Disassembly

Disassembly of the Tecware Phantom RGB keyboard is extremely simple once you know where all the screws are. Removing specific keycaps, as seen above, provides access to the 17 silver-colored countersunk screws on top. A precision Phillips screwdriver comes in handy here, and with all screws removed, there is enough room to separate the two main pieces by enough to access the internal USB cable connecting the bottom case panel to the PCB. Dislodge the connector by peeling off the insulating tape on top, which will help with completely separating the two.


The bottom case panel is made out of ABS plastic and has grooves for cable routing of the internal USB cable. We can also see cutouts to accommodate the keyboard feet and keycap puller here. The other piece has the PCB and the aluminium alloy cover plate with the switches in between inserted into the CIY sockets. The cover plate adds structural integrity to the keyboard, which also adds a marketing feature to tick off against all-plastic case keyboards. The PCB is blue in color, and the sockets themselves appear hand-soldered, while the other components are machine assembled.


Powering the keyboard is a VISION VS11K13A USB microcontroller, of which there is not much information available online, but some time online revealed it being used by many other backlit keyboards to good effect, including the GMMK this has so much in common with. There is not a whole lot going on in terms of pre-configured or customizable functionality, so the controller should be plenty fine given there are no complaints otherwise. There are also two dedicated Vision VS12L03A LED controllers to help power the RGB backlighting supported by the keyboard. All components, including the LEDs and capacitors, are soldered to a multi-layered PCB.

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