Back-lit keyboard?


Wow, this brings me way back to when I had an IBM thinkpad with 128MB of ram... I remember that it had this USELESS tiny fluorescent lamp on the top left of the screen that shined down on the keybard. It was utterly useless unless I turned the screen off. It barely did anything. For one thing, I don't think that using handhelds or even watching television is a good thing to be doing in the dark... it is probably not that good for your eyes... though I have to admit that I have used my gameboy pocket in the dark with a worm light. It worked great but the eye strain just to play Pokemon Yellow in the dark is not worth it. I don't think that glow-in-the-dark keypads would be a good idea because from experience, I have noticed that glow-in-the-dark things don't stay glowing-in-the-dark for very long. I think a headlamp would be your best choice. Just strap one on to the good 'ole noggin. I used one for reading in the dark before... it's really convenient. It ran off of button cells, but I'm sure you could hack a USB cable into one.
 
those head lamps run on LEDs now, so those button batteries get a lot more life out of them than they used to... :D But you do pose a good point about the limited time that G-I-T-D stuff has... for those that don't use headphones when Pandora'ing in the dark, I have seen a flashlight that could be worn like a bluetooth headset online... Radio Shack used to carry it, but they discontinued it a LONG time ago... I still have mine from way back then and it's convenient when I need it. I've seen other Dept stores carry a flashlight that wrapped behind the neck and rested on the shoulders... consists of 2 ultrabright LEDs (one on each side), each light was detachable from the neckband and ran on it's own button battery. I bought one of those as well (ran me about $8 USD)... I'd recommend either/or along with the head lamp... whatever's convenient for you. :D
 
Anything that sits on or around my ears is extremely annoying... I used to find my glasses annoying at first. Now, with glasses, I can't use those bluetooth sets... and I never want to.


Those shoulder straps sound cool... I would totally wear those next time I end up waiting at a bus stop after dark, or walking home after dark. It gets dark quickly here during the winter. Sounds like a good investment. I would look rather odd, but not as odd as I would look carrying around a Game Gear or Atari Lynx... or a brick phone.


You could probably mount a glow-stick onto the pandora, Forming an arch over the keypad... or wear a glow-in-the-dark facemask that is recharged by the pandora screen.
 
as far as I know, you are right, Levi... at least up to the stuff that was sold on/after Sept. 16th (the day Pleng mailed out his Pandora to the lucky winner of the contest). After that point, I'm not quite sure...
 
Custom Processing Unltd said:
as far as I know, you are right, Levi... at least up to the stuff that was sold on/after Sept. 16th (the day Pleng mailed out his Pandora to the lucky winner of the contest). After that point, I'm not quite sure...
Click to expand...
I don't mean to stray this topic off topic, but I have seen this contest mentioned a bunch of times... and I have no idea what it was about. Can someones please explain this? (maybe via pm if you dont wan't to post it here...)
 
There was a competition to promote the opening of Panda USB. If you bought (if memory serves) £15 of products, you got entered into a prize draw to win a Pandora.
 
A friend of Pleng's set up a website, http://panda-usb.com/,'>http://panda-usb.com/, intending to sell accessories proven working on Linux and especially the Pandora. To help her out, Pleng donated his Pandora to a draw to be held a few weeks after the website launched. To gain entry, you had to buy about $10 worth of stuff from the shop. That draw was... last week I believe? Or two weeks ago perhaps.


Anywho, it was a reasonable success, and http://panda-usb.com/ is still going. I'm hoping she gets more of those shoulder bags in stock. I missed the first time they were sold and they looked pretty keen!


edit: :ph34r:
 
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WizardStan said:
Anywho, it was a reasonable success, and http://panda-usb.com/ is still going. I'm hoping she gets more of those shoulder bags in stock. I missed the first time they were sold and they looked pretty keen!
Click to expand...
I wonder how mant people ordered stuff? The profit probably could more than pay for a new pandora. maybe a few pandoras...


I think i'd like to get one of those USB data/charging cables... they must work with the pandora if they are on the site! I might cut a few leads and insulate the ends... for portability. maybe i should buy two...


anyway, they should add LED headlamps to the site!
 
My interest in backlit keyboards isn't seeing the keys. Screens provide plenty of light, and after getting used to a keyboard who needs to see it anyways?


I just think they look cool, and I enjoy molding hardware. Now, last time I looked at the Pandora parts site, it looked like the majority of the spare keymat was transparent? I don't care about the keys themselves, only the ability to get light around them.


Or am I just completely wrong?
 
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I'm really begin thinking about any possibility to make (paint or applicate) Cyrillic alphabet letters on buttons, ant make it without loosing warranty... when I get my Pandora..


Any ideas, people?


p.s. I think - maybe no need to make led-buttons-Pandora-mod cause lcd screen light that so near the keyboard is enough when you type even in the darkness, or, maybe I'm wrong?


The keyboard sizes even more than darkness troubles me cause I have too big hands and my arthritis troubles me more and more - cellphone buttons is already problem for me..


sorry bad english
 
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Wintersdark said:
Now, last time I looked at the Pandora parts site, it looked like the majority of the spare keymat was transparent?
Click to expand...
I may be mistaken, but I was under the impression that the keymat simply looks washed-out due to the flash in that picture, rather than being transparent.
 
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