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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 15:07:34

Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 15:07:34
I wrote to DAS last night asking if they're ever likely to make a backlit version of their beautifully glossy piano finish keyboard. I imagine it's not something they are likely to do, as I'm sure they're only about high quality minimalism. Am awaiting to hear  from them. It really would make me jump at buying one though, it would be so perfect since imo it's the best looking mech keyboard out there. What do you think, are they ever likely to?
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: noodles256 on Sat, 06 August 2011, 15:57:48
you can mod your own
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 06 August 2011, 17:23:37
Yeah, IIRC all the switches have spots for the led's. Or is that wrong?

If so, you just need to buy keycaps that can use that sort of thing. Also add the LEDs of course.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 17:30:49
Lol, you're joking, I'd ruin something or break the whole keyboard.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:02:51
Well, TBH backlighting is so unimportant it isn't even funny.

I'd be fine if some of my boards were blank keycaps. So demanding that feature just limits what you can get all the way.

You could buy a deck or blackwidow ultimate more or less.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:06:20
ripster, can you ask Autumn before she leaves then?

[video=youtube;KZbI2VZF9K8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZbI2VZF9K8[/video]]
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:09:05
Quote from: False_Dmitry_II;394337
Well, TBH backlighting is so unimportant it isn't even funny.

I'd be fine if some of my boards were blank keycaps. So demanding that feature just limits what you can get all the way.

You could buy a deck or blackwidow ultimate more or less.

For you it's unimportant. Deck doesn't appeal to me, and black widow is fugly and doesn't have backlighting on all symbols, plus it'll probably have some fault or other.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:11:31
If it were something most people buying boards wanted, then it would be on many more boards. You could always get a logitech illuminated.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:16:23
Quote from: False_Dmitry_II;394341
If it were something most people buying boards wanted, then it would be on many more boards. You could always get a logitech illuminated.

It is on quite a lot of boards isn't it? The people that buy the filco and the DAS quality of keyboard don't really represent the mass market, and the buyers of these high quality boards generally don't care for backlighting.
For me, I want a very high quality board with backlighting.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:30:29
Just for the hell of it, I'll check newegg.

216 keyboards total

11 backlit boards

4 backlight boards

This includes the blackwidows.

So I'd say no, not terribly many.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:35:41
So what's your point? That backlighting is unimportant for you and many others, therefore it must be unimportant for me too? Perhaps I like the look of blue backlighting? Perhaps I find it easier to see my keys when the lighting in my room is not bright? If aesthetics were unimportant, then even DAS wouldn't need to bother to make their boards glossy piano black.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:37:18
Btw, I already have a backlit, it's the lycosa.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: cirE on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:40:29
Quote from: Merlin;394352
So what's your point? That backlighting is unimportant for you and many others, therefore it must be unimportant for me too? Perhaps I like the look of blue backlighting? Perhaps I find it easier to see my keys when the lighting in my room is not bright? If aesthetics were unimportant, then even DAS wouldn't need to bother to make their boards glossy piano black.
I think that's his point exactly: backlighting is purely for aesthetics. You shouldn't need see your keys, because you shouldn't need to look at your keyboard to see what letters you're typing.

Anyway, if I did for some reason want a backlit keyboard, I'd wait for Ducky's "Shine" to be released.
(http://i.imgur.com/DeqW0.jpg)
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Sat, 06 August 2011, 18:44:22
I'm just saying there's slim pickins for that, because there isn't all that much demand.

Edit: You are dead on cirE.


Also, actually I think most people here don't buy DAS just because they actually dislike the shinyness. Primarily because of how much you have to clean it to get it to look like that and its figerprint magnetness. I don't care either way, because DAS is a good quality board that has no questions of potential bad sides.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: cROKODILE on Sat, 06 August 2011, 19:01:41
Quote from: cirE;394357
I think that's his point exactly: backlighting is purely for aesthetics. You shouldn't need see your keys, because you shouldn't need to look at your keyboard to see what letters you're typing.

Anyway, if I did for some reason want a backlit keyboard, I'd wait for Ducky's "Shine" to be released.
Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/DeqW0.jpg)

Why always blue backlighting...
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 19:20:31
Quote from: cROKODILE;394370
Why always blue backlighting...


Because blue is popular. Oh wait backlighting isn't popular so how could it be :tongue:

Tbh, I wish I didn't care for backlighting, it would make it so easy to go ahead and buy the DAS.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: nrd on Sat, 06 August 2011, 20:08:25
Quote from: cROKODILE;394370
Why always blue backlighting...
Because it's popular, easy on the eyes/not as distracting as more aggressive colors and is generally said to have a "calming", relaxing effect. Plus a lot of computer peripherals today come with blue LEDs, therefore a keyboard with blue backlighting is much more likely to go well with the rest of the peripherals than a keyboard with pink backlighting for example.

Quote from: Merlin;394373
Tbh, I wish I didn't care for backlighting, it would make it so easy to go ahead and buy the DAS.
Before I bought my Zowie Celeritas I had a Razer Lycosa and thought backlighting was very important as well (but since there are hardly any mechanical keyboards with backlighting and a German layout, I didn't have much of a choice... didn't want a Blackwidow after the keycap disaster of the Lycosa, so there wasn't much left). Ever since I use the Celeritas I didn't miss the backlighting option for one second. While I type I usually don't look at the keyboard and even if I do - well, the keyboard sits in front of my monitors and when they're on (and they usually are when I'm typing ;)) they emit more than enough light to see everything just fine. So it might not be as big of a deal as you think it is :)
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: The Solutor on Sat, 06 August 2011, 20:22:50
Quote from: False_Dmitry_II;394325
Yeah, IIRC all the switches have spots for the led's. Or is that wrong?

If so, you just need to buy keycaps that can use that sort of thing. Also add the LEDs of course.


Most of the stone age style boards (including filcos an das) have the switches mounted upside down (afaik only the ducky 1087 is an exeption).

Even the KBC poker that is LED ready suffers this mistake.

So making a das backlit would be practically pointless, you have to dismantle it completely, swap the keycaps, made a pcb or wire wrap the keyboard, to end with a keyboard that is uglier than the existing Xarmors and Qpads, spending a lot of more money
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: noodles256 on Sat, 06 August 2011, 20:57:21
OP sounds like a prick.

Get a blackwidow and GTFO
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 21:04:44
Quote from: noodles256;394410
OP sounds like a prick.

Get a blackwidow and GTFO

I don't buy ****. I'll take yours for free though. Email it to me.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: noodles256 on Sat, 06 August 2011, 21:13:45
Quote from: Merlin;394413
I don't buy ****. I'll take yours for free though. Email it to me.

like I said lol
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Sat, 06 August 2011, 21:17:07
Quote from: noodles256;394417
like I said lol

:boink:
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Tue, 09 August 2011, 01:22:21
Wow, nice one DAS for giving me absolutely no clue on future plans. Is it so secretive that they can't say "sorry, we won't be making a backlit keyboard" or, "it's something we are considering" :rolleyes:


Ticket #1850742: DAS Professional S - with backlighting
Status: solved
Comment by: Das Keyboard Support
.---
| Hello,
|
| Thank you for your interest in Das Keyboard! We don't disclose information on future design plans, but we encourage you to check our website, blog, Facebook page or Twitter feed for updates.
|                                                                      
| Website: http://www.daskeyboard.com
| Blog: http://www.daskeyboard.com/blog
| Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DasKeyboard
| Twitter: @DasKeyboard
|
| We appreciate your inquiry.
|                
| Sincerely,
|
| Das Keyboard Support
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: liist on Tue, 09 August 2011, 02:05:45
I found the best solution would be to crack open a glow stick and dump all the material inside the keyboard, and reapply every time the glow fades out. You can buy large packs of those at the dollar store.
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Merlin on Tue, 09 August 2011, 02:51:05
Quote from: liist;395688
i found the best solution would be to crack open a glow stick and dump all the material inside the keyboard, and reapply every time the glow fades out. You can buy large packs of those at the dollar store.


Ok. HOPE IT DOESN'T VOID MY WARRANTY
Title: DAS Pro S with backlighting
Post by: Atenacius on Tue, 09 August 2011, 09:13:26
I was planning on making an SVG of the Das font and layout. I doubt there would be enough interest for a group buy but you could use it to make backlight friendly doubleshots.