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geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => DIY Discussions ARCHIVE => Topic started by: pcross on Tue, 02 August 2011, 10:31:38

Title: Questions: Modifying AEKII LEDs and Plastic Type?
Post by: pcross on Tue, 02 August 2011, 10:31:38

The Idea
After turning my AEKII's switches into ghetto green alps, which I absolutely love the easy actuation and bottoming clack, I want to venture further into mods and make this keyboard 100% one of a kind mine. I think the switch mod was great, but now it's time to give it some wow.

LED Modification
The green is ok for the vintage look, but I want to do purple. It's my favorite color, and lends a nice space-age feel to whatever it's applied to. (White is my secondary choice.) I can solder/de-solder, but I don't really know much about what voltage this keyboard will take as I do not own a multimeter. Has anyone ever replaced their LEDs in this board, or known someone that has?

Dyeing Keys
Has anyone done ripster's acetone test to see if the keys are PBT or ABS? I remember a while back I dyed my old AEKII and then gave it to a friend before I moved for his performa as I did not yet have a ADB to USB adapter. I do now (Thanks, Thereferenc -- sorry if I butchered your name.) and want to dye mod my board. It looked ok then, a little light, but I dont think I left it in long enough.

Any info will be of excellent help! Thanks geeks :)

Title: My mistake
Post by: pcross on Wed, 03 August 2011, 15:56:20

Ripster, I had to re-read your account with acetone. I apparently didn't see the AEKII the first time round. Sorry 'bout that :)

I'm picking up my RIT next week, so cross your legos for me. Hopefully the gods of PBT will smile on me.

For reference, it is safe to boil PBT keys. I did a test on the AEKII ESC key for 2 minutes at boiling with no ill effects.

Now, anyone with a LED reference? Looking forward to pimping my board and taking some pics :)

Title: Questions: Modifying AEKII LEDs and Plastic Type?
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Wed, 03 August 2011, 18:54:33

I've done the dye to my AEKII. Look at my started threads and find 'aekii disassembly' and 'rit keys'.

I'll be doing an actual mod thread at some point soonish. I'd suggest you to get the powder ATM.

I read somewhere that the melting point of pbt was north of 200 Celsius, so boiling and anything else you can do is probably just fine.