How to Build an Uber-Gamer Keyboard Video

By: Guest More than a year ago

I forgot... I would also remove all the adhesives before applying paint (in the back). Also I forgot.. thanks for the video, even if we can find some other ideas, it's good to see yours and it looks well produced. regards.

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By: Guest More than a year ago

juasss without letters in the keys??? and without a transparent protection layer over the color paint?? it will not last much as color paint tend to disappear fast with wear. My idea is to put a round piece of paper covering each letter prior to painting, so after painting when the round adhesive is removed, a rounded light brown circle with a black letter will be in place. After that, apply 2 layers of transparent heavy wear paint. the same for the pc casing, it looks like it needs more light. good luck.

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By: Guest More than a year ago

nice hack my only problem is that i don't like how there arn't any letters / #'s on the key nice paint job

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Build Your Own Uber-Gamer Keyboard with This Model M Mod

The Keyboard: The Model M keyboard is a class of computer keyboards manufactured by IBM, Lexmark, Unicomp, and Chicony beginning in 1984. The many different variations of the keyboard have their own distinct characteristics, with the vast majority having a buckling spring key design and many having fully swappable keycaps. The Model M has been prized by computer enthusiasts, geeks and heavy typists because of the tactile and auditory feedback resulting from a keystroke. The Model M is also regarded as an extremely durable piece of hardware. Many units manufactured since the mid 1980s are still found in use today, while the computers and monitors of those days are obsolete by now. Taking apart your keyboard: Take out the hex screws on the back, and the casing will come off with little to no effort. There may be a single flat head screw connecting the spill tray to the controller hardware. Using pliers to hold the bottom nut in place, remove the screw. The spill tray will then slide out easily. You will need to take off all the key caps as we will be painting them as well. Place the keycaps in soapy warm water to get any dirt off.

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Hey, Hacklings. Welcome back to another modern segment. This time around, I am going to give the case a break. I want to catch my keyboard up.

Now, what I got here is an IBM M-series keyboard made in 1987. These were great keyboards at the time and they still are actually. They have got a great tactile response, I mean these keys are really springy and the cord for it is eight miles long and detachable, plus stretchy. Anyway, I am going to give it the same treatment that I gave the case. It is going to be all black with some red accents, a pinch of stripes, and the logo.

Starting off, I have gone ahead and pop most of the keys off, out of. And most of those are just caps anyway so, it is no big deal. And I have sand them down, rub them off with alcohol, got them prep and ready for painting. And I have also taken the keyboard apart so that is going to get painted. Just set this aside, make sure you take good care off and we are going to clean up the back as well.

Now, here is a thing. Why we are going to do it? It is going to save you about $60.00 because we are going to make around dust keyboards in the same stroke. No characters on it or whatsoever. So this way, you know, it is fairly inexpensive and this keyboard will be for the true lead hacker. Let us get started.

All right and we are back in the backyard again, getting ready to do some more paints. I have already got everything gathered up that I need so, let us get right down to it. First things first is I need to paint the main body itself, I am going to paint this black and I have taped off everything that I wished to save so let us get do it.

All right, so while the top half of the body dries. I am going to go ahead and do the bottom half and if you look here, I have even tape it off the birth certificate for this thing, the date of manufacture so, it will its off its authenticity. Let us get back to paint.

All right, so now that I have got the whole body painted black. I am going to start painting the keys. All my great keys are going to be black and all my alpha numeric they are going to be red, and I am going to change that up a little bit later on. So, let us go ahead, mask up, and start painting this up.

All right, everything is all painted out. The keys are drying right now. I am going to go ahead and logo this thing up and pen stripe it. Now, I got this cool little paint pens to do this way. It is really good for small detail work that I am about to do and inexpensive. So, start of with red on the pen stripe and just be real easy with it, probably take you a couple of times to get the effect that you want.

All right while my paint stripe dries, I am going to go ahead to do my stand of work now and the same thing, I have got more paint pens and it is just going to be the same principle as it was before. So, paint it in.

All right everything is just about to be finished up I have just got to do my last little bit of red on the logo itself, and then we could just go ahead and just lay thing all back together and show you the finished product.

Hey! We are back here at the Lab. We have got everything put back together. It is working the way it is supposed to and if you look here, we have set aside W, A, S, D right here painted in black. That is for your games out there so, you can find your movement controls very easily and also it is a shout out to your friends at WASD.TV, who unfortunately had to suffer through Katrina. So, our thoughts and prayers go out to them.

And then right here, we even have the Hak.5 logo custom painted on there as well to match the case. So, all in all you have a custom painted keyboard superbly matches your own personal color scheme on your case. And if you have questions about this series on keyboard from IBM, check out the show notes at hak5.org.

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