iKBC MF108 - led colours > white

[veridisquo]

Hey there!

I recently purchased an iKBC MF108 with Mx brown switches and so far I really like the whole of it : )
I would really love a helping hand though with setting up the right led colour (I have no previous experience with backlit keyboards, I was using a Filco Majetouch 2 before this one)

You see, ideally, I just want to set this into pure white, not anything reddish or greenish. And I want all keyboard keys (including the F1-F12 keys, so also including the entire upper row) to have the same white colour with no variations whatsoever.
I try following the manual but I get confused. I start with FN + F4 but then it gets a bit complicated (or I'm just being silly).

Anyone out there who could give me a hint what to press?
That would be really appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

[Darthbaggins]

You're limited by their software or the on-board lighting control capabilities.  Not sure if it allows for single key lighting control (what you'll need to set the lighting on the function row).

[veridisquo]

Thanks for the reply but in practice, it's not just about a single row, I want all keyboard keys (including the F1-F12 keys, so also including the entire upper row) to have the same white colour : )
I can't find a way (I can't find the right key combinations) to set this up.

[Darthbaggins]

Try the manual: https://63a1a1b2-30f3-45a3-bacb-ff53fe2e8743.filesusr.com/ugd/d98a68_44bfb7d814f245a8b43b03a38da8ec49.pdf

[veridisquo]

Thanks, i have a hard copy of it but still it's not clear to me!
Anyone knows how to do it?
Thanks so much

[SackOHammers]

I am using this keyboard.   I find browns to be too noisy on the bottom out and the clack they make when they return to top.
The silent reds are very smooth and nice and quiet.  But it's not as good for typing.  Great for gaming.  But when I use muscle memory to type really fast... like long passwords, I get tripped up by the linear reds sometimes.
So I'll be switching to zilents in that board.
Otherwise... the board is SUPER quiet.  Its solid.  The stablizers are nice and quiet.  I've also got it on a deskmat.

But the colors.  I wanted the exact same thing as you.  All white on the lowest brightness setting.
I used the printed manual that came in the box with the keyboard.

Use Fn + F4 to cycle through the basic modes.  There are 6 modes to cycle through as you keep pressing Fn+F4.  Four of them are various active modes.  One of them is to turn all lights off.  One of them is to turn all lights on.    So, I just press Fn+F4 until I get the mode where all the keys are just the same color and turned on.   Now, it might not be white.  So now you have to change the RGB colors to get white.   To get the amount of Red you want, you press Fn + F1.  I think there are 6 levels of Red brightness.  Just press it until you get maximum Red.  If you press it one too many times, it will go to zero amount of Red.  If you have Zero amount of Red, just press Fn+F1 six times to get max Red.  Now do the same with Fn+F2 until you get maximum Green.  Then Fn+F3 to add maximum Blue.  With maximum Red, Green, and Blue, you mixed together, you will achieve white color.
Now you can use Fn+ the left and right arrow keys to adjust brightness.  I turn them down low.

[typo]

Like  I told you before as far as stock switches I honestly prefer blues over zilents. I am probably the odd man out though. It is just personal preference. There is no right or wr wrong. I agree not to type on silent reds. Save those for gaming. Really none of the MX feel as good as Topre IMO. Nothing is perfect. I continue to agree with you that the MF108V3 is a real bargain. See the other thread. The keycaps are indeed PBT. They are not bad either at about 1.55mm. As I said a better board is going to start at $350. Even then I do not really see what more you are getting. You made a good choice but if you have blues I might try them for a while. Before you jump into soldering to find out that zilents are not a big deal. Plus if I remember correctly you do not have enough switches to begin with. Just my 2 cents. If you do not have blues than, yes they have to go.

Edit: Isn't brightness up/down arrows and not left/right? If I am correct you can correct it. If I am wrong just say I am an idiot. You are also welcome to say I am an idiot in regard to everything else I stated if you wish Although they are just my opinions. Except the keycaps which is a fact. I do fully agree with lowest brightness led's. They will last the longest. At the lowest setting on any board they should last 50+ years. At the highest setting about 10 years.

[Darthbaggins]

there is a way to change the light by "Zones" and/or rows:
This is what caught my eye in the digital manual.  I personally might snag this board for work since I'm running into where I need a numpad more - or might just make a numpad.

[SackOHammers]

typo, lets not hijack veridisquo's thread and argue about what switches I might like.  We already have a thread on that.
Yep, it's up and down for brightness as indicated in that screenshot.

I think veridisquo just needed a little help getting the settings he wanted.   He says he has the manual.  He tried it, but couldn't get it right.
So, hopefully my directions made sense so he can get the solid white on all keys as he was seeking.
If the board gets too confused and you feel lost, you can do a factory reset on it to clear anything you may have set.   It may be easier to start from scratch if something isn't behaving correctly.  Good luck!

[Darthbaggins]

They definitely didn't make it simple to customize the color on the board.  But now-a-days every company has their on variation of RGB controls.

[veridisquo]

Dear SackOHammers, that was super helpful thanks!

Two remarks though, following your steps I managed to get all keys to be quite white-ish yet the upper row (F1-F12 etc) still has some colour variations. For example, F4-F6 appear let's say green-ish and F7-F9 keys appear more yellowish...
Doesn't this sound weird?
Also, another note, having tried all these key combinations I now see that the Caps lock led indication remains constantly on (no matter if caps lock is actually on or off)
I really don't get it. It should be a simple process. After all, I just want white, they made it quite complicated.

In any case, I really appreciate your help so thanks again.

P.S. LED colours aside, this remains a quite solid keyboard  I must admit. I write a lot on it and it's pure joy. The PBT keycaps make a difference (compared to the ABS ones that Filco Majestouch came with).

[suicidal_orange]

Follow the instructions again - I think you just happened to have both (all?) zones the same colour so you didn't get the right mode, now you changed one zone it will be obvious.

They certainly didn't make it easy!

[SackOHammers]

Yeah, you might have the top row (zone) in a different mode.
With your caps lock key, there are a couple things in the manual that deal with capslock specifically.  You may have accidently configured it.

It might be easier to just start over.   You can do a factory reset.
FN + R (for 5 seconds): Reset keyboard to factory settings

Then you could try to go through the steps again to just configure them all to white.

[typo]

I apologize. You mistook me. I meant that it is outstanding right out of the box. He should be very happy with it and feel no need to modify it. Of course anyone can do whatever they please as well.

I don't remember but I thought you could keep pressing and releasing FN plus F10 to get there too?

[veridisquo]

Once again I want to say thank you for your replies.. and especially for all the support by SackOHammers.
I've tried your suggestions again and again (I also made sure I have the latest firmware) yet nothing so far.
In the end, I decided to film this so that you could hopefully identify if there's anything I do wrong.

Fingers crossed I'm missing some steps and that you could pinpoint exactly what I should do : ) This is getting almost frustrating.
Thanks again guys, really.

[typo]

It looks like you have all white. On the brightest setting some keys are much brighter than others. It is a bug. Dim it way down with the down arrow on the arrow pad directly under the "end" key. It should be good then. Unless there is something I am not seeing let the other folks help you.

[SackOHammers]

I don't think the video was ridiculous.  It was quick and not overly long.  So now we see exactly what you are experiencing.
There are a couple options that change the functionality of the caps lock.  There are also ways to individually set the brightness and color on specific keys.  Fn+F9 lets you select and set the color on specific keys.  Perhaps you did it, or perhaps someone else did it before you received the keyboard. 
So either single-key programming has been performed on those keys that are standing out, or there is some kind of defect that you would not be able to address.
If I owned this board, I would proceed in this manner.
1) Reset all of the programming on the board back to zero with this procedure:
FN + R (for 5 seconds): Reset keyboard to factory settings
Then determine if the behaviour of those standout keys is now aligned with the rest of the keys.
2) If step one did not resolve the issue, then I would contact the manufacturers.  Perhaps they are familiar with the issue and perhaps they have an undocumented procedure you can follow to fix those standout keys.
3) If they are unable to resolve the issue through support, then I would RMA or return the keyboard.   You have a couple options.  If you bought it from a vendor that is easy to work with, such as Amazon, it may be easy to return the board.  Then you could buy another one.  Or you could exercise the warranty by contacting the manufacturer at services@ikbc.com.tw   This might be more difficult, but if you cannot work with the vendor you bought it from, it may be  your only option.

[typo]

I just wanted to help him out if needed. IKBC will replace it under warranty via  California. Assuming not purchased from Amazon. Just google "IKBC keyboards California". They are called Keymecher. I hope this board is reliable after I claimed it was good. Not to ruin my reputation. It sure seems good.

[typo]

Would those concerned please refrain from bashing me for a moment?

I was wondering something. Don't ask me why. Just curious.

SackOHammers, I was wondering if you would be willing to watch some Youtube videos? I am wondering if the MF108V3 has "better" LED's than the Topre RGB? Anyone else is welcome to answer this in relation to my question only.

I figured this was on topic to this thread. Since the LED's of the MF108V3 were being discussed here. Thank you for your time.

Furthermore, all negative comments towards myself or late Grandfather shall simply be ignored from her on in. If you feel the need to waste your time than by all means, do so.

[veridisquo]

I would like to thank you for your support.
The video and this forum thread helped me to further ask for a replacement.
I just received a new one and in this case, led colours work just fine. So thanks again!
I had purchased the keyboard from Candykeys https://candykeys.com/  and David was super helpful!

A  minor observation:
I observed that the backspace in the new keyboard might have an issue with the stabiliser. It is not as responsive and qucik when pressing it as in the case of all other keys.
Is there anything I could do? Are there any instructions on checking the stabiliser, taking it off and trying a trick or something?
Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Cheers guys, thanks again

[suicidal_orange]

Glad you got a working board, now on to the next problem!

Do you know what type of stabilizer it uses?  If not post a pic with the keycap caresully removed (a credit card under each end works well to lift it straight up) then someone can advise. 

[veridisquo]

I observed that the backspace in the new keyboard might have an issue with the stabiliser. It is not as responsive and quick when pressing it as in the case of all other keys.
Is there anything I could do? Are there any instructions on checking the stabiliser, taking it off and trying a trick or something?

here you go, hope this helps:

I attach 2 pics


and a video that, I hope, supports what I'm talking about:

I hope there's an easy solution or fix : )
Thanks again to all of you for the great support.
Cheers!

[suicidal_orange]

Cherry plate mount, and definitely something wrong with it.  It could be that the wire isn't fully clipped in causing it to rub on the housing, the wire needs to be pulled towards the top of the board then pushed down (in the direction of a key press) at both ends.  In your pics it looks like the numberpad end insert (the purple bit) is twisted so I'd try that first.

[veridisquo]

apologies, I'm just a newbie and I really find it tricky to pull this out.

I can unlock the stabilisers as I can tell but then this cherry mx-brown switch blocks them so I can't see how I could check the wire.
(I'm also afraid not to ruin this).

Could you please give me some steps or a tutorial video?
That would be greatly appreciated.

Does this overall look like something that can be fixed? (I would hate it having to ask for another replacement : ))
Thanks again, really

[suicidal_orange]

It's not you, the wires on these are a pain.  Looking at it on a bigger screen the right side looks even more wonky so I'm quite confident this is the problem.

Basically there's a wide U shape wire that runs along the front of the switch and clips in both ends before bending up and sitting in the rattly insert with the + on the top.  Here's one pulled out of the plate, you can see the gap where the wire clips in on the right side as both sides are the same.



You can't do this with yours as it's on a shorter wire and has a tight hole around the stabiliser.

Not sure what you mean by "I can unlock the stabiliser" but to check if it's clipped in you need to get something thin (bent paperclip, pin, jewelers screwdriver...) and poke it in the gap between the wire and switch then gently pull towards the front of the board - if it's clipped in the wire wont move.  It should move freely sideways.

If it does move forward you just need to position the wire near the switch (tilt the board away from you and give it a gentle shake) then push the wire downwards with something like a flat head screwdriver and it will slip slightly forwards then clip in.

[veridisquo]

Dear suicidal_orange,
Thanks so much for bearing up with me. I'm trying to fully understand but again I'm a newbie so allow me to ask...
Should I first take off the MX-switch so that I then have access to and understand if the wire is well-connected to the "+" front (purplish) parts?

Should I try something like what it's done in this video?

My concern is that my iKBC is not a custom-made keyboard so I don't know if taking off the MX-switch (to access the full wire) would be easy (or even possible, to be honest).

Your tips really help, I learn a lot I must admit. There's obviously road ahead, let's see if this can be fixed : )

Cheers

[suicidal_orange]

To remove the switch you would have to take the board apart and unsolder it - that means you void your warranty.  The wire clips in to the black part between the yellow lines not to the purple + part so you don't need to remove the stabiliser:
 


There's also a paperclip in this picture, just poke something in that gap and push the wire.  In your board the stabiliser is at the front of the switch so that's where you need to poke, the end of your thin thing will be resting on plastic so there's no risk of damaging the circuit board.

Even if you can't see the wire move you will feel it, you can compare with the one on the Enter key which works.

[veridisquo]

Dear suicidal_orange,

Here's what i see/tried to do:

(not much I guess)
Is there anything I can do there?

[veridisquo]

Hello all,
I have found myself a soldering iron. Do you think that the backspace issue can be fixed if I unsolder the whole switch? Any guidance?

Again here's a taste of what's the current situation:

Thank you 

[typo]

verid, I really hope that you got it repaired.

You guy's can come hate on me again if you want. I do not mind.

I have a simple question.

The Drop CTRL is $295 and there is a surplus of them.
The MF108 V3 is $169 and sold out for good.
Do you all think that this speaks for itself?