Acer TimelineX 3820TG Backlit keyboard mod

Do you need 5V? 3.3V is available on the wifi card, you can get to it through a hole underneath the keyboard.

 

I want the brightness of 5V. The 3.3 is dimmer.


I'm looking at the USB board that came with my unit to see about wiring the keyboard. It is clearly different from the one in my first 3820TG. The USB ports themselves are different. I think I'm going to take power off of the bottom of the board. It looks like an easier soldering spot.

Bronsky

 

Okay ... new USB board is in, KB power and ground are wired and everything is good. Both USB ports work and the problem with the late shut off is solved. The USB port was clearly fried. Dam it's amazing how extensive a little bit of water damage can be.

I did bend one key (F11) and it pisses me off. I know I'm going to wind up replacing the KB. Glad I added a disconnect jack. Makes it easier to switch. For now, all is well.

BTW, I took power from the underside of the USB board. Much easier soldering.


Bronksy

EDIT: drawing power and the ground from under the USB keybaord is a far more elegant solution to powering the BLKB. The wires have plenty of room under the card and can be routed directly to the compratment in the bottom of the Acer where they can join the power wires from the KB through a detachable coupling. When you look at it from the top, you don't see any wires at all and there is no interference with the cover or the KB. I recommend it over taking power from the top of the board.

 

Good advice. I did just that and everything works perfectly. Wired the new USB card from the bottom. Far easier to solder and the wires are hidden under the board. Much cleaner look. All 3 USB's work and the unit turns off correctly.

Bronsky

 

For German Users of the Acer 3820tg you can use the Acer 5942g backlit Keyboard ! I Have it testet and Works Great!

Greatz, Daniel

 

Did you have to file down the slots and tabs to make it fit?

 

If you can spare the time for a short write up that would be nice.

 

Yes, it's the Same thing as the Acer 3810/4810 US Keyboard!

 

is the quality of the keyboard from 3810 better than 3820? I noticed that in the video there's no flex.

I'm not really that interested in doing any soldering for the backlit features but just want to have a normal US keyboard [mine is Canadian/French with that annoying small shift key]. If all I need to do is pop out the keyboard and then pop in another one, should be easy.

I'm looking on eBay and the 3810 keyboard is cheaper than a 3820 replacement Is the 3810 keyboard really "higher' that it would touch the screen? Wouldn't want to damage it everytime I close my laptop.

 

Hi!

Although I've eaten the 31 pages, I couldn't find anywhere mention of something that I wonder about:

How bad is the backlit KB impacting the battery life?

One more thing: is there, finally, any self-powered backlit KB sold somewhere? I mean taking power from the main ribon.

Thanks guys!

 

I haven't measured it on mine. Hendrickson thinks you loose about 1/2 hour on a 6 hour charge. And, no, there is no self powered BL KB that I have seen.

Bronsky

 

Oh, well, 30min on 6 hours is more than acceptable. I just bought the 4820 with a 9-cell battery though. So I may survive the impact

About the slef-powered BLKB, it's surprising they didn't yet build that. Or is the voltage too low in that ribon?

Thank you!

 

still nothing on whether it's possible to use the 3810 BL KB without plugging in the backlit wires?

 

If you are on low settings 0.75/8=9,4%
If you are on high settings 0.75/40=1.8% (40W is a guestimate for gaming)
So on low settings it will have more impact and it will cost you 10% battery time. When gaming your battery will die fast anyway...

 

Sure you could do that, but you would still have to file down the tabs.

 

It's not worth the work. You can use the BL KB without wiring it but it is a bear to fit. If I was not using the BL capability, I would get the 3820TG US KB on sale on EBay.

Bronsky

 

Thanks for this guide, it was really easy to follow and mine now works great. At first I just wanted to switch out my bilingual keyboard, but I decided to install the backlight as well. Worked perfectly considering it's only my third time soldering anything

 

Any more info on the Bluetooth power option. I just ordered the 4820(without BT) and would like the BL keyboard switchable. Has this been confirmed? Can i wire directly to the port or do i need a BT card first?

 

Godam. You guys have no idea how much of a hassle it took me to do this mod. So hard taking the keyboard and the case off, and putting it on is impossible. I still haven't been able to put it on. Anybody want to help me here?

 

I think the FN+3 combi will only turn on the bluetooth if you have a compatible module installed, so you would need to have a module to be able to switch it on/off. There have been some posts in the 3820TG owners thread (last 3 pages I believe)(last 6 when you read this probably, that thing grows like cabbage)

Taking the old KB out should be a breeze... Putting in a BL KB is supposed to suck. Just keep removing material (using knife/file/dremel) from the tabs on the BL KB. It is normal that it takes time. Good luck! I you want more specific help you need to be more specific.

 

Hey all!

I am not really interested in replacing my KB with a backlit. In Canada we have bilingual keyboards so I'm just looking to replace mine with a regular 3820TG US non-backlit version.

Question is, in this case, will any sanding of the tabs be required to fit the replacement on?

And MORE IMPORTANTLY:
Where the heck ARE the tabs you need to pry out? I see one tab located on the bottom left side of the spacebar in the original post, but that is ALL.

How many tabs are there, and where are they located in relation to the keys?

 

Order the 3820TG keyboard on ebay. No mod needed. I think there is a US seller. There are 7 tabs. The tops ones are at

Esc. - F4 - F8 - F12 - Del

The side ones are at

Tab - Page Up.

Bronsky

 

Sorry to post on a thread that has been dormant for a while but I've recently done my bl kb mod and thought i would shed some light with my findings.

First of all I used the 5V source as i found that 3.3v was too dull. When hooked up to a 5V (4.8V) source, the LEDs only draw 160mA - 170mA
not 500mA this means that in total, the backlights only draw about 0.75 watts of power so this will not effect your battery life at all really..

http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab160/adelaidephones/kidnankb.jpg

This is where i got my 5V+ from
All rights of this image remain the property of KIDNAN
It is important to note that no matter how much current your power source can supply an LED in series with a limiting resistor will only draw ~25mA.

Also, I used the silent switch from an iPhone 3G in the Kensington lock port and it works perfectly, the fit is perfect also. I'll post a picture later

Edit: I failed to mention that this power source turns off both when the laptop is put to sleep and when it is turned off.

 

Yes, please post more pics and results!!! I enjoy your findings. Makes this a little more tempting

 

Here is an improved image (GIMP FTW):

 

Nope, it'll be identical structure except the 3 different keys on the actual keyboard (left shift, enter, and i think slash key).

If you got the right tool (dull but pointy small tool) it literally takes 10 seconds to pop the old keyboard out, another 10 to unplug the ribbon cable, another 10 to plug in the new keyboard's ribbon, and 2 seconds to pop the new keyboard in (just push it in at the tabs, which will automatically pop-lock the keyboard snuggily in place).

 

@ prikolchik
thanks for enlarging my picture I did not realise it was so small, pics of the switch will be Up later hopefully.

 

Can't wait...

 

@Wally33 - interesting approach. Hendrickson will be happy to hear about a power source that will shut down in sleep mode. I still never use sleep mode on my Acer, although I use it all the time on my slate.

I think I still prefer the underside of the USB board as a power source for my 3820TG. I had a problem with my webcam. I think it shorted out and was getting really hot. Then, I had a device that would not load and I think it was the webcam. So, I had to RMA my unit. I was able to easily remove the two small connections I had made under the USB card and return the two connection locations to their original state. I popped the bilingual KB back in and RMA'd the unit. I got it back repaired on Friday with no problem.

Bronsky

 

Hi Bronsky
Still waiting for my camera back to take a photo of the switch, hopefully this weekend.

I did try to use the USB power but was worried that I may have issues with current draw if i wanted to use 3 high-powered USB devices.
I know it is an unlikely scenario but still something to think about and I decided it would be easier just to avoid the problem all together.

Also, since I'm still completing my schooling in a secondary school where laptops are compulsory, the ability to be able to sleep the computer after a lesson typing in a dark lecture theatre, without worrying about the back-lights staying on if i forget to switch it off will be invaluable.

I also know that if you short these points out with poor wiring, the computer will not be damaged however will not power up.
A nice safety net for anyone who is less than confident with their soldering skills. That said the fact that there are no components to melt nearby was also nice

I hope that I wont need to RMA mine because I would say that I have probably void the warranty in almost every way possible

Can I ask what type of wire you used for the backlight power?

Cheers

 

Why not steal the power from the inbuilt mic? No soldering required and you only have to remove the bottom lid to access the hd and the keyboard to install it. Also it has 3.5 V which is more then enough in a dark room and normal lightning. I didn't more light since I use it sometimes while running my projector.

 

I like that idea. I have a mic plug from my "parts" 3820TG. I think I'll give that a try when I get the time to put a new KB in mine. Can you adjust brightness with the sound levels for the mic.?

I think that is the way I will try it next time. Thanks.

Bronsky

 

I have not found any way to adjust the mic. I would like to find a software way to shut it off and maybe adjust it, but I don't know where to look.

 

Have you tried the different mic settings in the equalizer?

 

No, I can have a look at it when I get back home.

 

I cannibalized this cable extension and used the wires. Newegg.com - Rosewill 12" Fan power supply cable Model RCW-308

Bronsky

 

I've tried to adjust the levels of the mic, inactivating it, activated the mode to shut it off while runing on battery (while on battery), but nothing happens. The intensitity of the light doesn't change or get turned off.

Another remark with this solutions is that you should be able to do it without loosing the warranty. I was however unable to remove the existing cables from the connectors with out breaking them. But if you can do that then you shouldn't lose the warranty.

I stripped a network cable to get some wires for the back lit KB.

 

Since I have an old 3820TG for parts, I can remove the mic and its plug, cut it at the wires and splice the KB wires right onto it. That way, I can simply plug the mic plug into the female socket on the motherboard. A perfect solution. Thanks for reminding me about your work.

Bronsky

 

3.3V from the wifi card also shuts off during sleep.

 

nice quote if i ever saw one

 

That's totally cool.

Where did you get the 500mA number? I posted a few pages back my exact finding including an estimating of the battery impact and I have to disagree on backlit having no impact.

I believe soldering to the motherboard+installing a switch in the case and thus having to make severe modifications is not the way to go.

3.3v is enough in my opinion. I admit that it is way cooler with the 5V because then you see it even when there is direct sunlight, but it add's no functionality. You would only need it when it is dark and then 3.3v is enough. The cool-factor is of course also a valid reason to go with the 5V.

The perfect way to power the backlit keyboard is in my opinion through a source that can be switched on and off in windows and needs very little modding.
So by taking the BT, WiFi or even Audio power, you would have the option to switch without soldering on the motherboard. If you need 5V, no problem! Just take a resistor and a transistor (veryveryeasy) and use the signal from BT/Wifi/Audio to switch power from the USB ports. Then you also know for sure you are not overloading a power source that is not intended for the current required by the backlit keyboard.

Just my two cents

 

@martijn_mf
earlier in the thread people were talking about needing switches which will be able to handle 500ma in order to be able to hold up to USB spec.

Also,
I did try taking my power from a 3.3v point first but i found that it just wasn't bright enough for my liking.

My 3820TG is not a bluetooth model unfortunately, does bluetooth have a separate function key to WIFI?
Ideally I would have loved to have software switching but for now the switch is very convenient.

Thanks for the input and ideas, still interested in a possible internal USB-UART mod controlled by a macro or any other way of software switching.

 

Normally you switch through BT and wifi with fn+f3
on off
off on
on on
off off
something like that.
You could perhaps take a signal from the wifi card and then use that to operate a transistor. You then have wifi and backlight on or both off. You have to decide for yourself if thats acceptable. There are probably many more ways to switch power, just thought of another one: by inserting an sd card you probably get voltage on a pin which is normally not there, and you can use that to switch a transistor. I believe you can also buy seperate BT modules.

 

Oh alright, that makes sense.
does the bluetooth connector on the motherboard switch power or does the actual module just power on or off?

Im thinking about trying to put one of these in the spot of the original acer module
Broadcom Bluetooth Module BCM92070MD * HP asus acer 3.0 (eBay item 140486708569 end time 03-Feb-11 19:45:18 AEDST) : Computers Networking
24 Mbit/s transfer rate! :O

 

Just my two cents:

Forget about being able to control the light through mic current: it's constant and very low by default. The mic is inducing current way back to the audio chip. The volume control of mic is post-signal, the chip modulates it digitally.

Isn't that a possible idea to take current from the screen backlight? It turns on and off exactly as you would need your keyboard to do so!

 

Hi Ninj
Taking power from the screen was what I thought I would do originally, however once i popped the case open and started probing, I found that the backlight was running on 18VDC so no good unless you put a big resistor in there and then you just have a whole lot of unnecessary heat and power wastage.
It's a real shame because it truly would be the perfect place to draw power from otherwise

 

I connected my keyboard to a SMbus switch connected to the wifi card, and use RW-everything to send commands to the switch. There is a little bit of soldering involved, and two resistors need to be soldered to the motherboard to connect SMbus to the wifi card.

USB also goes to the wifi card. I have a USB serial board that can be used as GPIO, and I started playing with bit banging an SMbus signal. I never got it fully debugged since I got the other switch working. Having this work would be nicer since you can make a VB.net program for free and not have to use RW-everything.

 

Errh, too bad. 18V is simply not an option. That's for the screen backlight, but maybe there is some power to take from the screen matrix.

Also, the 18V could be the transistor's switch current, and the 5V would still be taken from anywhere else.

 

Exactly!

The following voltage divider could be used and very small resistors can be used, since the power will still come from USB.
18V
|
| |
| |R1
| |
|---------transistor/usb/backlit
| |
| |R2
| |
|
GND

 

I am wondering if anyone can help me...this is a little bit of a different slant to things. I currently have an Acer 3810TZ model. It has a US layout keyboard even though I bought it in Canada. It has glossy keys and no backlight. While the F3 key has a Bluetooth symbol there is no bluetooth module on this model.

What I don't like are the glossy keys...I prefer the matte style keys for texture and the fact they don't attract fingerprints. It seems there are keyboards that are glossy and some that are matte...so I would like a matte keyboard. I am wondering since my keyboard is a 3810TZ model, will the 3810T keyboard fit with less trouble than the filing that has to be done to the tabs when installing in a 3820TG? Also, if I wanted to get the backlight working, is there a possibility my model has inbuilt capability for this? If not, can the bluetooth power be used?

I am extremely non-technical in terms of all this advanced modding and dealing with electric circuits but any opinions would be helpful! I have read through this whole thread but haven't really been able to figure everything out because I am dealing with a 3810TZ model.

Thanks!!