Another G15 mod

[Spawn-Inc]

i have no clue what made me do it but i decided to rip apart my G15 and paint the silver part flat black.


here is it half disassembled, or half assembled for you optimists.
http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/24049/2757155080100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

anyone loose some keys!?!?
http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/26825/2073735050100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

i covered up the key spots with tape by taking some heat shrink and putting it over the empty key spot and heating it to form the same shape. then i made little tape squares and pressed the heat shrink over the tape. it worked out pretty good accept i melted 3 of the spots a bit. i carved out the plastic and it fixed it good, the key can pop out easier than the others but still takes a bit of force.
http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/24563/2759754450100511463S600x600Q85.jpg
^first full coat. i had problems with starting to paint this thing. i started by just cleaning it and doing a light sanding with 1500grit sand paper. it was like a water and oil situation, the paint just gathered in areas and didn't apply good at all. i figured it was because i was using engine enamel so i went out to Canadian tire and picked up some of this.
http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/26566/2508749670100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

i then sanded the messed up paint and the original silver paint off and did a light coat and got this. you can see how the paint gathered on the bottom lip.
http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/27890/2814602730100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

here is the final product, its not the best paint job but its overall good. i ended up wet sanding it and leaving it like that since it looked better than the so called satin flat black finished it claimed.
http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/24396/2489876710100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

here is a close up of the paint.
http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/26568/2312576600100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

my current lcd monitor setup i made with lcdStudio.
http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/27420/2842228940100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

and a HL2 Episode 1 layout for the apps i programed into the keys so i wouldn't have to remember:)
http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/26430/2891498070100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

hope ya like it, i do!

here (http://www.g15forums.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=41) is the place i used to take apart the keyboard safety should anyone else venture to do the same.

[BigJohnson]

I'm too much of a wuss to take another keyboard apart. Bad experiences lead to lack of 'marbles' so to speak. Nice job.

[Spawn-Inc]

thx.
i would have done this sooner had i not broke my last keyboard (for my gamecube, from action replay) by just taking it apart then putting it back together. i have no clue how it broke and i left it the way it is. i might try to fix it sometime but probably not.

[Greco101]

Nice job! I've been planning to do this but can't seem to get myself to fork out the 50 bucks or so for supplies. You gave me an idea with the HL skin

[Spawn-Inc]

oh right, i meant to leave a link for the layout, here is a giant list of them.

http://www.g15forums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1195&highlight=g+key+layout


$50 for supplies? it was only $7 for spray paint, granted i didn't have to buy sand paper but even then it wouldn't cost that much. how would you paint/mod it greco?

[Greco101]

I figured around 5 bucks for 1000grit, another 5 bucks for wetsand paper, 7 bucks for plastic primer, 7 bucks for matte black plastic spraypaint (maybe skip this and just use black primer?) and then 7+ for matte clear coat and 5-10 more for a small roll of painters tape.

EDIT:: Almost forgot a new sanding block (about 4 bucks). I used a sanding sponge block last time and it was pretty done-for after one use

And dude... thanks for the link!!! I was looking for them but gave up because I couldn't think of wth to call them. I owe you a rep once I spread it around.

Edit again::

I may also put as thin of lamination as possible on the layout, then clear coat it in. (I'm not sure how well it would work though).

[Spawn-Inc]

ahh, i only went with the one coat, i have no patients for all that even though it would undoubtedly give a better look. i want fast and cheap.


i have my layout just taped on using some double sided tape. if i was going to keep things they way they are, which for now they will, then i would do what your talking about. maybe print it on some tissue paper if possible? then clear coat over it.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Mate those templates are awesome, I am so going to print one off for my G15. Did you stick yours down? if so, with what (sorry if this was already covered).

EDIT: double sided tape :) gotcha lol.
Also how did you add the text to the labels? did you just use text boxes (once again if this was covered earlier my apologies).

[Spawn-Inc]

i just downloaded/copied the picture to paint and just put test over the black spots. i used size 28 if that helps.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks mate, I also saved the blank one so I can try my own designs, just need photoshop now ;).

[Scotty]

OK so looking at the LCD it's at 1/4 but it says 2GB used? Thats what 8GB of RAM?
Or am i mis... I am defiantly missing something right?

Nice paint job, better then anything i would do.

[Spawn-Inc]

i have 4gigs (in my sig) and the gauge tells me whats in use, percentage of 0 - 100% obviously. the number below is how much is free. my computer for some reason only see's 2.75gb's but ohwell.

thx, i really shouldn't be painting anything as i don't have the patents for all the waiting and priming etc. this was a small enough area that it wasn't that bad.

[cured]

I just took apart my mouse and keyboard and thought about painting them.. nice work. how long did you sit it to dry?

[Spawn-Inc]

the first coat (after sanding it with 500 grit since the paint didn't want to adhere properly) i let sit maybe 20 minutes and then i sanded it dry and it messed it up a bit so i started to wet sand it and that made it work better. i re applied the first coat then let it sit 30 minutes. i wet sanded, then another coat sit for 30, then wet sand, then another coat that i let sit for 50 minutes. so here is all that neater;

first coat
20 minutes
sanded with wet and dry 500 grit

reapplied first coat
20 minutes
wet sand with wet and dry 500 grit

second coat
20 minutes
wet sand with wet and dry 500 grit

third coat
30 minutes
wet sand with wet and dry 500 grit

forth coat
30 minutes
wet sand with wet and dry 500 grit

fifth coat
50 minutes
wet sand with wet and dry 500 grit

i wanted a flat/jet black look and could only find satin flat black paint and thought it would be fine. after i sanded it on the 2nd or third time i liked the look of it and decided that would be the final way i would leave it. i did it carefully and took more time on the lsat wet sand. it came out pretty nice. there are a few imperfections here or there but thats what you get with rushing it.

[D1337]

i have 4gigs (in my sig) and the gauge tells me whats in use, percentage of 0 - 100% obviously. the number below is how much is free. my computer for some reason only see's 2.75gb's but ohwell.

thx, i really shouldn't be painting anything as i don't have the patents for all the waiting and priming etc. this was a small enough area that it wasn't that bad.

your on 32 bit, you need 64 to make use of all ur ram over 2 gigs

[Spawn-Inc]

your on 32 bit, you need 64 to make use of all ur ram over 2 gigs

i know that but everyone says you normally see around 3.2gb's, 2.7 seems a bit low. but like i siad i don't care.

[Scotty]

i have 4gigs (in my sig) and the gauge tells me whats in use, percentage of 0 - 100% obviously. the number below is how much is free. my computer for some reason only see's 2.75gb's but ohwell.

thx, i really shouldn't be painting anything as i don't have the patents for all the waiting and priming etc. this was a small enough area that it wasn't that bad.

Ah, well that makes you lame, i thought you had 8GB, pfft Spawn ftl.

[The boy 4rm oz]

VRAM gets deducted from your system RAM making it seem that you have less.

[Spawn-Inc]

i know, i only have 256.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Oh, probably just a windows glitch.