Have you ever wondered what your computer keyboard looks like inside? I have. Today I decided to open it up and check it out.
It all started when I saw Apple’s new Aluminum Ultra-Thin keyboard. Oh, it’s a beautiful looking thing. I like flat keyboards. Because I sit at a computer all day, I’m quite fussy about my keyboard (and mouse). The Apple is a little beyond my price range ($80 at BestBuy, $50 from Apple) and I’m not sure how it would function with a PC, so I am waiting for a Windows thin keyboard. I’d read that you can take your own keyboard apart and make your own flat one. I don’t necessarily want a flat shell, I want flat keys– that’s why I like the Apple so much– the keys are shaped like Scrabble tiles, only thinner. It’s very nice to use.
Well, all this dwelling on keyboards brought out the screwdriver and camera. We took apart a very old HP keyboard that went to our Windows ME we got almost ten years ago now. My, how time flies!
Inside the plastic shell are three layers of plastic. Two of the layers are very thin sheets. The top protective layer rests on top of the key matrix, which has small gold dots and lines. The electronc pulses course through the lines and dots. They are activated when you press down the keys.
Behind all this is a thicker layer of rubbery plastic with small plastic pads. The pads are directly correlated to the keys above and the gold dots on the key matrix. This kind of HP keyboard is a rubber dome switch kind. It resembles bubble wrap, in a way, but the plastic is more rubbery and the little domes are firmer. When you press on a key while typing, a small mechanism pushes these little rubber domes down. It works as a plunger to touch the point on the key matrix layer. Your computer registers it all as letters, numbers, and symbols. Pretty amazing, huh?
Some geeks have used only the key matrix as their keyboard. They keep the circuitry intact (I dismantled mine, so that I could see it all in pieces). Then they plug in their flat keyboard and press the gold dots with their fingertips.
I can’t see how a homemade flat keyboard would be very comfortable. I don’t mind the shell, it’s the shape and size of the actual keys that matter to me. But after this, my curiosity was sated! Cool, huh?
15. November 2008 at 5:18 pm
Wow… did you ruin your keyboard?? Looks like a mess to me!!!
15. November 2008 at 10:48 pm
But wait!
Where’s all the accumulated fluff, bits of food, lint and other crap that inevitably finds it way underneath the keys LOL
15. November 2008 at 11:55 pm
Very interesting! Were you procrastinating cleaning the bathroom or something? Just kidding. LOL
16. November 2008 at 1:23 am
I had to take my keyboard apart about a year ago. It’s an apple keyboard and I spilled water into it. Since I knew I couldn’t do much more damage than I already had…I decided to try and fix it. Got it all apart, dried all of the layers (I was really surprised when I saw how it all worked). Put it all back together and it’s still working!
16. November 2008 at 4:15 am
You know thanks for doing this. My son has asked me if he can take apart the box, keyboard or some hand held game of his. LOL…. I will show him your post and I will go ahead and let him do it. Your post sparked my curiosity
16. November 2008 at 9:59 am
Yeah, for a 10 year old keyboard, it’s pretty clean. I have never spilled drink on a keyboard, thank God. Came pretty close, though!
They are quite durable, too, aren’t they?
Karen– very funny! hahah! Well, I DID have a few opps and a couple of dishes to do.
:$ lol
Laura, maybe your son will the one to fix all your stuff! I’m hoping for a carpenter/plumber and a car mechanic out of my bunch.
16. November 2008 at 11:50 pm
Hi, I’ve given you The Rock Star Award on my blog, http://coconutpalmdesigns.blogspot.com
Cheers,
Joanne
(Sorry for the double post. I forgot the end of the blog address in the first one.)