How many watts does a keyboard use? A minimum of 1W and a maximum of 2.5W.
Any IT manager would want a device that consumes the lowest amount of electricity. The keyboard is a vital computer component that many people overlook as far as power consumption is concerned.
However, there are a few people that would want to know this. Unfortunately, most manufacturers do not publish this data. Although such kind of information is vital, different products come with a different configuration.
That means the power usage is not always the same, even for products from the same company. Some manufacturers and vendors include this information, but it is never enough to make an informed decision on the kind of keyboard to purchase.
Furthermore, all keyboards are considered the same in every other aspect, except size and layout.
Which Factors Affect a Keyboard Power Use?
A keyboard, just like any electronic, uses power depending on several factors, including how it is being used.
Active and Idle Keyboard
The power consumption of an idle keyboard is negligible, less than 1W. The same cannot be said about a keyboard that is continuously being used. When you are continually typing with your keyboard, power consumption could be between 1.5W and 2.5W.
Note that an idle keyboard is not just the one you’re not using. A keyboard will still draw power even when the monitor hibernates. You may not get to notice it because the power drawn during such periods is minimal.
Additionally, many people usually assume that other computer components like the CPU and monitor use most of the power. The keyboard and mouse use about the same amount of energy as the monitor.
Keyboard Brand
It is no secret that some keyboard brands use more power than others. However, keyboards generally draw more power as they age, irrespective of the brand.
A new keyboard initially draws an average of 100 milliamperes; this will rise to about 500 milliamperes.
Although some manufacturers have mastered how to make power-efficient devices, it is not always the same with keyboards—most keyboards in the market use the same amount of power.
However, if you are keen enough, you will notice that some selected brands use less energy than the rest. It is all about quality here; the few selected brands are from established companies. That is to say that the more expensive a product is, the chances are that it will use less power.
Purpose of Keyboard
Keyboards used for gaming consume up to 1 watt of power. The same applies to the keyboard that is mostly used for typesetting. On the other hand, if you are using your keyboard to scroll your computer, it will use less than that. Keyboards used for gaming, and another heavy-duty task usually comes with built-in extras like processors, which use more power.
Type of Keyboard
Although the wiring is the same, there is a slight difference in the power consumption of a mechanical keyboard and a membrane one. It is not clear why a mechanical keyboard uses more power, but it could be due to the speed of making and breaking contact with an electric current. Additionally, mechanical keyboards are way much heavier than wireless ones. That could mean more or more prominent components in it require slightly more power than wireless keyboards.
Can I Prevent my Keyboard from Using More Power?
It’s hard to change how many watts your keyboard uses. The reason is that the keyboard does not work independently. In other words, it does not use power directly.
It has to draw power from the CPU through a USB port. Unless you can regulate power use by the CPU, you can do nothing about the keyboard. However, advanced keyboards have power negotiating capabilities.
That means they draw power through the USB as required, negotiating from high to low power and vice versa. However,
Surprising Facts About Keyboards
An essential computer component, the keyboard is not as complicated as other components. However, there are some exciting things about keyboards you probably didn’t know.
Many people overlook this device because they are the cheapest computer component and don’t need to repair them. All you need to do is buy another one to replace a faulty keyboard, and life goes on.
Here are some things you didn’t know about the keyboard, which are near related to power use.
The Oldest Keyboard is 25 Years Old
IBM’s buckling spring keyboards were manufactured 25 years ago, and they are still working. The only problem with these legendary keyboards is that they are heavy and draw a lot of power. Some people still prefer using them to modern ones for unclear reasons.
The keyboards are built tough to withstand the test of time. On the other hand, modern membrane keyboards last as long as the computer lasts; less than ten years. That should tell you something; always buy quality even when it is high because it will serve you for long.
People can despise older keyboard models; such ancient devices are usually more durable than some modern ones. That explains why some people refuse to let go of their ancient devices even though they can afford modern ones. The only difference is that modern appliances, including a keyboard, offer more convenience.
Replacing Keycaps Will Make Your Keyboard Last Longer
When your keyboard is about to malfunction, it is the keycaps that usually go first. If this happens, make sure to replace them as soon as possible to avoid losing your keyboard altogether.
Keycaps wear out fast because they are merely made of plastic. However, not many people know how to do the replacement. Well, it is easier than you think.
All you need is a keycap puller, and there you have it. However, you must be careful when replacing the keycaps because the keyboard’s interior is quite sensitive.
Make sure not to touch any wires, and most importantly, don’t let water in. The new keycaps don’t work either; then it means the keyboard is damaged and you need to buy a new one.
600000 People Hit the Spacebar every 1/10 seconds
The keyboard is the most used key on the keyboard, with about 600,000 people hitting it at the same time every 1/10 of a second.
Whether the spacebar uses more power than other keys is unclear. However, close to 20% of all hits on the keyboard goes to the spacebar doing the math. That means if power was shared among keys according to the frequency of use, then the spacebar is using more.
Although this theory doesn’t seem to make sense, it is clear that the spacebar is undoubtedly the most important keyboard key. You could still include a symbol that is not on your keyboard in the document you’re writing by merely copying from an existing document and paste it.
I wonder if the same could be done with some ‘space.’
Japanese Keyboards Have the Most Keys in the World
In Japan, the writing languages are Japanese, Latin, and English. A Japanese keyboard user is continually switching between the three writing languages. As a result, their keyboards have additional keys that must fit in the same keyboard.
That means some keys, such as the spacebar, are made smaller to create extra keys. Of course, the power use by such keyboards with extra keys is a bit higher, but it’s not that significant to change how many watts does your keyboard use on daily basis.
The same applies to some Chinese keyboards, which are designed to include translation capabilities.
Rather Useless Keyboard Keys Still Use Power
How many times have you used the ‘System Request’ or ‘PrintScreen’ keys on your keyboard? Probably once, twice, or none. Believe it or not, these keys still use the same amount of power as the other active keys.
Keys such as ‘Pause/Break’ originated from ancient computers and have never been left behind in modern keyboards. ‘Scroll Lock’ is another rather useless keyboard key.
Although it is meant to lock page scroll with arrow keys, we rarely use it. Hopefully, they will be removed and replaced with keys we’ll use often.
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Conclusion
Keyboards use a negligible amount of power, but it all depends on how the device will behave with power.
Modern keyboards are designed to negotiate power by switching from high to low energy and vice versa. Any such device is deemed faulty if it is unable to execute the above.
If the negotiation fails, you will quickly notice it in a backlit keyboard because the backlight will remain off even though the keyboard is on. It is important to note that a USB only allows a maximum of 2.5W; thus, negotiating is required to ensure the power doesn’t go beyond that.
At the same time, sufficient energy must be let in for the keyboard to function. In summary, between 1.5W and 2.5W is all your keyboard uses, in case you have been wondering how many watts does a keyboard use.
