Clip on Laptop Keyboard Illumination Light?

recDNA · Sep 1, 2010

As as I sit here trying to type in the dark on my non-backlit netbook keyboard I wondered if there is a clip-on-the-monitor light that would illuminate my keyboard without blinding me?

I'm looking for one sold by an American distributor and no I don't want a headlamp. Any ideas?

Brian321 · Sep 1, 2010

I have this and for $5 bucks its not bad at all. Works good for me.

Brian

ama230 · Sep 1, 2010

Photon Freedom, as it comes with a clip and is dimmable and will last a long time on the 2016's it comes with. There is the choice of covert, which has the led covered on the sides to help with blinding sidespill and there is the regular with the led exposed. For 8 bucks a battery junction you cant go wrong and it has the beat color rendition with the warm nichis gs k1's now. Its a perfect light and does not cost alot and is really small.

It will clip onto the top of your laptop screen and will not damage it as it has a pretty forgiving spring setup. ALso has a very minimal size appeal.... Not bulky like a traditional lamp....

Hope this helps,
ERic

jhc37013 · Sep 2, 2010

I use to use those light's but could never find one I really liked. They would either be to bright, to hard to get into the right position as not to hurt my eyes and also some of them are just to much spot and not enough flood.

Now days all I use is my H501 on low-low, at night when I settle in I keep the light's off the TV on and the laptop by my fingertips. I keep the light's off mainly because I fiddle around with my light's and watch movies, the H501 is like a necessary tool to me now.

I really wished I had one of those backlit laptops, my VAIO is about a year old and I don't think it was a option then.

jellydonut · Sep 2, 2010

Type more - you won't need any.:nana:

kchoy · Sep 2, 2010

What about this?

You can use it with a laptop with a little mod.

f22shift · Sep 2, 2010

thinkpad.

juplin · Sep 2, 2010

My setup -- clip shown in the photo or similar clip, AAA flashlight with floody lens or mule

Lighting effect

Paul_in_Maryland · Sep 2, 2010

f22shift said:
thinkpad.

The yellow LED on my ThinkPad's bezel is barely adequate. Check out the many LED USB lights at Amazon. I use this one; it's plenty bright, and castss a beam that covers most of the keyboard. But the emitters aren't as recessed as I'd like; I had to wrap some electrical tape around it to shade the LED from my eyes. Also, it's not designed for vertical USB ports, and you can't use USB power when it's mounted atop your bezel.

recDNA · Sep 2, 2010

kchoy said:
What about this?

You can use it with a laptop with a little mod.

I don't know what "it" is or how to mod it???

recDNA · Sep 2, 2010

juplin said:
My setup -- clip shown in the photo or similar clip, AAA flashlight with floody lens or mule

Lighting effect

A quark on moonlight might work but what's the clip and where do you get it?

I need details guys!

recDNA · Sep 2, 2010

jhc37013 said:
I use to use those light's but could never find one I really liked. They would either be to bright, to hard to get into the right position as not to hurt my eyes and also some of them are just to much spot and not enough flood.

Now days all I use is my H501 on low-low, at night when I settle in I keep the light's off the TV on and the laptop by my fingertips. I keep the light's off mainly because I fiddle around with my light's and watch movies, the H501 is like a necessary tool to me now.

I really wished I had one of those backlit laptops, my VAIO is about a year old and I don't think it was a option then.

Is that a headlight?

My laptop said "Backlit Display" and I was such I dope in my mind I thought the keyboard was backlit. Aren't all laptop displays backlit? I think mentioning it is misleading.

recDNA · Sep 2, 2010

Brian321 said:
I have this and for $5 bucks its not bad at all. Works good for me.

Brian

JUst ordered one but still open to other suggestions.

Thanks Brian and all who have made suggestions. Please keep em coming.

red02 · Sep 2, 2010

recDNA said:
JUst ordered one but still open to other suggestions.

Thanks Brian and all who have made suggestions. Please keep em coming.

Just tried the photon freedom and the clip works flawlessly. One question though, whats the point? don't you have the keys memorized?

I don't think I've ever even though of getting on these things...

ama230 · Sep 3, 2010

red02 said:
Just tried the photon freedom and the clip works flawlessly. One question though, whats the point? don't you have the keys memorized?

I don't think I've ever even though of getting on these things...

I have been typing for 15 years and still haven't got the keys down as I have a netbook and the keyboard is a rather new layout. I have them basically down but not enough to type at night, wish i could though.

Also a light with a nichia is going to work alot better with being at a lower brightness level, kudos to the color rendition of the 5mm gs.

Red, glad you tried out the photon freedom as its very under rated for what it can do and makes you realize on how much light you actually need to get majority of the small tasks done. Heck you could take an existing usb cable and chip of its end and then solder the wires to the board and make a usb powered dimmable light, the possibilities are endless with the voltage range this paticular light has.

Also if they made a clip for the photon rex it would be perfect as it has tons of flood and is very rich in features.

ElectronGuru · Sep 3, 2010

There is no substitute for a properly backlit keyboard, but I think you're looking for the Kensington FlyLight.

ama230 · Sep 3, 2010

ElectronGuru said:
There is no substitute for a properly backlit keyboard, but I think you're looking for the Kensington FlyLight.

There is no way i would spend a 1000 bucks on a apple product that can have the os put on any 200 netbook. Then again the magnetic power plug is very nice. :grin2:

I also wonder what type of led the flylight uses. The old version was a removeable rechargeable keychain light that docked on the end of the cord and could be positioned anywhere. Cool stuff...

red02 · Sep 3, 2010

ama230 said:
I have been typing for 15 years and still haven't got the keys down as I have a netbook and the keyboard is a rather new layout. I have them basically down but not enough to type at night, wish i could though.

Also a light with a nichia is going to work alot better with being at a lower brightness level, kudos to the color rendition of the 5mm gs.

Red, glad you tried out the photon freedom as its very under rated for what it can do and makes you realize on how much light you actually need to get majority of the small tasks done. Heck you could take an existing usb cable and chip of its end and then solder the wires to the board and make a usb powered dimmable light, the possibilities are endless with the voltage range this paticular light has.

Also if they made a clip for the photon rex it would be perfect as it has tons of flood and is very rich in features.

Actually tried it out with a NV Green Freedom, I like it more than the white because of the wider spot. Lights up my 17" notebook keyboard very well. Wish I could take pictures though...

ElectronGuru said:
There is no substitute for a properly backlit keyboard, but I think you're looking for the Kensington FlyLight.

Yeah, at that point I'm just going to turn on the lights.

Lynx_Arc · Sep 3, 2010

I have the guts of an old luxeon headlamp hooked to a 4AA battery holder with a variable resistor inline to light up my keyboard. I use up all my leftover AA and AAA batteries from other stuff and it runs for days off weak and almost dead batteries and the LED floods the keyboard from 4 inches away instead of 5mm LEDs having to be pointed at a foot away.

jhc37013 · Sep 3, 2010

recDNA said:
Is that a headlight?

My laptop said "Backlit Display" and I was such I dope in my mind I thought the keyboard was backlit. Aren't all laptop displays backlit? I think mentioning it is misleading.

that totally sounds like something I would do.

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