Disassembly

Disassembly of the Thermaltake Level 20 RGB keyboard is quite different from the Level 20 GT RGB keyboard, with all screws on the bottom of the keyboard as opposed to mostly below keycaps with the latter. It is thus easier here, at least once you also find the two that are hidden under the rubber pads on the back. A precision Phillips head screwdriver comes in handy when removing a total of ten screws. You can now pry apart the three primary pieces of the keyboard consisting of the bottom ABS case panel, middle translucent white plastic piece used for side lighting, and top aluminium panel that also houses the PCB.


There is a daughter PCB on the white plastic piece with an internal USB cable connecting the I/O on the daughter PCB and the primary PCB to the external cable itself. Dislodging the connector on the primary PCB helps completely separate these two pieces. We see a second daughter PCB, this one connected directly to the primary one via ribbon cables, catering to the extra dedicated buttons on the keyboard beyond the usual 104-keys for the US ANSI layout. The primary PCB, as with the daughter PCBs, is white and has switches soldered through the aluminium frame and into the PCB, along with all the RGB LEDs we see here.


Solder quality is generally very good, with the assembly and construction likely all machine-driven to satisfy the Thermaltake retail channel needs. Powering the keyboard is a Holtek HT50F52352 USB microcontroller; a data sheet of it was not available online. I have seen it used to good effect with other backlit keyboards from Vortex, Ducky, and Cooler Master, as with the Level 20 GT RGB keyboard before. It is likely a special version of Holtek's HT32F ARM Cortex-M0/+ USB microcontroller and works fine as far as this keyboard is concerned. There are also five separate Macroblock MBI5043GP LED drivers for the RGB lighting control, which is a step up from the four Macroblock MBIA045GP units in the Level 20 GT RGB keyboard, and a dedicated 256 KB onboard flash memory module stores all the onboard functionality and customization options. All components, including the switches, LEDs, and capacitors, are soldered to a multi-layered PCB.

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