Homemade Backlit Keyboard help (EL wire)

Fakie

Canada62 Posts

August 12 2011 00:33 GMT

hey everyone, I've seen some backlit keyboards and I think they look really good. unfortuanetly, I'm short on money and I was wondering if I could make it myself.

I already did some research and I've concluded that I will put EL wire underneath the keys so that the light comes through the keys.

so I was just wondering if it is possible to connect a EL wire to a usb port so that I can plug it it to my computer . or even better yet, to connect a EL wire to a wall plug in so that I do'nt have to worry about batteries.

and also, is it possible to add a switch?

thanks

JingleHell

United States11308 Posts

August 12 2011 01:56 GMT

This sort of question will probably work better on some keyboard or modding forums. Do you already have keycaps that the light will actually make it through? Usually the only keyboards that have those have backlighting.

As for the EL wire, most of the stuff I've seen for PC use runs off molex. I don't think you're actually going to come into a cheap way of doing this without some seriously intensive work, and the necesary parts aren't going to end up being as cheap as you think, most likely.

The switch question, yes, it's easy to add a switch to that simple of a circuit anytime, especially compared to the rest of what you're hoping to do.

Oh, and just for the record, I have severe doubts about this plan ending up being cheaper in the long or short term, or even working on your first try. The fact that you had to ask about the switch suggests you don't know how to go about doing this, and probably don't have the tools to do it properly.

Lmui

Canada6215 Posts

August 12 2011 02:26 GMT

First and foremost, I would take off a key, shine a bright light through one side and see if it makes it through. It'd be a huge waste to have it all set up and not work

I'm curious though, is this for a laptop keyboard? Laptop? Wireless Keyboard?

The main problem I forsee is that:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroluminescent_wire

According to that, they run only off of AC current which a USB port and your power supply does not provide. Even connecting it to the wall, you'd need something to change it to a much lower voltage and raise the frequency by a pretty good bit which I'm not sure is going to be cheap.

If you're willing to go through with the project, the easiest way I forsee of doing it is getting 6 or so LEDs and wiring them around the keyboard and running them off the same USB port as the keyboard. The light won't be quite as even but it'd be much cheaper to do.

Edit::

Might be useful:

http://pinouts.ru/Slots/USB_pinout.shtml

USB pinouts, you'll want the red/black wire.

JingleHell

United States11308 Posts

August 12 2011 02:29 GMT

@Lmui:

The efficiency of EL wire is very high, and thus a few hundred feet of EL wire can be driven by AA batteries for several hours.

Also from your wikipedia article. It just has to be converted through an oscillator thingummy.

My personal opinion is that by the time you factor in screwing up the first time around, buying all the parts twice, and two keyboards, that it's probably cheaper to just buy a backlit keyboard.

I certainly wouldn't be doing something like that at home to save money. Maybe if I wanted to do it for the hell of it, but it wouldn't end up being cheaper, most likely, especially the first time, buying all the tools.

Lmui

Canada6215 Posts

August 12 2011 02:42 GMT

Bleh missed that paragraph, if there's an oscillator small enough, the whole setup could fit inside the keyboard easily. With good soldering skills, it could be attached just inside the connector to the pcb inside the keyboard and split off. A switch is possible but it would involve either removing one of the keys on the keyboard or cutting out part of the case.

Assuming you can get the wire+ oscillator, it should be relatively simple to add a switch such as the ones on the page below.

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/720/Switches-Rocker/1.html

Nice DIY project btw.

JingleHell

United States11308 Posts

August 12 2011 02:44 GMT

On August 12 2011 11:42 Lmui wrote:
Bleh missed that paragraph, if there's an oscillator small enough, the whole setup could fit inside the keyboard easily. With good soldering skills, it could be attached just inside the connector to the pcb inside the keyboard and split off. A switch is possible but it would involve either removing one of the keys on the keyboard or cutting out part of the case.

Assuming you can get the wire+ oscillator, it should be relatively simple to add a switch such as the ones on the page below.

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/720/Switches-Rocker/1.html

Nice DIY project btw.

Easy is relative. I wouldn't call it hard, per se, but it's a nasty project for a first project, and the odds of screwing up and buying everything twice are good enough to not make it cheaper.

I assume it would be a first project of this nature because he had to ask if putting a switch in would be possible.

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