Acer TimelineX 3820TG Backlit keyboard mod

Where are you located? US? Parts are hard to come by in the US at the moment. There are a couple of locations where you can buy the USB board in Germany (MK) and I think Poland. There should be a parts supplier in Taiwan as well.

I use a Weller variable temp solder station. Very fine solder and basic electronic grade flux.

Bronsky

 

Thanks man!!! I'm from Italy by the way. What does the MK stay for in Germany? I dunno maybe if I can't find the usb board I can buy this bluetooth module and work on this, but I don't know where to solder the wires. I think I have to buy the module together with the wire because the socket in the original BT module seams different (it's bigger).

EDIT: ok I got it. MK is the official supplier But I don't see parts for 3820TG

 

They're listed somewhere on that site. I remember looking up a speaker that I bought from them. If you're in Italy, MK would probably have what you need. Good luck.

 

I found this site but seems a bit expensive (24.95 GBP ex. VAT)
this even more expensive (34.00 €)
this, same story (34.00EUR inkl. 19% MwSt)
this, reasonable (24€) which is the italian version of the first site
this is the best for now (12€ + VAT). A little bit old style, you can pay only through bank but for Italy is OK

Anyway for this USB/Card Reader board the trick is to search for this 55.PTC01.003 part number otherwise you won't find anything, only an Australian site from which I got the part numeber of the board. So probably for most of you this could be quite obvious, for me it wasn't
I hope I helped someone else who's looking for other parts

Thank you again for your help!

15 WATT or 30 WATT for the soldering Iron?
I hope to see the touch sensor switch for the 3820TG as well soon or later.

Hey if you look in the French version of eetnordic.com you can find really good prices!

just add fr (France) in front of the URL eetnordic.com/search.aspx?q=55.PTC01.003
also pl (Poland), at (Austria) and dk (Denmark) are quite low price.

 

You're lucky to have so many options for parts. We have nothing here in the US. Acer itself won't even sell us parts most of the time.

You need a very fine tip for soldering. I would think 25 watt minimum for the iron.

Bronsky

 

OK, I bought the USB/CardReader board from the Italian supplier (you can also pay on delivery), so the original board will be safe. I talked to one of my friend and when I will get everything (notebook, keyboard, usb board and switch) he can make the soldering for me.
The only part missing is the switch. I don't want to modify (cut plastic from the case) the kensington lock to create space for the switch (but the lock can be removed if I can restore it I think). A vertical switch (with the actuator in vertical direction, also this one very small) instead of the lateral switch could suite better because the pins are directed to the inside of the notebook not at the bottom. With the pin under the switch and the K-lock Bronsky said it's too crowded and this creates a bulge. But with the pins on the side maybe not (probably we can bend or cut them in some way). Is this a wrong reasoning?

Anyway I also found these MINI SWITCHS that are perfect for the dimensions of the kensington hole (7,5mm x 3,56mm), but I don't know Amps and Volts. What do you think?

Anyone that was able to make this mod without modifying the K-lock?
Sorry if I bother so much but I want to make it perfect (without voiding the warranty) so I'm organizing myself at best. In addition I'm finding interesting stuff also for you I think

EDIT:
SWITCHESSSSS!!!!
maybe these two:
looks very small
this also

 

You should check those measurements. I had measured the inside of the Kensington compartment at 8mm x 5mm x 5mm. http://forum.notebookreview.com/6543781-post76.html I though the opening was smaller than that but I don't recall clearly.

I don't know of anyone who has done this without modifying the Kensington compartment. You would need a very small switch and you would still have to drill a hole for the wires. I put a switch on my first 3820TG (which was destroyed in an accident) and decided to keep my new unit as close to stock as possible to keep the warranty intact as much as possible. It worked out for me since there was a problem with the camera that required servicing.

Bronsky

 

Allright then! Your switch has this dimensions 11,5mm x 4,7mm x 5mm(+ 3,5 of pins, so 8,5mm in height). You said that inserting the switch with the pins facing up you almost managed to do it but then it was too crowded inside. If the inside of the Kensington compartment is 8mm x 5mm x 5mm I think I'm gonna take off the Kensington plate and insert one little switch smaller than 8mm without cutting the plastic (I will try to adapt this one). If I take of the plate I should also create a passage for the wires, right?

Didn't they notice that you had cut off some plastic near the kensington lock when you sent it for repairing?

Thank you so much Bronsky for your help. If I succeed I'll let you know and post pictures!!

 

http://www.notebooksolutions.ca/zc/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15187

The price made me laugh.

 

Just remember to get some old crappy printed circuit boards to practice on first. Most folks' first attempts at soldering aren't so good. It takes a few tries to get good enough to work on the real stuff and not regret it.

 

My current 3820TG does not have the switch in it, just the keyboard with the power taken off the USB board. My original unit had the switch but it was destroyed in an accident and I haven't added it on this unit yet. I think you can kiss the warranty good by if you do the kensington lock mod. That is too obvious to pass by a tech rep.

Bronsky

 

OMG
Look at this video about the kensington lock!! Ok it's a little bit out of topic for this thread but damn this lock is totally useless then The only scope is that of holding me back from my intentions to have a backlit KB without voiding the warranty!

Just three things:
1. if the switch is less that 8mm in width I don't need to cut plastic then, right?
2. and if I remove the metal plate I have a little bit of additional space also for passing the wires outside of the compartment, right?
3. what about inserting the switch vertically in one of the hole of the lateral grill for heatsink fan module, the holes are quite large I think, the membrane that cover the antenna cable may protect from heat (I don't know, I'm just wondering).

I still believe it's still possible, but I never seen it inside, need some feedback from you that already opened the notebook in the past.
I found some useful material for free (service guide and acer 3820tg manual) but probably someone else has already mention them in other posts, anyway here they are! (EDIT: the second manual of 80MB is totally useless, same 9 pages repeated for all languages)

Next week I'm gonna receive a huge amount of stuff bought here and there on the net, I'm looking forward!! Then the last thing I would like to buy is a 9cell battery but it's too expensive for now

 

Don't bye the cheapest crap. Just have a look at the kensingtons locks and use a better one which based on a real key and not a pseudo key.

 

There are many good key holes for kensington lock... and even the cheapest one still helps to prevent some occasional thiefs.

I don't use it anyway...

 

Yes that's true, something's always better than nothing after all. Anyway I don't use it eather and I'm more interested in these three points. Someone who can answer ?

 

No effect on speed, but it does drain power and you only have 500mA available so an external HDD might cause problems.

Don't know if anyone bothered looking at the power consumption of the BT module, but in device manager it says 100mA, I have no idea if that is correct and if that includes the power of my keyboard. Anyhoe, I do not think that having BT enabled or disabled will affect battery life much, it will probably have less impact than the keyboard itself.

Disabling using the hotkey does cut-off the power (that is kind of the idea...)

 

Hi martijn_mf! Did you buy another bluetooth module (I remember you were looking at this one) or you soldered on the original one? If you used this one could you tell me where did you solder the wires and if it still works with the hotkeys?

 

Hi, I soldered to original one and I have no idea if the connector on the mainboard is some sort of standard, so I cannot say if any modules other than those supplied by acer will work. You need to solder two wires, the ground and the +. The ground is probably easy because there are (at least on my BT module) several places which could be used (use a multimeter in diode-test mode and measure between the USB ground and different spots on the BT to identify a suitable ground (keep notebook powered down). Then power up the notebook, turn BT on, and use the DC voltage tester on the multimeter to find the power supply pin on the BT module. Be careful not to short it by using too big pens or by being clumsy; ask someone to help and let him hold the ground pen while you search for the supply voltage.

 

I bought this, hope is ok in Volt and Amp

 

It's okay.

 

The keyboard draws current well within the limits of that switch, you could run 2 keyboards with that if you wanted to

I'm not sure if you were looking for one as I only skimmed over this thread quickly but Acer 3820TG 2.1 bluetooth modules are now available on ebay here:
2.1 Bluetooth Module for Acer AS3820T AS3820TG AS 3820T - eBay (item 120677452828 end time Feb-27-11 06:05:13 PST)
They also claim that it is soft upgradable to bluetooth 3.0 with the newest drivers

 

I never tested the keyboard ... what is the draw? 100ma?

Bronsky

That BT module looks interesting, I wonder if the vendor would sell a few of the cables so that prospective mods could power right from the BT module.

 

I was thinking tonight about buying just a cable, not the entire module. =)

 

~160mA from memory when using 4.79V

 

Guys I'm writing from my 3820TG/Vertex 2 SSD 180GB beast right now in front of a 24'' FullHD monitor
I'm waiting for the USB board, the backlit keyboard and the switch then I'm gonna make the mod.
I'm also waiting for the bluray/DVD/CD external drive but I managed to make the backup with Acer eRecovery Management anyway. In fact I installed VirtualCD that emulates a real DVD-RW device and created an image. This was the only program that really worked with Acer eRecovery Management, I tried many other sw but no one was correctly detected by the acer recovery application. This app is very powerful and useful and offers many features, try it if you don't have an external drive!

1 Question:
I replace the hdd with a ssd and reinstall Windows. On your guide Bronsky, you said to create just the driver and application backup (the second option) with Acer eRecovery Management, and I did.
But if you need to send the notebook to repair (warranty), you need to restore all the system in the same conditions you bought it, right (I guess you did this in your occasion)? So you need replace the keyboard again and also recover the system in German. Thus, before formatting the old hdd (I'll use it as external) I need to make a full backup image of the German system, right?
In this case is the first option in Acer eRecovery Management enough (I don't know what it creates 'cause it was in German when I used it), or do I need to use some other particular method? If yes, do you have any advice? But if it's enough I'd like use Acer eRecovery Management, which is already installed.

Thank you guys! Lookin' forward to make the mod, hopefully without modifing anything!

 

nicknameless, you just need to make the three discs of the first option using VirtualCD. To restore the system you have to return the hdd, burn the three images and use your external odd.

What I mean is: 1st option of eRecovery is enough.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I tested the keyboard using a broken MP3 player to use USB power, using the 5v from USB and the 3.7v from the battery charger of the MP3. 5v gives a cooler effect and the keys looks more equally lightened, but 3.7v is not that different and it's still good for night use.
I tested this MP3 switch and it fits perfectly in the kensington lock. However I don't want to lose my warranty and I would need to remove that metal which is trapped by molten plastic. So I decided to use bluetooth power.

I found out that BCM92046 Bluetooth Module has 8 pins, but this laptop uses just 4 pins ( usb vcc, gnd, data + and -). Pin 1 is the vcc and it's 3.3v, while Pin 2 is GND.
The pins in the BT module are quite small, and it would be really hard to solder there. As soldering on motherboard is out of question, the best place in my opinion is the wire. Now I'm thinking about not using solder at all.

 

Is there an alternative switch or a seller in US that sells the same switch? I'm trying to avoid buying from overseas unless through ebay.

 

I wonder if you could just splice the BT cable wires?

Iphone 3g/3gs switch fits perfectly. almost needs no glue at all..

 

Yes, this is the easiest thing to do and does not require solder. I asked some sellers on eBay to buy just a spare cable, hope they sell it.

Edit: one of them answered me: module + cable is $16.00, just the cable is $10.00!

 

I dont have an iphone so what switch on the iphone are you talking about?

 

I would still solder the splice ...

Bronsky

 

I spliced inside of the connector of the cable, there is a good pressure to keep the contact, and I can undo it easily in case of warranty matters.
I'll post some pictures of my steps later.

I didn't want to mess with my cable since the cheapest I found was $5...

 

Hey, guys! Thanks for all the wonderful advice on the 3820tg, I'm glad I found it and am quite happy with the purchase

I've installed the backlit keyboard with power sourced from the Bluetooth module. I'm not quite clear if I've done this right, but I took the appropriate wires, cut them, and spliced them to the power wires from the keyboard as I've seen in recent posts.

Problem is, I've installed an SSD with a fresh OS, and neglected to install the bluetooth driver first. I know the keyboard is receiving power, as it lights up for a few seconds during POST, but I can't install bluetooth/get the system to power the port because the drivers won't install without the bluetooth device present.

Any way around this? Can I power my keyboard without disassembling everything and installing a bluetooth module first? There must be SOME way to force it to recognize a device, or something. Any advice?

 

The system can power up the port without any driver. Toogle FN+F3 slowly until it recognizes a new device and start seeking for the driver. If there is no device being found, it means you screwed with the bluetooth cables.
You can use Acer Launch Manager to know if bluetooth is receiving power or not.

 

There have been talks about using one of the status LEDs to turn on/off the backlight on the keyboard, but I don't remember anyone talking about using the P (Programmable) button in the top right of the palmrest. Wouldn't it be an ideal choice if we made it so that it doesn't launch app/switch graphics (or whatever it is programmed to do)?

 

That would be really interesting.

Bronsky

 

I thought about that but I dont know how to program that button...
how is it done? I dont want to switch graphics everytime I turn on my keyboard backlight.

 

Does anyone know exactly which wire on the bluetooth module is the power and ground? I opened my 4820tg today but I couldn't locate the power and ground wire. I couldn't get a reading with my multimeter with the laptop off but battery plugged in. Not sure if I was suppose to power on the laptop then search for the power. It is the tine 2.1 bluetooth module for the 4820 series.

 

You can use a register inside the embedded controller to controll the "P" LED.

But I don't know a way to disable the "switch function" without cutting a wire.

Best regards

 

This is the picture I took from my 3820TG, hope it helps. I found out with some datasheets and the arrow indicating VCC. I didn't use a multimeter.

 

I'm posting some pictures for whoever is interested in using bluetooth power.
I know it's just a poor workaround, but may be useful to someone.

Wires and connectors I used: from a broken internal webcam.


Yes, you have to disassemble this much.


Here is where I get 3.3v. I used the cable to avoid damage to any board.


This is the bluetooth connector, motherboard side. I used this screwdriver to remove vcc and gnd small connectors.


And just wrapped the wires on these connectors. When I put back, the pressure of the connector case ensures that they won't escape. Didn't need to solder.


Don't look too bad:


female connector (yes, I ripped off of the webcam board):


Soldering male connector to the keyboard:


Easy to plug/unplug:


Final result:


Numbers... I prefer how they look with 5v, but bluetooth power had so many advantages for me, that I just did it.


From the top, room completely dark. This is how you actually see the keys, ignoring the "cool lights":


I uploaded a video of the switch feature. Check it out!

Raul

 

Very nicely done. This is probably the best solution I've seen so far. We've been speculating for quite some time about using a system component like the BT module to switch the KB and eliminate the need to solder the board or components. You've accomplished both it seems. Congratulations.

Bronsky

 

hey guys. i followed the back lit mod and im pretty sure i bought the same one posted in this forum page, but for some reason the damn key board still wont go in!

seems liek the keyboard is still too thick (i think its because of the light back plane. it just makes the thing half a millimeter too tall to fall under the upper tabs in the keyboard tray opening.)

makes me wonder if i even bought the correct keyboard because it just wont fit! its the 3810Tback lit keyboard off ebay!

someone tell me what i am doing wrong

 

My main concerns were to have a good switch and to don't lose the warranty.
I could fit a broken MP3's switch on kensington lock without removing it, but it was so tight and hard to toogle that I gave up.
I was going to order a new bluetooth cable. The best price I've got was $5 shipped. If someone is interested, just ask for the seller linknergy on eBay. In the end I just preferred to disassemble the cable connector. It's really easy to remove the graft later, if needed.
Before opening the laptop, I spent some time testing the better voltage. I was using the same broken MP3, because I could get 5v from the USB or 3.7v from the MP3 internal charger. I spent a lot of time to decide if 3.3v from BT would be enough, and in my opinion, it's not. With 5v, the light is more equally distributed and you can see the blue FN icons better. I'm not satisfied, but that's ok. I noticed that I don't leave my bedroom's light on when I'm using it on bed, but I leave when I'm using my old Dell. I think it's positive.
By the way there was someone who already used BT before. His nick on Youtube is Knuppel.

This is the same model that appear on Hendrickson's pictures and the same model I've got buying the $25.00 3810T backlit keyboard from eBay:
Vendor: Darfon Customer: Compal
Language: UI Rev: 00
DFE Model No.: NSK-AP01D
DFE P/N.: 9J.N2C82.01D
Compal P/N.: PK1307O1A01
KB 908618D91600

Yes, it's really too thick. You have to bend all the tabs and the keyboard to make it fit and don't look like a balloon. And even bending you still have to force it a bit. I forced the tabs individually with a small screwdriver covered by a piece of cloth.

 

So how dim is the keyboard when using the bluetooth? From your pictures it look pretty decent. Can you at least see all the keys if the bedroom lights are off? Im not looking for it to be really bright, but just enough where all the keys can be seen in the dark.

 

The 5v doesn't just look nicer because is brighter... it is actually better to use. The letters are stronger compared with the light under the keys, making it better to be read in the darkness. Also the light have more equal distribution, making it easier to find a specific key.
I'm not going to change it anymore, I'm good with this. Answering your question, yes, you can see all the keys with lights off.

Please watch this video. I filmed this for you.

Also I took a picture from the top, with my room totally dark, to let you see how readable it is ignoring the lights under the keys:


I'll update my other post with these.

 

Ok. Thanks I appreciate it. Now I just need to solder the wires onto my bluetooth module. Hopefully the power/ground on my bluetooth module is the same as on yours. Mine has 5 wires going to the module.

 

Mine have 4. Note that the 3820TG motherboard have a 4 pin connector, probably it will look the same.
The contacts in the bluetooth module are so small that is really hard to solder there. I would suggest you to use the BT wires.

 

Yea i realized that I couldn't solder onto the contacts of the bluetooth module but i tried to splice the wires and it was a pain to get. My brother said he could solder onto the small bluetooth contacts so I'll let him give it a try. If all else fails, I guess I'll just have to go the switch and usb route. I only have a few months left on my warranty anyway so it should be ok to solder onto the board.

 

If it's ok to solder on the board, you should use the motherboard pins behind of the female connector of the bluetooth (next to the battery). It's as easy as solder on USB and you don't need the physical switch.