also @ TechSpot: Building a Thin Mini-ITX PC: Small and Silent Performance

Buying new (gaming) laptop, need backlit keyboard

Discussion in 'Mobile Computing' started by ElShotte, Oct 29, 2010.

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  1. ElShotte TechSpot Enthusiast Posts: 154

    So yeah, the new TechSpot laptop buying guide is superb, thanks to it I found the Sager laptops, which personally, I love. I hate the weird looking ASUS or Alienware laptops. I want a nice, chice looking laptop that would still look right in a professional envoirenment, yet is a beast under the hood. So I will probably go for the Sager NP8760 with a Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Processor, GTX 460 and 4Gb of DDR3 1333Mhz. My only problem with them is the lack of backlit keyboard, and that's a big deal to me. I am a computer tech, I have replaced backlights in LCD's plenty of times, so I know more or less the theory behind installing my own backlight, and here's what I was thinking:

    Part's Needed:
    3" x 5" EL Backlight
    Power Inverter for EL Strips
    SATA Power Extension Cable

    How to do it:
    Hopefully, the keyboard will by such as the one in the ASUS Eee as in this article. Install Light Pad, and then place power inverter in empty HD bay, and connect the Power Inverter to the SATA power connector (which I know supplies 12vdc).

    Would that work? Atleast theoretically?
  2. Technochicken TechSpot Paladin Posts: 900

    A 3 by 5 backlight would only cover about half of your keyboard, so if you go this route you might want to get two of them. Also there is a chance that the EL backlight will not fit behind the keyboard. If you are set on getting the laptop, I would do that before you buy all these parts for the backlight.