Rosewill 9100-BR First Impressions

[i3oilermaker]

The Box:





First thing I noticed was no detachable cable and the USB hub.  Also new logo that is a lot more badass than the 9100:





The backlighting has the following modes:





The board feels pretty solid like a filco - The back says made in china - not sure if that gives away who is the producer of these.


I gotta get these OEM keys off, but the back lighting will be a lot less cool.


Thoughts? Questions?

[Sifo]

looks pretty cool... other than it being full sized. How much was it? I think I'd still rather get a ducky

[i3oilermaker]

I use the tenkey a lot so that is not a complaint for me

[WhiteFireDragon]

Looks like Rosewill is starting to move more into the gimmicky area with the LEDs now. Are you willing to crack it open to find out who makes these keyboards?

[i3oilermaker]

Looks like Rosewill is starting to move more into the gimmicky area with the LEDs now. Are you willing to crack it open to find out who makes these keyboards?

Don't want to open it.

I just noticed that it has 1.5x mods on the left and a shorty space bar....NOT happy about that....

[Sifo]

Wow... what were the developers thinking when they did that.

[tp4tissue]

THanks to whitefiredragon, who's confirmed that the newer yet nonbacklit version of the 9000 was still made by costar via PCB printing.

Hey i3oilermaker, mind crakin' that thing open?

[IvanIvanovich]

It was already determined it is made by iRocks and is a rebranded KR6251E. The bottom row was a real put off to me as well, I wouldn't buy one of them for that alone.

[tp4tissue]

It was already determined it is made by iRocks and is a rebranded KR6251E. The bottom row was a real put off to me as well, I wouldn't buy one of them for that alone.

Oh, ic ic,

Well it depends on the price.

Quality and reliability, we'd have to wait a bit longer to see if it goes smoothly, hopefully i3oilmaker will keep us updated.

though if it won't be his daily driver, mm....

since this is a backlite board, the bottom row isn't much of an issue, because there'd be no way to replace back lit caps in the first place.

[tp4tissue]

i3oilmaker, How is the keycap quality, do you suspect flaking chip black stuff in the long term

[i3oilermaker]

I'm starting to think backlit is not my thing...

I get a glare out of the bottom of my vision when typing that is not very pleasant, even on the lowest brightness setting.

It does look cool, but I don't think its for me.

[IvanIvanovich]

I still find the spacing to be off. I had a board that was like that once and I really hated it. Never did get used to it and found myself still hitting the alt on accident all the time while gaming. I tend to strike space quite close to the left end under the c key. It might not be any issue at all for others though.
I have backlight TG3 and I didn't like backlight style keycap. I put Cherry doubleshots on it and the underglow effect is nice. I don't really like bright lights pointed upwards at my eyes either.

[tp4tissue]

I'm starting to think backlit is not my thing...

I get a glare out of the bottom of my vision when typing that is not very pleasant, even on the lowest brightness setting.

It does look cool, but I don't think its for me.

seems like lysol solved your problem

Put regular keycaps on it, and rely on the "underglow"

Hmm... Underglow on keyboard is kinda like underboob on a girl.... hm...............

[i3oilermaker]

I would do that but I don't have any 1.5 mods or midget space bars.

[tp4tissue]

I would do that but I don't have any 1.5 mods or midget space bars.

Ah, that's just 1 row. and it'd be easy enough to blank out the back lighting on one row of caps.. put some electrical tape on the back of the keycap

[i3oilermaker]

Haha brilliant!

I'm actually less concerned about the light than the spacing of the mods.  It just feels off.

[boost]

I'm starting to think backlit is not my thing...

You and I both...But it does look nice

[tp4tissue]

Haha brilliant!

I'm actually less concerned about the light than the spacing of the mods.  It just feels off.

You could also, Dim the backlight further with layers of scotch tape, or scotch tape white paper combo, but that's allot more work.

[Lethal Squirrel]

Not a huge fan of that semi glossy finish that thing has going on. It does seem like they're getting a bit gimmicky. : \

[tp4tissue]

Not a huge fan of that semi glossy finish that thing has going on. It does seem like they're getting a bit gimmicky. : \

backlit was always gimmick.. always... who honestly games in the dark.

[WhiteFireDragon]

lol I never noticed it until it was mentioned in this thread that the left side has 1.5x mods while the right side has 1.25x mods. That is just uber retarded.

[dorkvader]

Haha brilliant!

I'm actually less concerned about the light than the spacing of the mods.  It just feels off.

You could also, Dim the backlight further with layers of scotch tape, or scotch tape white paper combo, but that's allot more work.

Nah, just put Deck keycaps on it. They let a little less light through. I've not had a problem with my BL82.

[RickyJ]

I'm starting to think backlit is not my thing...

I get a glare out of the bottom of my vision when typing that is not very pleasant, even on the lowest brightness setting.

It does look cool, but I don't think its for me.

That would be the blue light, a very poor choice.  Blue light causes more eye strain than other colours due to its higher energy, and can lead to macular degeneration.

Ze Germans, in their ongoing quest for optimal driver comfort, have for a very long time used green illumination for instruments as it is easier on the eyes at night while still allowing the driver to see the gauges at a glance.  Red is better for night vision, but the edges bleed when we're not fully focusing on the illuminated object.  This is why I got my Race with green backlighting, and I don't have any issues with glare.  Same with all of my German cars, I can see my speed and tach in my peripheral vision.

[tp4tissue]

I'm starting to think backlit is not my thing...

I get a glare out of the bottom of my vision when typing that is not very pleasant, even on the lowest brightness setting.

It does look cool, but I don't think its for me.

That would be the blue light, a very poor choice.  Blue light causes more eye strain than other colours due to its higher energy, and can lead to macular degeneration.

Ze Germans, in their ongoing quest for optimal driver comfort, have for a very long time used green illumination for instruments as it is easier on the eyes at night while still allowing the driver to see the gauges at a glance.  Red is better for night vision, but the edges bleed when we're not fully focusing on the illuminated object.  This is why I got my Race with green backlighting, and I don't have any issues with glare.  Same with all of my German cars, I can see my speed and tach in my peripheral vision.

Ah, a nice daily dose of learning for me. thanks.

[ferociousfingerings]

I'm starting to think backlit is not my thing...

I get a glare out of the bottom of my vision when typing that is not very pleasant, even on the lowest brightness setting.

It does look cool, but I don't think its for me.

That would be the blue light, a very poor choice.  Blue light causes more eye strain than other colours due to its higher energy, and can lead to macular degeneration.

Ze Germans, in their ongoing quest for optimal driver comfort, have for a very long time used green illumination for instruments as it is easier on the eyes at night while still allowing the driver to see the gauges at a glance.  Red is better for night vision, but the edges bleed when we're not fully focusing on the illuminated object.  This is why I got my Race with green backlighting, and I don't have any issues with glare.  Same with all of my German cars, I can see my speed and tach in my peripheral vision.

Very Interesting. What about amber/orange?

For whatever reason, even though i usually like green... i find that the particular hue of green that i see in pictures of both the Pure and the Race's green backlighting, feels like it has too much blue in it... and it makes me feel like i don't like that type of green. I always prefer a "more yellow, less blue" type of green.

I've seen plenty of bluish-green lighting in car-instrumentation... but have also seen lots of "backlit" things using variations of amber and orange, and i always thought those colors felt "easier" to look at.


As for "underglow," that's the last thing i'd want from a backlit keyboard. I too, hate having bright lights pointed upward at my eyes. I would find it profoundly annoying. If not correctable, i'd find "LED's shooting in my eyes" to be a deal-breaker.


Also, last time i went to an optometrist, i was informed about proper viewing angles and backlighting... trying to reduce contrast, and matching the light of the room to the brightness of the monitor. Basically: no blasting the eyes with a bright monitor, in a dark room. You really should always have some degree of "back light," when viewing a computer monitor, especially during regular, repeated exposure and extended sessions.

[tp4tissue]

I'm starting to think backlit is not my thing...

I get a glare out of the bottom of my vision when typing that is not very pleasant, even on the lowest brightness setting.

It does look cool, but I don't think its for me.

That would be the blue light, a very poor choice.  Blue light causes more eye strain than other colours due to its higher energy, and can lead to macular degeneration.

Ze Germans, in their ongoing quest for optimal driver comfort, have for a very long time used green illumination for instruments as it is easier on the eyes at night while still allowing the driver to see the gauges at a glance.  Red is better for night vision, but the edges bleed when we're not fully focusing on the illuminated object.  This is why I got my Race with green backlighting, and I don't have any issues with glare.  Same with all of my German cars, I can see my speed and tach in my peripheral vision.

Very Interesting. What about amber/orange?

For whatever reason, even though i usually like green... i find that the particular hue of green that i see in pictures of both the Pure and the Race's green backlighting, feels like it has too much blue in it... and it makes me feel like i don't like that type of green. I always prefer a "more yellow, less blue" type of green.

I've seen plenty of bluish-green lighting in car-instrumentation... but have also seen lots of "backlit" things using variations of amber and orange, and i always thought those colors felt "easier" to look at.


As for "underglow," that's the last thing i'd want from a backlit keyboard. I too, hate having bright lights pointed upward at my eyes. I would find it profoundly annoying. If not correctable, i'd find "LED's shooting in my eyes" to be a deal-breaker.


Also, last time i went to an optometrist, i was informed about proper viewing angles and backlighting... trying to reduce contrast, and matching the light of the room to the brightness of the monitor. Basically: no blasting the eyes with a bright monitor, in a dark room. You really should always have some degree of "back light," when viewing a computer monitor, especially during regular, repeated exposure and extended sessions.

We have 3 different cones in our eye. One for Red, Green, and Blue. Note color is a "perceived concept" not a "reality" that is common between every person. So to make Orange and Yellow/Amber You require MORE from Green and Blue intensity light "using" additive color mixing.

[ferociousfingerings]

We have 3 different cones in our eye. One for Red, Green, and Blue. Note color is a "perceived concept" not a "reality" that is common between every person. So to make Orange and Yellow/Amber You require MORE from Green and Blue intensity light "using" additive color mixing.

So what you're saying is: "amber/orange is actually both red and green..." right? lol.

But light isn't like pigment. You can't just "add a bunch of colors together."

I guess i need to scurry down the rabbit-hole of how eyes perceive colors of light.

Does combining two different colors of light, to create a perceived other color, necessarily mean that there is "more light?" Or does it just mean more cones are used?

And: what's worse:
A) too much of one color (ie: blue)?
B) just enough of 2 colors, to create the perception of one which stimulates more cones, but is less intense?

A) using more cones with less intensity
B) using less cones with more intensity


Also: if "white" is "all the colors at once," then wouldn't that be more damaging, than "just blue?"
Or is there some kind of magic about "just blue," that hurts our eyes more than "all the colors at once?"

Ahh, the mysteries of life...

[dorkvader]

We have 3 different cones in our eye. One for Red, Green, and Blue. Note color is a "perceived concept" not a "reality" that is common between every person. So to make Orange and Yellow/Amber You require MORE from Green and Blue intensity light "using" additive color mixing.

While I am a fan of (for example) the reversed spectrum philosophy on (and argument against) Empiricism, as a Philosopher, I must say that there's really no way to substantiate your claim that colour is a perceived concept and not a reality, and also your claim that it isn't common between people.

[alaricljs]

While it is inaccurate to claim there is no commonality, there is certainly variance in different peoples ability to perceive specific wavelengths and the richness of color perception.  Doesn't mean blue isn't blue (for a large majority of people).