USB controlled mini lava lamps

Step 2 Keyboard evisceration

Take your keyboard apart as nondestructively as possible. The keyboard I had lying around was a Dynex multimedia USB keyboard, model number DX-MKB101. As you disassemble, be careful not to break the thin wires that are often used. You should see something like the second picture after opening the keyboard. You want to salvage the body of the circuit and the board with the LEDs (often on the same circuit board) and lose the bulky keyboard. Hopefully you can detach the thin plastic film that acts as the key switches for the keyboard, or in some other way cut off the keyboard switches without damaging the main circuit. I had to cut through some plastic to liberate the board, but after finishing you should be able to plug the keyboard in, have it recognized, and toggle the bare LEDs with another, functional keyboard's lock keys pluged into the same computer. You can have multiple keyboards, USB and not, plugged in simultaneously with most modern operating systems and they will trigger each other's caps lock and other lock keys. At this point I should say that it is possible to damage or destroy your computer by plugging bare circuits into it. Use caution and proceed carefully. If you are worried test with a cheap USB hub. On the other hand, I tried all sorts of things while troubleshooting this circuit, including rewiring live circuits, and my laptop remains unfried.