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Author Topic: LED Mod for Topre Board?  (Read 1535 times)

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Offline esko997

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LED Mod for Topre Board?
« on: Thu, 08 May 2014, 22:48:11 »
Hey all,

The board in question would be the Leopold FC600C. I just got it the other day, and I'm loving the board, but couldnt find any information via a site:geekhack.org Google seach or through the sites search bar about adding LEDs to Topre boards.

Is this idea just impossible due to the way Topre boards are built?

Any insight appreciated.

Thanks,

Esko997
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Offline dorkvader

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Re: LED Mod for Topre Board?
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 08 May 2014, 23:27:29 »
it's possible but difficult.

You would have to either reverse engineer the PCB with LED backlight support or hand-wire a matrix yourself. #1 has a lot more functionality, #2 is easier. either option would be really difficult.
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Offline SpAmRaY

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Re: LED Mod for Topre Board?
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 08 May 2014, 23:38:52 »
Quote from: dorkvader on Thu, 08 May 2014, 23:27:29
it's possible but difficult.

You would have to either reverse engineer the PCB with LED backlight support or hand-wire a matrix yourself. #1 has a lot more functionality, #2 is easier. either option would be really difficult.

How do you hand wire a topre board?
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Offline user 18

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Re: LED Mod for Topre Board?
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 08 May 2014, 23:56:23 »
Quote from: SpAmRaY on Thu, 08 May 2014, 23:38:52
Quote from: dorkvader on Thu, 08 May 2014, 23:27:29
it's possible but difficult.

You would have to either reverse engineer the PCB with LED backlight support or hand-wire a matrix yourself. #1 has a lot more functionality, #2 is easier. either option would be really difficult.

How do you hand wire a topre board?

My guess would be with hands and with wires. I suppose you'd need to add resistors, diodes, etc. to get everything to work all nice-like. You might also need to mod the case to fit the rat's nest of wires into the physical space.

Solution: Buy a poker 2, LED mod it, and ship me all your topre :P
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Offline tbc

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Re: LED Mod for Topre Board?
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 08 May 2014, 23:59:59 »
how safe it is to add backlights to the PCB so that you shine through the gaps between caps rather than through the legends?  put some electrical tape down, put the LED on top, put some clear tape over it and hope for the best?
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Offline user 18

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Re: LED Mod for Topre Board?
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 09 May 2014, 00:14:10 »
Quote from: tbc on Thu, 08 May 2014, 23:59:59
how safe it is to add backlights to the PCB so that you shine through the gaps between caps rather than through the legends?  put some electrical tape down, put the LED on top, put some clear tape over it and hope for the best?

I don't think you can physically fit much on top of a PCB and below the keycaps. Consider that you have to be able to depress the keycaps too, and if any depressed keycap doesn't work with your idea, it's as good as useless.
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Offline Melvang

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Re: LED Mod for Topre Board?
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 09 May 2014, 01:29:43 »
To my knowledge hand wireing the switches won't work on this board.  IIRC the C designates capacitive, so that would be topre switches.  It is a lot more work than just switches, and diodes.  For what its worth I am thinking of doing a backlight mod to a Model M using EL tape.
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