Celeritas keys becoming darker...........

[eazely]

Hi geekhackers. I got Zowie Celeritas a couple of days ago, and everything is almost perfect. But there is one thing that is starting to piss me off and that is the keys that is turning grey/darker.

Especially around the wsad keys, and a little bit on the shift and tab keys. Now, is there something i can do about it? Because, i paid 180$ for the keyboard and it is just so freaking annoying to look at the keyboard, that has darker keys than others.

I have searched a little bit but i haven't seen anyone counter it with succes. I saw somebody use acrylic or something and that wasn't a succes. Also, i could use some isopropyl to clean it with. But i hope there is a permanently solution, so i dont have to clean it many times a week.

I could have bought filco mx brown, but i couldn't find any with swedish layout. Only the mx blue was in stock with swedish layout, on keyboardco's homepage.

So all in all, is there any solution to this? Thanks for the help.

[oddsratio]

I had a different backlit board for a few weeks (X-Armor) and had a similar issue. Not sure from your if you just noticed this now (sometimes it can take a few days to notice an issue),  or if it abruptly started to dim.

If it's the first, try first cleaning the top of the keycaps (try a damp rag for now; not sure if alcohol is good for the keys).

If that doesn't work, pull one of them to see if there is any crud/loose plastic that keeps the LED from shining through. Check one of the dimmer keys and compare it against one of the brighter ones.

If an LED is genuinely brighter than the other, then this is the luck of the draw. I emailed ergogeek about it, and what they basically told me at the time was that some LEDs were just going to be brighter than others because they aren't made at the same time (I'm too pissed with them to go through those emails for exact wording).

If it just started to dim, then I don't know; that might be covered under warranty, but others here with more experience with modding might be able to tell you different. Be cautious with any suggestions, because apparently some companies void your warranty if you pull a keycap. Don't know if Zowie does that.

[squarebox]

Hi geekhackers. I got Zowie Celeritas a couple of days ago, and everything is almost perfect. But there is one thing that is starting to piss me off and that is the keys that is turning grey/darker.

Especially around the wsad keys, and a little bit on the shift and tab keys. Now, is there something i can do about it? Because, i paid 180$ for the keyboard and it is just so freaking annoying to look at the keyboard, that has darker keys than others.

I have searched a little bit but i haven't seen anyone counter it with succes. I saw somebody use acrylic or something and that wasn't a succes. Also, i could use some isopropyl to clean it with. But i hope there is a permanently solution, so i dont have to clean it many times a week.

I could have bought filco mx brown, but i couldn't find any with swedish layout. Only the mx blue was in stock with swedish layout, on keyboardco's homepage.

So all in all, is there any solution to this? Thanks for the help.

It gets darker probably because the infill of the letterings tends trap/get dirty easily like the 6Gv2. It's rather permanent.
I sold my 6Gv2 because of that and the BIGASS enter key.

Filco keycaps tend to get shiny easily.

The best solution will be getting a set of keycaps from Geekhack MO.

[The Solutor]

Also, i could use some isopropyl to clean it with. But i hope there is a permanently solution, so i dont have to clean it many times a week.

The cheap solution is to use the transparent stickers from 4keyboards, maybe just on the wasd cluster and few more used keys.

The more expensive is to get a different set of keycaps.

[eazely]

It gets darker probably because the infill of the letterings tends trap/get dirty easily like the 6Gv2. It's rather permanent.
I sold my 6Gv2 because of that and the BIGASS enter key.

Filco keycaps tend to get shiny easily.

The best solution will be getting a set of keycaps from Geekhack MO.

Well i had the 6GV2 for a couple of months and it was rather impossible to see that is has been used for gaming. And just after some hours of use with the Celeritas, it is very noticeable. But why do these manufacturers use laser etching when it is so crappy and expensive? I have had many rubber dome keyboards in the past, and i have never had any keys wearing off the slightest.

[eazely]

The cheap solution is to use the transparent stickers from 4keyboards, maybe just on the wasd cluster and few more used keys.

The more expensive is to get a different set of keycaps.

Yeah, i will rather get a small modification to my keys than a whole set of keycaps. Can you link the transparent stickers from that website? I cant find them. Even if i search. Maybe im dumb?

[The Solutor]

http://www.4keyboard.com/blankkeyboardstickers-p-169.html

Blank stickers (black, white or transparent)

[eazely]

http://www.4keyboard.com/blankkeyboardstickers-p-169.html

Blank stickers (black, white or transparent)

Ahh, i didn't notice i could change color. Man im stupid. Thanks!

Have you tried the stickers? Is it annoying to play with for a long time? I tried with some regular clear tape. But that didn't work out very well, because i tend to sweat a little while gaming and i like the fine grainy surface of the keys on Celeritas. It makes my fingers breathe in some way.

[The Solutor]

I tried blacks with lettering, transparent with lettering they are both nice, matte surface, thin, and durable if you clean correctly the keys before applying the stickers and you don't touch the glued side with your fingers.

I also tried the fluorescent ones they are amazing if illuminated with an UV LED but they feel just as plain stickers, glossy and relatively thick, unpleasant to type on and easy to detach in the corners.

Back to black and transparent they are matte but not as grainy as most mech keys, they feel more like most notebook key's surface (on a thinkpad keyboard the tactile difference is almost unnoticeable)

[eazely]

I tried blacks with lettering, transparent with lettering they are both nice, matte surface, thin, and durable if you clean correctly the keys before applying the stickers and you don't touch the glued side with your fingers.

I also tried the fluorescent ones they are amazing if illuminated with an UV LED but they feel just as plain stickers, glossy and relatively thick, unpleasant to type on and easy to detach in the corners.

Back to black and transparent they are matte but not as grainy as most mech keys, they feel more like most notebook key's surface (on a thinkpad keyboard the tactile difference is almost unnoticeable)

Ahh okay i see. I thought the transperant ones had to be smooth so the letters wasn't blurry. But thats just nice that they can make them matte without problems. So thanks for the input. Im going to order them soon. And the blacks aswell. It could be good to touch type sometimes..

[HaiiYaa]

So dont you want to clean the keyboard from dirt or oily fingers ever? I had the celeritas before and what worked for me was to damp a cloth with isopropryl alchohol, and clean it with that just 1-2times a week. I don't mean every day

[eazely]

So dont you want to clean the keyboard from dirt or oily fingers ever? I had the celeritas before and what worked for me was to damp a cloth with isopropryl alchohol, and clean it with that just 1-2times a week. I don't mean every day

Yes, if i dont find a solution i will clean it weekly. Or maybe daily. Because i can see some differences between the keys after very few hours of use. And I dont know about you, but I think it is annoying when you have payed that much for a keyboard, and that happens. And it just dont look that great. So im hoping that the transperant stickers will work great, and not wear off after some weeks. If you are talking about not cleaning even if i have stickers on, then yes i will. But it is not necessarily to do it very often compared to if i didn't have them on. Maybe i will clean my keyboard twice a month with the stickers.

[eazely]

To bad i couldn't find any filco majestouch mx brown with swedish layout then. Or else i might have bought that instead. So maybe its my next keybaord. Or maybe with reds, if they become more available. They sound interesting.

[The Solutor]

To bad i couldn't find any filco majestouch mx brown with swedish layout then.

 
Not really, a letter easy to become dirty is way better than a letter that disappears easily, IMO

[eazely]

Not really, a letter easy to become dirty is way better than a letter that disappears easily, IMO

Dont they just get shiny? Or did i not get it right?

[HaiiYaa]

To bad i couldn't find any filco majestouch mx brown with swedish layout then. Or else i might have bought that instead. So maybe its my next keybaord. Or maybe with reds, if they become more available. They sound interesting.

 
http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_details.asp?PRODUCT=753

[eazely]

http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_details.asp?PRODUCT=753

Out of stock..

[The Solutor]

Dont they just get shiny? Or did i not get it right?

 
Filco keys are pad printed, which is the same method used on the 2.50€ keyboards.

Look at the wiki to understand the different methods to realize the legends.

[mbc]

Filco keys are pad printed, which is the same method used on the 2.50€ keyboards.

Look at the wiki to understand the different methods to realize the legends.

 
not all pad printed keys are equal.

i actually prefer logitech pad print to steelseries/zowie lasereched

[The Solutor]

not all pad printed keys are equal.

 
Obviously they aren't.

This month i saw some RD Acer board, 15 years old, heavily used 12h a day, 6 day a week, with all the legends in place (and with the original tactile feedback).

They are first price boards, something like 5$ each one.

BTW filcos legends aren't in this league.

[nrd]

Just wanted to leave a quick "Thank you!" for the hint regarding the isopropryl alchohol, that stuff really works like a charm. I don't know if I'd call the results "good as new" (after all the legends are really very bright white before you touch them for the first time), but it definitely brings the color back to white and it's wonderfully easy to do. FWIW, a q-tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol worked much better for me than a cloth, I just rub the tip over the legends and then let it dry - voilà, back to white!

And another personal tip: Don't buy that stuff at a pharmacy or drugstore, even if it reads 99.5% or 100% pure, it's no guarantee that it won't leave any stains (sometimes even permanent ones if you get really unlucky) after cleaning. I use "teslanol Isopropanol", a cleaner made especially for sensitive materials (like video equipment, camera sensors and so on). It's still cheap enough and guaranteed to leave no residues.

[mbc]

You can try vanish oxi action (power white).. worked like a charm

Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk

[nrd]

You can try vanish oxi action (power white).. worked like a charm

But don't you have to take the keys off (and soak them in the stuff?) for that? Considering how quickly the legends will stain again, that doesn't seem to be worth it. With the isopropyl you just rub it in (with the keys still on the board), let it dry and you're good to go - takes less than five minutes and the results are incredible.

I even have to revise my previous post. It does look "good as new" now, just needed to rub the stuff in a bit more thoroughly. Now all the keys are back to a shining, eye-ball-burning white :hail:

Maybe I'll let them stain for a while now and then provide some before/after pics next time I clean them.

[mbc]

But don't you have to take the keys off (and soak them in the stuff?) for that? Considering how quickly the legends will stain again, that doesn't seem to be worth it. With the isopropyl you just rub it in (with the keys still on the board), let it dry and you're good to go - takes less than five minutes and the results are incredible.

I even have to revise my previous post. It does look "good as new" now, just needed to rub the stuff in a bit more thoroughly. Now all the keys are back to a shining, eye-ball-burning white :hail:

Maybe I'll let them stain for a while now and then provide some before/after pics next time I clean them.

So used to taking the keys off, that i didnt even think about that. ^^

Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk

[mbc]

Took some, but the flash made them look white^^

Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk

[nrd]

Took some, but the flash made them look white^^

Had the same problem when I tried :suspicious:

Now I took some without flash but in bright sunlight (which also makes the stained legends appear much whiter than they really were, but at least there's still a little bit of a difference visible). They're blurry and bad quality, but they give an idea of how well a quick wipe with some isopropyl alcohol works:
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[agor]

I see Ripster's taking a liking to my (still few) pictures

[pitashen]

No biggie if it gets shiny fast since that's the tradeoff you get for long lasting lettering and a Japanese "Wa" look instead of a Chinese Clone look.

What's so original about Filco's keyboards? the look? the stabilizer? the controller? fact that it is numpad-less? I understand the "chinese clone" in the case of cherry switch copy cats, but not so much the making of keyboard using cherry switches being called chinese clone to the filcos.

[The Solutor]

What's so original about Filco's keyboards?

Well... they placed 104/5 or 87/8 keys over a rectangular shaped board, and to be more original they decided to made it in two colors, black and white.

Isn't that original ? :biggrin:

[Chobopants]

I think he's talking about the overall look of the keys, which is original. All my Filcos have custom keys, though I do sometimes miss the feel of the stock keys. Some days I think about tossing the Filco keys back onto my Blues.