Too much retr0bright?

hellothere · 29 Nov 2020, 18:42

Apple Extended Keyboard II w/cream damped Alps switches (wiki page).

Random photo I found online:

Spoiler:

Photo of my keyboard with desk lamp on (soft yellow):

Spoiler:

Photo of my keyboard with desk lamp off:

Spoiler:

cakeanalytics · 30 Nov 2020, 20:05

I'd say this is the perfect amount, and no streaking either.

ddrfraser1 · 30 Nov 2020, 22:26

Looks good. I personally like a tad of yellow in my AEKs

Riverman · 30 Nov 2020, 23:42

That looks good to me, too. I used to work in the service department at an Apple retailer back in the '90s, and originally, there were no yellow or beige tones in the plastic. It should be a pure light grey. I bought quite a few service parts to make some of my old equipment look like new. Too bad I didn't think to buy any keyboard parts, although they may not have sold the housings separately, even back then when Apple actually sold parts and intended for everything to be fixed.

shallot · 01 Dec 2020, 16:30

What's going on with that Apple logo?

ddrfraser1 · 01 Dec 2020, 16:45

good point. Looks like a sticker

hellothere · 02 Dec 2020, 22:33

I was wondering if someone was going to mention the sticker

.

The logo was eaten away by the retr0bright. I ordered a few replacements off etsy. They're foam "3D" stickers and are just slightly larger than the original. I think they were about $5 for 5. When I do another case, I'll use some waterproof tape. Hey, the Apple logo without the colors is bright silver.

I read somewhere that there were white on white AEKs. In this case, the keys are a bit more grey than the ... case ... which is a little lighter than ivory white. I think the ABS spacebar color matches the PBT keycaps, so that's good, but I didn't trust my memory enough to tell if the retr0brighted case looked close to original or not.

The keyboard was half almost brown and half mostly yellow. I had initially done my one day of retr0, but the top case came out splotchy, even though it was case submerged in retr0. After another day, still the same. I decided to leave it top down in the retr0 for a few more days, and I checked every day. This was the final, no splotchy, result.

Coeus · 03 Dec 2020, 21:16

hellothere wrote: ↑
02 Dec 2020, 22:33
...I think the ABS spacebar color matches the PBT keycaps, so that's good, but I didn't trust my memory enough to tell if the retr0brighted case looked close to original or not....

If the PBT keycaps are all the others than the spacebar then I am not sure I agree. The spacebar looks a purer white and the other keys look more grey.

hellothere · 03 Dec 2020, 23:08

Coeus wrote: ↑
03 Dec 2020, 21:16

hellothere wrote: ↑
02 Dec 2020, 22:33
...I think the ABS spacebar color matches the PBT keycaps, so that's good, but I didn't trust my memory enough to tell if the retr0brighted case looked close to original or not....
If the PBT keycaps are all the others than the spacebar then I am not sure I agree. The spacebar looks a purer white and the other keys look more grey.

Mmmmm. I'll provisionally agree with you on the spacebar, now that I'm looking closer at the picture.

I think it might be the light. Pictures were taken with an iPhone 7 on my "workbench." I've since moved it to my desk and the keys all look like they're the same color.

I think the keys tend to be a bit closer to grey than white or not-as-white-as-the case, so I agree with that. I don't think I can do anything to make the keys whiter, though.

mcmaxmcmc · 04 Dec 2020, 03:38

The keyboard case should've been the same color as the keycaps, I believe.

stormcrash · 04 Dec 2020, 23:17

Based on picture 3 you might have overdone it just a tad. Going by the key caps other than the spacebar since they're PBT. The case should be the same color as the keys, but the case and ABS spacebar look a bit lighter/creamier than the platinum of the PBT caps. Interesting that the reference photo you found has a much whiter appearance across the board including the caps, but it could just be different light/exposure settings

Coeus · 04 Dec 2020, 23:27

In the case of the stock photo you don't know the colour of the light illuminating it, how the camera was handling white balance or whether someone has fiddled with the colours in photo-shop afterwards.

The colour of the light does make a big difference too - in any whitish light there will be a spectrum of colours but not necessarily an even spectrum. Two items may be different in their absorption of a specific wavelength of light. If you use white-looking light that includes that wavelength the difference will be visible, if it doesn't include that wavelength they will appear the same colour.