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Typing experience backlit vs non backlit

Posted: 06 Mar 2015, 09:55
by Zing
When generally asked for a good keyboard most people generally recommend keyboards that aren't backlit like filco, kul, Leopold and etc. This got me thinking, is there a downside in the typing experience when the keyboard is backlit? Does the led diode or something affect the typing performance OR is this actually irrelevant and are these keyboards just better?

Posted: 06 Mar 2015, 10:00
by Stabilized
Backlight is purely aesthetic and it doesn't effect typing to my knowledge.

The reason I prefer a keyboard without backlight is so that I can easily mod it down the line without having to de-solder each LED (major pain in the arse).
You can install SIP sockets in the switches that allow you to hot swap LEDs, but I don't really know about which ones to buy.

Posted: 06 Mar 2015, 11:34
by Muirium
The reason many of us here at DT prefer non-backlit is simple: you can fit whatever caps you like. On backlit boards, you're stuck with backlight compatible caps, or you wind up like this:

Image
http://deskthority.net/review-f45/ducky ... t7130.html

Caps are one of the biggest fixations topics in the community. Backlights reduce your options.

Posted: 06 Mar 2015, 11:48
by cookie
Not only that backlit reduce your options, there are actually no good caps available for backlight boards out there!

Posted: 06 Mar 2015, 11:49
by Muirium
That's gradually getting better now.

http://keypuller.com/pbt-pom-double-shot-by-vortex/

The process is there. But the design hasn't quite arrived yet!

Posted: 06 Mar 2015, 23:06
by davkol
Mu, that kind of backlighting looks cool though.

Posted: 06 Mar 2015, 23:20
by Muirium
I liked it when I had the board. Settled on reactive lighting with a slow fade, and those SPH caps. Would have been a longer fade if Ducky supported it. I'd like a living heatmap really.

But yeah, no way to see legends when they're opaque! Backlighting like that is entirely for show.