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Make an Illuminated Keyboard

 
part 1
Turn an ordinary keyboard into an illuminated keyboard for about five bucks.

What You'll Need
1. Keyboard
2. Two lengths of telephone wire
3. Heat-shrink tubing
4. 2 five-millimeter high brightness white LED's


Steps
Flip your keyboard over, and start removing all the screws to the case.
Look for the small circuit board and remove the two screws so we can access the other side of it.
Kip uses the LED that goes to the scroll lock key, because, that's pretty much a useless key, you could also use your number lock key.
De-solder the LED that goes to the scroll lock, remove the LED and hang onto it.
Now you're going to need two lengths of telephone wire. This should be solid core wire. You'll need two pieces, about sixteen inches long, just to be on the safe side.
Remove two of the wires
Then by following the polarity markings for the LED on the circuit board, wire two reds, and two black wires into each hole from the LED connection.
Now drill two small holes in the keyboard top: one about to the end of the main keys, and one all the way in the other corner.
Screw the circuit board back in place then run a red and black wire through each of the two holes you just drilled.
Reassemble your keyboard case.
Place the heat-shrink tubing down over the two wires.
After stripping the two wires at the very end of your heat-shrink tubings, solder on the LED's.
Add a small strip of electrical tape to keep the connections apart and to cover them up.

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