Bytecc Zippy EL Keyboard

Author
Aron Schatz
Posted
April 6, 2003
Views
40115
What do you get when you put together lights and a slim keyboard? Something really screwed up and sloppy. Thankfully, Bytecc has their EL lighted keyboards that take the guess work out of keyboard light mods!

Page 1: Intro, Box, Keyboard

<B>Intro</B>:

I have seen many keyboard mods when I have been websurfing, but the only ones that really sparked my interest is the lighted ones. There are many different ways to do this, but the most common I have seen is to use EL wire. <A HREF="http://www.byteccusa.com">Bytecc</A> changes all that. You just plug it in and you're all set! It is small and compact as well and looks amazing.

<B>Box</B>:

<center>Box Top Box Bottom</center>

Yeah, I included the front and back shots of the box. Boxes that are clear are always the best, they allow you to see exactly what you're getting. I remember one time I picked up something that came with two things inside, thanks to a clear package Wink. Anyway, moving on.

<B>Keyboard</B>:

<center>Keyboard Top Keyboard Bottom</center>

Like I say, it is what's on the inside that counts, and here it is no different. There is only one single part, the keyboard. No instructions or anything. I mean, it isn't hard to just plug it into the USB port and go, but you do have that one person that won't have a clue what to do.

Like I stated earlier, the keyboard is USB, and has a 1.5 meter cable (that's around 5 feet). The cable color matches the nice silver color of the keyboard. Since I hate USB for keyboards and mice, I tried a USB to PS/2 adapter (which unfortunately wasn't included), and it worked fine.

The keyboard itself has translucent, nearly opaque, white keys with black text for the lettering. The keys themselves are very responsive, and do not make a loud clicking noise usually associated with larger keyboards. The space bar does make a louder noise, as most keyboards do. The enter (return) key is nice and large, a feature which is overlooked on my other keyboards (doh!). The button placement on the keyboard takes a bit of time getting used to, but once you do, it is alright. I had to hunt for the delete key, it is after the F12 key.

<center>Top LEDs Top Buttons</center>

On top of the keyboard are three buttons and three status LEDs. The buttons are on the right side of the Zippy logo and are (left to right): Lights On/Off, Sleep, Power. The LEDs are pretty normal, the Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock. The LEDs are all green.

<B>Size</B>:

<center>Soda Size Elite Comparison Gyration Comparison</center>

Here we have some comparisons for you to look at. As you can see, this keyboard even dwarfs the gyration cordless keyboard. That it pretty darn small. The keyboard measures a scant 11 inches across. This thing is perfect in the kitchen, or on the go (Think about giving presentations with it). You can see the largeness of the <a href="/articles.php?id=59">Logitech Elite Keyboard</a> as compared to this. Yeah, I downed that soda right after taking that shot.

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