Re: hardened keyboard stickers?

On 10/16/21 4:26 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
> bad sector <forgetski@postit_INVALID_.gov> wrote:
> 
>> I looked at the replacement caps and while I could maybe do that
>> without breaking them they're the same (zero) quality painted
>> material as the originals.
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=asus+g73+parts&_sop=15
> 
> Looks like sellers want too much for just parts, or laptops that are
> broken and they're selling for parts.
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=asus+g73+parts&_sop=15
> 
> Those are cheaper just to get the keyboard alone.
> 
> As for the flimsy ribbon cable, the ones I see at the eBay search
> already have the ribbon cable attached.  The mobo end should just be a
> header into which you slide the ribbon cable.  That should be a
> many-time reusable header connector.
> 
> https://youtu.be/Tp90M_N6dzs?t=196
> 
> From that video (and ignoring the rest of the video about a total
> dismantle of the laptop), the keyboard is pretty easy to remove.  No
> disassembly is required (the keyboard part of the video ends at the 4:29
> time mark).  Just snap it out.
> 
> It's the double-sided tape that probably gets most wear with repeated
> disassembly.  It looks to be thin, so it's not double-side foam tape.  I
> would remove the tape, and apply new tape during reassembly, and see if
> it could be positioned only at the bottom of the keyboard to give a bit
> more leverage of peeling the keyboard from the tape.
> 
> Key caps are even easier to replace, and cheaper than doing the entire
> keyboard.  So what if they're just as crappy as the originals?  You're
> replacing them maybe every 3-5 years unless you're being physically
> abusive.  Tires wear out, too, but not at extremely short intervals
> unless you're getting super soft compound and scrubbing them off with
> high-speed turns or takeoffs.
> 
> I thought replacing key caps on laptops would be more difficult than for
> desktop keyboards.  Nope.  I've replaced key caps several times on
> several keyboards.  One time was all key caps to put a cushion
> underneath to help silence a clackity keyboard.  The hardest ones are
> those with a bail to distribute keypress across the key (Enter, Back,
> Enter), because you have to get the bail positioned correctly on
> reassembly.  They key cap kits even give you a puller, so you're not
> trying to wedge them off with a flat screwdriver.  I didn't see a puller
> for the laptop key cap kits, but I didn't hunt around to look.
> 
>> Not liking black I replaced my keyboard with a white one, 1mm
>> thick white plastic caps with barely a tenth of a mm dark bottom
>> layer revealed through the engraved letter would be my idea of a 
>> wear-resistant solution. The cover can get thicker bumpers to protect 
>> the monitor.
> 
> I know there are laser-etched key cap replacements for desktop
> keyboards. Desktop keyboards have caps that are taller than laptop key
> caps.  However, laser etching requires a thicker plastic which would
> probably lead to a fitment problem for key caps replacements in laptops.
> Laser etching (to expose a differently color substrate, or allow for
> injecting a different colored plastic into the impress) requires more
> thickness.  Laptops can be pretty tight regarding dimensions.  They're
> not like carrying around a 25-lb Osborne 1.
> 
> I didn't hunt around for laser-etched laptop key cap replacements.  They
> may be around.  However, total replacement is going to get pricey for
> all keys.  Likely you only have a couple keys that get highly used to
> scrub off their printed character(s).  So, replace just those keys even
> if no better than what was there before.  Several years is better than
> hunt-and-peck typing style that has you constantly looking at the
> keyboard wondering what that key did.
> 
> I have solar path lights.  They have plastic lenses/covers instead of
> glass.  After a couple years, the lens gets cloudy.  So, I polish the
> lens with 000 steel wool, and coat with a clear outdoor acrylic spray
> paint.  I could replace them, or I could maintain them.  You don't want
> to replace the entire keyboard.  Replace just the caps.  How long did it
> take you to wear through the old key caps?
> 
>> Never having learned to touch-type I'm at best a two finger 
>> keyboard pounder, it's mostly the corners of my nails that
>> chisel the paint off. 
> 
> Hint: Dump having long nails for some style thing.  Use these:
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=nail%20clippers
> (wink wink)
> 
> When my nails get too long, my keypresses are more sloppy.  That's
> because nails slide more easily on a key cap than fingertip flesh.  I
> also play the piano, and cannot stand long nails.  Interferes with the
> "feel" of my fingers on the keys.  Nails don't feel.  Flesh does.
> 
>> Clear covers might be a good idea too. I could rewrite the letters
>> with marker and fix these with drops of caulking for easy removal.
> 
> The key cap covers will have their own non-permanent adhesive, so you
> can replace them when they get ragged.  Instead of using marked key cap
> covers, and you go with clear covers, you could rewrite the character(s)
> atop the keycap, and then use clear nail polish to provide some wear
> protection.  Then use the clear covers (not keyboard covers, but key cap
> stickers as covers).
> 
> You could use an opaque key cap sticker (what's underneath doesn't show
> through) instead of you trying to repaint the character on the key cap.
> You will not be able to hand print a character atop the key cap as neat
> as those for those on key cap stickers.  You'll keep noticing the sloppy
> handiwork. Then apply a clear key cap cover over the sticker to take the
> wear instead of the underlying key cap label.  Of course, why bother
> repeatedly replacing a clear key cap sticker atop the lettered key cap
> sticker instead of just replace the lettered key cap sticker.  The
> lettered key cap stickers run about $5 for a complete QWERTY set.  Seems
> pretty cheap to maintain the keys every few years to make the key caps
> legible.  Plus fitment could be a problem with the key cap top getting
> too thick where it contacts the screen when folded down when using both
> a lettered key cap sticker and a clear key cap sticker.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH_Z7WzVicI

I just ordered some 0.020" polycarbonate, easy enough to cut
and stick on the the caps mostly wearing out (M, N, O, ) and 
after that the others as well. A tiny drop of liquid rubber or similar 
and ready to repeat on need. My prob with the ribbon is actually the 
tiny mobo connector and its lock-bar, shot to hell.