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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: ajx on Sun, 02 February 2014, 23:00:29

Title: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: ajx on Sun, 02 February 2014, 23:00:29

Hey i wonder if white keyboard is more reliable than black one
i am afraid with white color turning yellow over time

thanks

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: tooki on Mon, 03 February 2014, 05:31:28

Well the color of the housing and keycaps has no impact on reliability, just aesthetics.

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: Oobly on Mon, 03 February 2014, 09:26:06

Just get a Ducky YYY then....  ;)

Depends on how much UV exposure the board gets and what materials it's made of I think. Most newer white boards shouldn't discolour much over time.

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: tribade on Mon, 03 February 2014, 10:51:23

I think the plastics that electronics are made of now don't yellow like older electronics.  However, even if they do it'll take years and like tooki said it won't hurt the keyboard itself. 

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Mon, 03 February 2014, 11:08:24

This should no longer be a problem in general for anything made in the last decade or even 2 decades. Plastics formulas have been changed to avoid this problem so it shouldn't occur like early 1980's made. Even still it depend on what materials were used on vintage items, like PBT is generally not susceptible to that effect... like when you see old keyboard with pristine white keys with a tobacco yellow casebody.

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: tooki on Tue, 11 February 2014, 19:33:16

Quote from: IvanIvanovich on Mon, 03 February 2014, 11:08:24

This should no longer be a problem in general for anything made in the last decade or even 2 decades. Plastics formulas have been changed to avoid this problem so it shouldn't occur like early 1980's made.

Hah, I wish. I have an early-2000's white keyboard (Kensington brand, I think) on which a bunch of keys have yellowed. And HP LaserJets definitely yellow noticeably after 5 years. I've seen no meaningful change in yellowing characteristics as a whole.

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: dante on Tue, 11 February 2014, 19:39:22

I hope my Realforce yellows so people at work won't want to take it.

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: pbtforever on Tue, 11 February 2014, 19:49:48

See this:

http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 12 February 2014, 08:46:46

Long-term effects of Retr0brite -

if I successfully whiten a keyboard, will it go back to yellow over time, if it is not exposed to UV light (no more than normal residential room lighting)?

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: heedpantsnow on Wed, 12 February 2014, 09:12:22

Myself and everyone else I know who had a white Macbook several years ago all had dirty home row and spots where the wrists go.  I would try to clean mine with a wet wipe every few days, but the dirt and oil from my hands inevitably affected the color of the white plastic.  So I steer clear of white caps and boards just because I don't want to deal with that issue. 

Title: Re: White keyboard turning yellow over time?
Post by: tricheboars on Wed, 12 February 2014, 16:14:19

anodized aluminum everything. NO EXCEPTIONS.