this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2025
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CES 2025 | Lenovo's self-charging keyboard has solar cells and a supercapacitor to keep it working all-day long (www.notebookcheck.net)
submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Logitech has/had a solar keyboard a while back that just ran on just a CR2032 (whatever the rechargeable kind is) and even without extra light it would last a long time on battery. Without a backlight keyboards basically don't use any power so a 2032 was plenty for it.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-K750-Wireless-Solar-Keyboard/dp/B005L38VRU

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I've had one of these for a many years, and I really like it, although finding a replacement for the single ML2032 battery was quite a headache the first time it died.

It turns out that a popular mod for these was to disconnect the panels and replace the ML2032 for a regular old non-rechargeable CR2032. The keyboard uses so little power that it lasts several months with a single battery.

It does make you wonder what was the point of the solar panels in the first place. If you replaced them with single use batteries they'd actually last longer than the entire lifespan of the rechargeable battery ๐Ÿ˜‚

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Mine is about 15 years old, and it came with a dead battery. I just have to buy a new rechargeable one, and it's still working with that, so I have a 15 years old battery inside. I bought a 2-pack back than, the other one is still somewhere here in a box unopened. So it's not "several months" I'm close to "several decades" at this point.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I have this keyboard and I love it. About 15 years old, but it doesn't want to die, and I won't buy a new keyboard just because it's old. I don't like common mechanical keyboards, I specifically chose this because of the very short key travel.

The problem with the K750 is it's not repairable at all, the top and bottom plastic is glued together, so if something dies inside it's over. It's not easy to clean. One of the legs broke off years ago, and a replacement is expensive, so I use 3d printed legs but they usually wear off in a couple of month. STL file is here, not my work: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1619695

I wouldn't buy this exact model again, but solar keyboards are very convenient, you never have to care about charging, I use my computer on a desk and on a couch, I just take the the same peripherals to the other place.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Don't make Jeff any richer, please.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

It's a garbage keyboard so don't buy it for multiple reasons.