UL30 Backlit Keyboard Mod

Welcome to the awesome UL30 backlit keyboard thread! Here you will find a mod that really shouldn't be here and should of come built in with the notebook... but oh well. Here's a semi-walkthrough of what I did.
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Extra Tips/Modifications

• skyrise: More pics, mod to turn backlight on/off with a touch sensor
  Link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/465841-ul30-backlit-keyboard-mod-9.html#post6131070

• Soulsaber: U81 backlit keyboard motherboard connection pics
  Link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/465841-ul30-backlit-keyboard-mod-16.html#post6324303

• PaulW: N71JQ backlit keyboard mod inspired by this thread
  Link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...asus-n71jq-owners-lounge-106.html#post6337002

• cybertim: Mod via USB port and software on/off switch?
  Link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/465841-ul30-backlit-keyboard-mod-20.html#post6451423 // http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/465841-ul30-backlit-keyboard-mod-24.html#post6531751

• ncc1701k: Mod for backlight on/off with a switch in the ethernet port
  Link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/465841-ul30-backlit-keyboard-mod-21.html#post6489301 // http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/465841-ul30-backlit-keyboard-mod-22.html#post6492610

• Turbogear: Another N71JQ backlit mod inspired by this thread
  Link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...-n71jq-backlight-keyboard-implementation.html

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Materials

• Backlit Keyboard - KEYBOARD 302mm BACKLIGHT (US)
  ***IF NOT IN STOCK, look up "U80 keyboard" "backlit" "302mm" (a combination of these terms) on eBay, you should find a backlit one for sale***
  The size must be 302mm, it seems to be there standard size for 12" to 14" so it shouldn't be an issue.

• Wire Glue/Solder - ThinkGeek :: "Wire Glue" Conductive Glue (eBay)
  ***Slightly more n00b friendly. You can use solder, but it's harder to handle and possibly/will void your warranty***

• Thin Gauge Wire - something around or less than 28-30 AWG

• Tape - to hold things down to make it easier

• Patience/dexterity - no need to rush ;D

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Starting off... here is the monsterous box that it came in. At least there was no chance of damage haha...



Some pics between the normal keyboard and the backlit keyboard. Notice that the backlit keyboard is of much higher quality, looks and feels smoother and (imo) quieter too! The backlit keyboard is also slightly thicker by 1 or 2 mm, but I haven't seen any marks on my screen or anything so it doesn't seem to be a problem.




Firstly, open up the keyboard by using a screwdriver to pry the clips holding the keyboard down. Try to be gentle, as they can break. (stole your pic Convoluted =D)



The keyboard clip thing is covered by tape. Take that off and pull the clip upwards to remove it. Here's a pic comparing the two keyboard connections. BE VERY CAREFUL, as this little orange thing is really fragile, and can rip easily, as I have done in the 2nd pic. I did manage to fix it, but it's not fun to do so.




You will (obviously) notice that there is an extra yellow flat flex cable. This is needed to power the LED backlight. Here are the points that you need to know of.



You can solder or wire glue some thin gauge wire onto these and have them around 5" long. Connect these to the points shown below by solder or wire glue or however you want to do it. Just ignore all that tape and stuff, I was just testing to make sure my LED's actually worked before I had it in place. UPDATE: I have added other pics of my revised mod, with a variety of different +5V sources you can choose from, and in the other pic you can see my actual point that I used. I choose this because it is really wide and much easier to access.






Connect that, tape it up to prevent shorts and stuff, and you will have a beautiful backlit keyboard that will always be on if your laptop is on! Enjoy! UPDATE: I changed the frame from black to silver, by just prying them off each other and switching them. It looks MUCH nicer.








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And there you have it! If you have any questions/comments regarding what was done here, just post and I'll be glad to help you out.

 

awesome job : ) how did u do it

 

Very nice job Soulsaber!

I was about to do this mod myself, but you beat me to it!
Please provide instructions and pictures when you have time to share with others. I know many here on the forum are extremely interested in doing this mod.

 

Wow looks amazing! GJ!!

 

Looks perfect! I would have never known it didn't come with a backlit keyboard.

 

Looks great!

Gotta get me a laptop with a backlit keyboard...

 

Is there an option for the backlit keyboard to be turned off?

 

There probably is with more skilled wiring... but I don't have enough knowledge to do this, so it's always powered on. I haven't noticed any hit in battery life so far if that's what you are worried about.

I'll post pics and instructions really soon!

 

looks awesome soulsaber. One of the main things turning me away from the UL series

 

PL30JT + Backlit Keyboard Mod = :yes:

Soulsaber, those pics look awesome!

Post more pics + instructions asap .

 

^ ditto, I'd also appreciate it if you took the time for a write up!

 

Soulsaber: Any progress with the additional pictures and instructions?

 

I'll have it up on the weekend for sure, FF13 came out yesterday and that's occupying my time lol...

 

Wow, that looks nice, cant wait for the guide (when will it be out?) ^^
Very good job !

 

Out now!

I am not responsible for any damages that occur if someone else does this

 

Thanks for the write up with pictures, where did you get the keyboard from or where can we order them from?

 

How did you find the 5V source?

 

It's honestly not that hard if you have a multi-meter. I would check it before you do this mod just to make certain.

I found a 302MM backlit keyboard in the estore but don't know what size the keyboards are in the UL30's, is that the one?

 

But what do you test against with a DMM?

Do you just randomly test points against GND with a DMM while the notebook is on?

 

Soulsaber, have you noticed a hit on battery life yet?

And since the keyboard is always lit, is it annoying when using the laptop during the day / in sunlight? Does it look.. out of place?

 

Personally, I start/test a plug while the laptop is on (like the one that's between the +5 and gnd in his pic) and then trace from there. Once you get a +5V source, turn the laptop off and check that point again. If it's dead, then that's where you want to go if you're wanting it to turn off when you turn off the laptop. You can run a switch to it as well if you really wanted to turn it off or you can trace down a switched +5V source that goes off one of the Fn keys (would require a print of the circuits to make this part easier). It really all depends on how deep you'd want to get into it. My biggest thing from looking into this mod was where to buy the backlit chiclet style keyboard as they aren't named to well in the ASUS store.

 

Nice, im gonna love my laptop even more with at backlit keyboard.
As some other asked: Where did you buy the backlit keyboard from?,
And have you seen any difference in the battery life?

 

The backlit keyboard can be purchased from the Asus estore.

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=5277

 

hm, There is just a liiiitle problem...: Im from europe, couldnt find any keyboard with europe "design", do you know if they're even made?

Thank you

 

Check with www.asusparts.eu. They sell numerous 302mm backlit keyboards available in different languages.

 

what's the size for the UL80? I assume the mod's done the same way??

 

As i can see, the keyboard actually belongs to u80 original: http://www.asusparts.eu/product_info.php?products_id=37132 (scroll a little down, and look at the column to the left)

 

Yup, this is the keyboard that I used in this mod. It's from the U80 originally and fits UL30 and UL80 (and most likely UL20).

It does impact my battery life slightly, it seems to be more around 9ish hours rather than 10ish hours with regular school use.

The keyboard is not as "bright" as you would see in the pics. You do notice the backlit on, but it's hardly noticeable. In sunlight, it's nearly impossible to tell if the backlit is on.

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The reason I chose that particular point as the +5V is because it's mostly out of the way of everything else and there is "less" of a chance of messing something up. But it really depends on how steady your hand is.

 

Thanks for the response Soulsaber.

You state that this keyboard is thicker by 1-2mm... after having it installed for a few days, does it scratch up the screen or any other part of the notebook when closed?

If you could do this mod all over again, any mistakes you would avoid / tips for us?

 

very nicely done. I will look into this again once the ul30jt hit stores here in hong kong...

 

Will this mod work on the n71jq?

Thanks
Future owner of N71JQ

 

I haven't noticed any marks on my LCD at all, and upon closer inspection it's actually still flush looking to the body.

The only thing I messed up was being rather abusive with the LED power ribbon cable, so maybe taping it up would help so you don't accidentally tear it like I did. Other than that everything went really smoothly.

If you can find a backlit keyboard that fits that laptop, then i'm sure it's possible to find a way to do it!

 

Is this the same size keyboard that would be used in the upcoming U30JC? They are both 13.3"... I haven't seen if this model is coming with a Backlit keyboard yet

Edit: Looks like a retailer has confirmed that there is no backlit keyboard on the U30JC. So how does one tell what size the keyboard is?

 

Do you know where and which one backlit keybioard should i buy for UL50 notebook?

 

Wow, it looks great.

 

You dont think its somehow possible to make the keyboard light controable with the hotkeys? (fn+f3 and fn+f4)

 

Anyone here have some electrical engineering knowledge?

 

I dont have any knowledge in computer wirering, but if you opened up an asus u80v, and followed the keyboard wires, couldt you just attach the wires the in a ul30 the same places?

 

I'm no E.E., but I think your best bet for the backlit keyboard to be controllable by any of the keys thats already on the keyboard would be to "piggyback" off a device that the keyboard can already control the "on/off" switch for. ie, power to the keyboard LED will be provided as long as power is provided to that device. With that you could either choose to have the keyboard light up along with that other device, or entirely replace it.

For that I think your best bet would be the webcam or wifi key, since it looks like none of the other hotkeys turns anything on such that any solder points on the mobo will provide sustained voltage.

 

Judging from the pics, it appears to be the same 302mm keyboard which is pretty standard throughout their new notebooks.

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=5343

No that wouldn't work, as the U series had an actual location for where the LED power cable would go, where the UL series has no such location.

Also, I am guessing that for the function keys to work, you might have to wire in the connections between the +5V and the ground to some sort of data connection, since it reminds me of a USB connection.

 

What I do not understand is why Asus sells these keyboards and doesn't put them into the their models from the get go. Is there any reason that is logical why they do not use them yet? I found my Macbook backlit keys so useful I went and bought a logitech illuminated keyboard for my desktop. I will not buy another laptop without backlit keys. Please Asus put them into your new 2010 line up. Specifically the U30 or UL20/30 series. Pretty please.

 

i'll just ordered a Used ul30vt-x1, and i'll do this mod myself in a couple weeks : )

 

Hey Dalamchops, i and maybe other users as well may find it very useful when you "bench" your battery, especially the Power/current usage before and after installing this mod.
I´m a german(so excuse my english pls ) Asus UL30VT User and im very interested in this mod, but here in germany atm no Shop sells this mod :/

The next point is: will there be a switchable on/off mod of this Keyboard? My idea is to put a smd based monostable trigger circuit into this laptop, coupled with a capacitiv switch which lies under the "black plastic" over the keyboard/under the LCD (where the altec Sticker is located)[These switches which Delll xps/studio XPS have for example]
If there is enough room for this small circuit(which i dont know...) it may be possible to build a very convenient mod

I hop you get all my points :/

Jubeltrubel

 

that's too complicated for me to add a switch lol. I'm just gonna be following instructions here.

I'll definitely be able to get you the battery bench. I'll use battery bar and look at the discharge rates

 

Great =)
The idea with the switch built in is just an concept, dunno if it works or that there is enough room for this mod...mod
With Battery Bar i´ll get discharge rates(Intel, Energy Saving profile, 2. lowest Brightness level, wlan off) about -7,6W(but when i restart ill get down to -6.3W...i dont know why, but it is reproducable.
I would appreciate your results =)

Jubeltrubel

 

Forgive my ignorance; I've never done anything like this but am interested in doing it for my potential purchase of the 30vt/jt.

What is the white dot you are connecting the +5V wire to? I just want to make sure I understand exactly what that wire needs to be connected to. The ground wire I understand.

 

That's a solder point that you need to solder the wire to. It looks like a white dot because of the light that's hitting the reflective surface of the solder that's on the board.

 

Yeah the white dot is just a solder point. There are other points that also have a 5V, but they are too close to other things and of course the risk is higher to mess something up then.

 

So do you solder to the little solder ball looking point?

I'm about to order this myself.

 

Remember, you do this AT YOUR OWN RISK (so don't blaim Soulsaber or anyone else for that matter if something goes wrong). But yes, you solder it to where the arrow is pointing on the solder point. If you're not comfortable or have any question that it may be the wrong one, grab a multimeter or someone that has/knows how to use one and check it with the power on for +5V source. Be very careful that you don't burn the board around it (or chip/scratch/crack/etc.).