lower power light will be more than sufficient to light reflective painted keys if it is placed on the screen panel.
Actually the bottom half could be B&W screen and be used for more than just a keyboard and touchpad. Appls can use it as a drawing tablet, custom keypad, easy Qwerty transformation, angled typing, CD / DVD controls, etc. The possibilities are endless. Seems more of a future technology though.
Mediaman is right. Without tactile feedback from the keys, it won't fly.
If it was a star trek console, with big buttons spaced apart that booped everytime you hit them, we'd be ok... but keyboards are a ton of small buttons in close proximity. We need feedback of some sort: tactile or aural.
You know if you turn that Dual LCD thing 90 degrees it really starts looking like a book. Throw in an updated Acrobat that treats each screen as a page. Add pen input on both screens and you could have a pretty nifty little product.
Horribly expensive and probably difficult to sell, but nifty.
Make the inside case of the current LCD screen hollow, in the void, put a 45 degree mirror (thats in the correct orientation when the lid is opened fully), make the corresponding bit of the (keyboard) case hollow, and have a fresnel lens to distribute the light from the LCD's backlight around the underside of the keys, Make the keys about 95% transparent (lightly white frosted) with black lettering.
All this could be done internally, I dont literally mean have a big hole in the back of your laptop where stuff could get in.
Hey, I think you missed the point. A back lit laptop is currently available from Itronix ( <a href="http://www.itronix.com"; target="_blank">Itronix GoBook Max</a> ) using our patented design, which among other things uses EL technology, and allows for tinted or phosphur keys and adjustable brightness. You should see this in other laptops soon, and desktop versions as well.
Make the inside case of the current LCD screen hollow, in the void, put a 45 degree mirror (thats in the correct orientation when the lid is opened fully), make the corresponding bit of the (keyboard) case hollow, and have a fresnel lens to distribute the light from the LCD's backlight around the underside of the keys, Make the keys about 95% transparent (lightly white frosted) with black lettering.
All this could be done internally, I dont literally mean have a big hole in the back of your laptop where stuff could get in.
Am I the dogs or what? </strong><hr></blockquote>
Lighting the keys via the LCD is patented already ( see patent : <a href="http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US06040822__"; target="_blank">US 6040822: Illuminated Keyboard System</a> ) and I have not seen this implemented. Good thought though...
Lighting the keys via the LCD is patented already ( see patent : <a href="http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US06040822__"; target="_blank">US 6040822: Illuminated Keyboard System</a> ) and I have not seen this implemented. Good thought though...</strong><hr></blockquote>
DAMN, there goes another $100million in royalties!
Keep using the same keyboard colors they are, just make sure there is white on there somewhere (it will be a specific white but you'll see in a sec).
Now, on each side of the keyboard or at the top of the screen facing down place a small blacklight or use a blacklight LED. If someone doesn't make one figure out how to.
I don't think this would really work but you wanted the keyboard to "light up", now it does!
Comments
<strong>How about we just go with this...
E PLURIBUS UNIX
-----------------------------
NOW THAT is a cool idea,.
<strong>How about we just go with this...
E PLURIBUS UNIX</strong><hr></blockquote>
It's quite cool but the lack of key action and defined keys (non visual clues on where the keys are) could maake typing a chore. some early 80's home Computers (Sinclair Z81 etc.) had touch pad keyboards and people didn't really like them. You wood have to develop a bumpy LCD
why not just using some optic fiber light around the keyboard or at just some place.
Also, the kensington Flylight for example has a wide area of exposure and draw very little power from my pbook : I imagine that lower power light will be more than sufficient to light reflective painted keys if it is placed on the screen panel.
[ 11-28-2001: Message edited by: Stephane ]</p>
If it was a star trek console, with big buttons spaced apart that booped everytime you hit them, we'd be ok... but keyboards are a ton of small buttons in close proximity. We need feedback of some sort: tactile or aural.
Horribly expensive and probably difficult to sell, but nifty.
Make the inside case of the current LCD screen hollow, in the void, put a 45 degree mirror (thats in the correct orientation when the lid is opened fully), make the corresponding bit of the (keyboard) case hollow, and have a fresnel lens to distribute the light from the LCD's backlight around the underside of the keys, Make the keys about 95% transparent (lightly white frosted) with black lettering.
All this could be done internally, I dont literally mean have a big hole in the back of your laptop where stuff could get in.
Am I the dogs or what?
David Byrd
CEO - Twenty-First Century Technologies, Inc.
<a href="http://www.nite-surfer.com"; target="_blank">Nite-Surfer Keyboards</a>
[ 11-29-2001: Message edited by: David Byrd ]</p>
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/2/19358.html"; target="_blank">Register Article</a>
<a href="http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?s=4209b05cf56b660fd01d1b7f8120fd9f&; threadid=1785" target="_blank">Bit-Tech Forums</a>
<a href="http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=94437"; target="_blank">Hard Forum</a>
<a href="http://www.hardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=115697"; target="_blank">Another Hardfourm Thread</a>
<a href="http://www.7volts.com/casemods.htm"; target="_blank">7 Volts</a>
<a href="http://www.forumoc.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16886"; target="_blank">Forum OC</a>
<a href="http://www.overclocking.be/vbb/showthread.php?s=ef4c6bb8bd40d6f73bd5486f736997b6&; threadid=568" target="_blank">Overclocking.be</a>
<a href="http://ttzforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13592"; target="_blank">Ttz-forums</a>
<a href="http://www.athlonoc.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16886"; target="_blank">Athlon-OC</a>
<a href="http://forum.hardware.fr/sqlforum/forum2.php3?post=12530&cat=5&config=hardwarefr.inc &cache=" target="_blank">Hardware Fr</a>
<a href="http://www.oc.be/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=568"; target="_blank">oc.be</a>
<a href="http://www.twinturbo.net/cgi-bin/ttnet_viewmsg.pl?forum=general&msg_id=232289"; target="_blank">Twinturbo.net</a>
<a href="http://www.twinturbo.net/cgi-bin/ttnet_viewmsg.pl?forum=general&msg_id=232374"; target="_blank">Twinturbo.net Another Thread</a>
[ 11-29-2001: Message edited by: David Byrd ]
[ 11-29-2001: Message edited by: David Byrd ]</p>
<strong>****Ive Got IT****
Make the inside case of the current LCD screen hollow, in the void, put a 45 degree mirror (thats in the correct orientation when the lid is opened fully), make the corresponding bit of the (keyboard) case hollow, and have a fresnel lens to distribute the light from the LCD's backlight around the underside of the keys, Make the keys about 95% transparent (lightly white frosted) with black lettering.
All this could be done internally, I dont literally mean have a big hole in the back of your laptop where stuff could get in.
Am I the dogs or what?
Lighting the keys via the LCD is patented already ( see patent : <a href="http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US06040822__"; target="_blank">US 6040822: Illuminated Keyboard System</a> ) and I have not seen this implemented. Good thought though...
<strong>
Lighting the keys via the LCD is patented already ( see patent : <a href="http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US06040822__"; target="_blank">US 6040822: Illuminated Keyboard System</a> ) and I have not seen this implemented. Good thought though...</strong><hr></blockquote>
DAMN, there goes another $100million in royalties!
Keep using the same keyboard colors they are, just make sure there is white on there somewhere (it will be a specific white but you'll see in a sec).
Now, on each side of the keyboard or at the top of the screen facing down place a small blacklight or use a blacklight LED. If someone doesn't make one figure out how to.
I don't think this would really work but you wanted the keyboard to "light up", now it does!