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spiritwalker2222
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Steelseries Apex 100

Tue Jan 24, 2017 8:39 pm

I just bough the Steelseries Apex 100 and will be promptly returning it. There is no way to turn off the backlight. And the backlight is not only overly bright, but it also flickers once every second or two.

All I want is a reasonable quality keyboard, that doesn't scream I'm 10 years old. Thought I finally found one. Why doesn't anybody make one. There seem to be some cordless keyboards similar to what I want, but I want corded.

I'm half tempted to pull the keyboard apart and remove the diodes.
Desktop: Skylake 6600K, GTX 660, Samsung 950 Pro, GA-Z170M-D3H
Garage mini PC: Kabylake 7100, X25-M g2, ASUS B250I, Antec ISK 110
 
ludi
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Re: Steelseries Apex 100

Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:16 pm

If the backlight is flickering, then it sounds like the unit is either defective, or you have evidence of an impending failure on your USB port.
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spiritwalker2222
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Location: Ottawa, Canada

Re: Steelseries Apex 100

Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:42 pm

They way it flickered, my guess is that it's a design flaw, not manufacturing defect.
I'm thinking the Corsair Gaming K70 LUX Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. With cherry brown keys. More than I want to pay, but it's either that or a $15 keyboard. Now to find a store that has one in stock to try out.

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_273_274&item_id=097985
Desktop: Skylake 6600K, GTX 660, Samsung 950 Pro, GA-Z170M-D3H
Garage mini PC: Kabylake 7100, X25-M g2, ASUS B250I, Antec ISK 110
 
aminsabet
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Re: Steelseries Apex 100

Sat Jun 23, 2018 7:21 am

I registered to answer this question since this was the tope search result I found when searching for a solution. I found the answer in a review on another site.

You can turn down or turn off the backlighting on this keyboard by holding down the function key and tapping F5. You can increase or reenable with function and F6. Of note, the function key is maked with some kind of blob logo rather than "Fn". Hope that helps the next person looking for a solution.

Also, mine doesn't flicker when I look directly at it, but it flickers a lot in my peripheral vision when I am looking at the screen. Thank goodness it can be disabled!
 
defaultluser
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Re: Steelseries Apex 100

Sat Jun 23, 2018 4:46 pm

Right, it's not defective, it's just that most LED 's brightness are controlled via Pulsewidth Modulation (PWM).

This can cause visible flicker to those who are sensitive to it, most clearly in your peripheral vision. It also tends to happen on cheaper devices that refresh at very low rates - something that comes with the territory in this RGB invasion.
 
just brew it!
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Re: Steelseries Apex 100

Tue Jun 26, 2018 5:49 am

Even bottom-of-the-barrel 50 cent microcontrollers have built-in PWM circuits which are capable at running at a high enough frequency to make flicker unnoticeable. Whoever designed that keyboard and/or wrote the firmware for the PWM controller must've really screwed up for the flicker to be that bad.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
OptimumSlinky
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Re: Steelseries Apex 100

Tue Jun 26, 2018 7:16 am

I picked up a Logitech G710+ off Amazon a few years back and have been pleased. White LEDs (no silly GAMERZ-RGB nonsense), Cherry Brown switches, and the LEDs can be adjusted or disabled at the push of a button.
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arson_bigfun1213
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Re: Steelseries Apex 100

Tue Dec 28, 2021 9:36 pm

some of my keys dont work, i need help pls

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