Keyboard backlight vs the diffuser film

[grrr]

Removing the diffuser layer significantly improved the keyboard backlight visible brightness. That’s all.

It’s still uneven as hell, but at least I can see all the keys.

I also tried coating the keyboard PCB with reflective paint and covering the tops of the backlight LEDs. It improved light distribution just a little (not shown in the photo). But removing the diffuser film gave me the best result-to-effort ratio.

The “diffuser” film:

It should be a thick light-guide film, not a 0.1 mm diffuser. The LEDs should be oriented to emit light into the light conductor, and the PCB should be reflective rather than black matte.

[rcs]

Great tip – thank you kindly!

[Joel]

Worked well for me too, and it feels easier to type? I was never sure if I was supposed to leave that film in or not, or what its purpose was..

[white-round-square]

@Joel

and it feels easier to type?

I’d say it mushy-ier and I like it better.

@grrr thank you!

[DigitalDreams]

Yes it’s a little brighter but much more uneven. It seems the only answer is diffuser and driving the leds harder OR adding more leds inbetween the existing. For example here’s Uconsole next to PicoCalc, both at max…