Glow in the dark lettering on keyboards...

I wanted to do this on my old Dell Inspiron and even looked into some very high quality bottles of glow in the dark paint ($40 for like 6 ounces) online and was going to test it out before I left for Iraq last year. I often found myself trying to type in darkness or very little light. Howver I never got arond to it before I left, and many times I wish I had done it.

Now I have a new Asus, and still find myself in situation where the light from the screen isnt enough to see the keys, I usually have the laptop in such a way that it is opened to a wide angle, so the light from the screen doesnt hit the keys much at all.

I was wondering if anyone has tried this? Has the paint worn off due to typing? Was it hard to trace all the letters? I didnt want mine to look ****ty I really wanted to "stay within the lines" and make my glowing keys look very neat and clean. Is there an alternative such as some sort of glow in the dark lettering that I wouldnt have to trace all the letters myself?

I was also thinking its possible to do a very light coat across the top of te entire key, which would still show the lettering since the keys are black and the lettering white. Not sure how that would turn out either, I guess I will have to try some of these ideas out.

 

You may have to go with trial and error, but an easier alternative may be to get a free typing tutor program and start working on your touch-typing . With the index-finger home keys almost always having a tactile marker, it's pretty easy to handle anything except for numbers and function keys by touch (and better touch-typers than me can handle those, too). Not the coolest looking solution in the world, but it may be more practical in the long run .

 

Its not that I cant touch type, I can wasily do 100 WPM without looking... However in some situations (laying on the ground, in a tight space, typing from the side, or even in front of the laptop, I am rarely in a position to lay both hands on the keyboard and a get a complete feel for it. Oh and sometimes I may not be able to even see the screen (got the brightness turned all the way down.) so theres no way to verify that I'm even typing what I want to.

 

try buying a laptop with backlight on the keyboard.

 

THere are not many out there.

 

apple macbook pro has a backlit keyboard

 

maybe a light? http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/5a84/

 

You can buy keyboard stickers that glow in the dark so you can simply stick them on vs paint them on. I think that's probably the most economical solution (I found a dozen sites selling them with a simple google search).

If you were to paint them yourself the keys wouldn't feel right with the raised painted surface and the paint will chip/wear off over time. IMHO it would also look tacky if you painted your keyboard and the paint probably wouldn't stick very well because of the smooth surface so you'd have to roughen the surface and clean it to remove any grease then paint it on. Sounds like a lot of work vs just buying the glow in the dark stickers.

 

The best thing is honestly learning how to type, a typist can type without looking at the keys, just need that raised area on the J & F keys to know where your hands go and you can type from there without looking.

I took typing class in high school like 10 years ago and it was probably one of the best things I ever did.

Also at home I use a Saitek Gamers keyboard wich has a VERY strong/bright blue backlight built in and while it looks cool and lets me find my general keyboard location in the dark, it doesnt help me type at all. Id say if you were a person that looks at keys then a light is just the best way to go, or if you can find a keyboard like the Saitek Eclipse where the keys themselves light up with the letter/number not just a backlight behind the keys.

This is how the Eclipse looks:


Its a USB keyboard so it can plug right into your laptop no problems.

 

mac backlight s excellent i love it

 

Get a M1730 - Backlit keyboard FTW! lol

 

I wonder how long glow in the dark stickers will stay glowing in the dark?

 

Reby, stickers are a great idea, dont know why I didnt think of that instead of paint.

ViciousXUSMC, reread my posts, its not that I cant type, its that sometimes I need to see the keys!

Sempers,

 

I love my macbook pro for that single reason! Sure i'm selling it for a Clevo, but it's so nice to have them lit up..

I also have the Saitek Eclipse, it's okay, but nothing compared to my macbook.

 

or the thinklight on thinkpads =] other than that...i remember someone trying to place a glow in the dark strip under the keyboard....but that didn't turn out too well.

 

somebody should take the initiative and make aftermarket keyboard replacements so consumers would have the option of installing them. I know I would buy one!

 

I agree 100% on a replacement keyboard with a backlite. We could certanely use them while on a FOB

 

I guess I'll chime in from a different stand point. I've never really had a problem with keys and typing in the dark.

Given my frequency of gaming I've becoming accustomed to not having to look at my keyboard to type anything. I guess my advice would be to learn to type via. the "old school" way. Take a class, or look it up on google, they teach you how to type vast by remember key placement. I.E, you start off on the main row, and just move your fingers from there. The main row being the middle, with a on it.

 

AHHHRT,
Your the 3rd person to say the same thing, please read the thread!

 

how about using some of that EL wire (or whatever its called) and running it under the keys to light up the keyboard?

 

Enough already. The dude knows how to type.

I type probably 40-50 words/minute but still have the need to look at the keyboard from time to time. I know where all the text and number keys are, but still need to glance at it for funciton keys, arrows, home/insert/delete/end/pgup/pgdn and numpad to ensure I'm typing or hitting the right keys on occasion, especially when inputting critical data or passwords. Or making sure I'm pressing the 'grenade' key instead of exchange weapons - lol.

I would like an aftermarket keyboard option as well for backlit keys. I have an Eclipse for my desktop and it works great.

 

The letters would not be lit up, just the background of the key layout so that probably would not work. Also notebooks are not known for having a lot of room to install custom modifications like this, and he'd have to tear the notebook apart to even modify it for it to work so again probably a no go.

Or he could learn to type (hahah sorry man I just couldnt help myself! Its amazing how many people don't rtft before they respond isn't it?).

/duck to avoid flying rock

I still think the stickers are the best way to go. You can pull them off if you don't like it or you can replace them if/when they fail to glow bright enough (since the glowing chemical does degrade as time goes by and produces less and less light).

Cheers!

-Reby

 

xoxide has a guide on EL Wire modding a keyboard.

If you take your keyboard out of your lappy, i am sure it can't be that much different...

xoxide.com

 

the usb light someone posted earlier seems like a good option, the only thing i would be worried about with glow keyboard stickers is that, wouldn't the plastic melt?
this came up in some discussions with plastic keyboard protectors, when someone left there lappy on and closed it with the plastic protector still in, it melted the plastic...its a rumour but better to stay safe then sorry.