Disassembly

Disassembly of the Genius SlimStar 8008 keyboard is fairly easy with Phillips screws that need to be removed from the back, and there is also one hidden under the certification sticker, which leaves behind a telltale sign. There are a few long interlocking plastic tabs as well, but they are very easy to deal with compared to the usual ones on plastic case keyboards and will not leave any marks behind to take away from the keyboard's aesthetics. Once done, the entire keyboard can easily be separated since there is no USB cable to deal with here. A closer look at the top pieces shows that it retains the keycaps, which can be pushed out for a closer examination as we did previously and also shows that the larger keycaps, such as the space bar, have a metal bar stabilizer, which does help a lot with the typing experience.


The bottom piece houses the plastic sheet PCBs for this membrane keyboard, which rests under the rubber dome layer that creates the tactile feedback for when in use. Of course, as with any membrane switch, you have to bottom out to actuate the keystroke here, but the reduced travel distance due to the flat low profile keycaps and smaller rubber domes do help in the same way newer mechanical switches with a reduced actuation distance do. There is no metal plate here, which is why the keyboard was flexing in some instances; the case is the only thing to provide structural integrity here.


The plastic sheet PCBs pass the actuation feedback on to the other small PCB in the top-right corner, which is also connected to the battery compartment for power. Genius is using a Beken BK2535 RF SOC (system on a chip), which has AES encryption support and integrates a 2.4 GHz wireless transceiver, "FLIP51" USB 2.0 microcontroller with 32 KB of flash and 2 KB SRAM, and 1.8-3.6 V power supply. I was not able to find more details on the encryption support here since that is an important parameter when it comes to wireless devices in this connected world we live in today.

Before we move on, be advised that disassembly will void the warranty and that TechPowerUp is not liable for any damages incurred if you decided to go ahead and do so anyway.