ThinkLight Brightness

[GetAMac]

Hi,

I just got a T43 (2687-DVU) and I love it! What an amazing, well-built computer! (Now the operating system is a different story...).

I have a question about the ThinkLight though. I tried it out in the dark and it doesn't seem to illuminate my keyboard any more than the light coming from the LCD does (which is not very much). Now this isn't a huge problem, I touchtype in the dark anyway. But I heard great things about the ThinkLight and I was wondering if this is normal.

Thanks for the advice!

[redsi]

i think this is normal since my T40 light doesn't do any better than whay you described. I rarely use it. Turning on your light is a better choice.

[JHEM]

The Thinklight works best, e.g. is most noticeable, when the display illumination is turned way down.

I use the Thinklight frequently on aircraft, hotel balconies at night, backyard deck, lakeside, etc., etc. and I normally have the display set to the lowest or second lowest illumination setting.

Regards,

James

[GetAMac]

Ok, yeah I guess it's not realistic to expect that there would be a high-powered spotlight shining down on my computer. Thanks for the comments.

[kaplanfx]

Yup, people seem to think the thinklight is useless but they are usually on AC power. If you are traveling on batt and trying to conserve with the LCD durned down, it can be very difficult to read your keyboard in the dark. I find in those situations the thinklight provides just enough light so I can read the keyboard in the dark which is great for pressinging function keys or orienting your hands, but doesn't over do it.

-kaplanfx

[c333]

It is also incredibly usefull if you are tying to read anything. Trying to read by the light of the LCD is difficult, putting a document on the keyboard and turning in the thinklight at least makes it bearable.

[jdhurst]

I find the ThinkLight on my T41 is just fine. If it gets dark in a room (because I have not bothered to turn on the light), then I just use the ThinkLight. Even on AC power and full monitor brightness, it still illuminates the keyboard so I can type with ease. ... JD Hurst

[JonathanW]

I thought the TL on my T21 was good but it's even better on my X31!! I have to say when I read your post my first thought was 'there must be something wrong' - the most obvious addition to a notebook and it works perfectly so I was surprised that its benefits weren't obvious.....

Jonathan

[Greg Gebhardt]

I have to agree with the other poster and if you turn your LCD brightness down, cause you are in the dark the Thinklight is more than bright enough.

I seldom use mine as even when I turn down the LCD it is still bright enough to see what I need on the keyboard

[systemBuilder]

I think that the thinklight works best when the screen is up at a 90 degrees angle. If you like to have your screen at 135 degrees, you will not get much lighting from the thinklight.

I often like to use the thinkpad in total darkness. I use the thinklight to get my hands centered on the keyboard and then turn it off and go (i'm a touch typist.) This suits me fine.

[emorphien]

I agree it's not that bright on my T43p. It's still a neat feature and I find it can come in handy reading notes or whatever on paper, but I don't really need it to find my keyboard, and the screen puts out enough light for that.

It's a cool feature, a pretty smart idea but really not that helpful in the end for its intended purpose of lighting up the keyboard. Better as a note reading light.

[JHEM]

It's a cool feature, a pretty smart idea but really not that helpful in the end for its intended purpose of lighting up the keyboard. Better as a note reading light.

I really can't agree with that characterization.

I find the Thinklight very useful, especially when I'm fumbling about for specific Function keys. I guess this is because I normally have the display open at approx. 135 degrees and the keyboard isn't well illuminated by the display.

Regards,

James