This one has me a bit confused, as I purchased the Gen 2 numpad along with my new Framework 16, and I noticed that Number pad is lacking a couple features that the main keyboard has, namely LED and feedback. The Caps Lock key on the main keyboard has an indicator light to let you know when it is active, as well as the Gen 2 keyboard having some nice backlit LEDs. The Number pad, however, does not have an indicator light for when you have Num Lock active, nor does it have any form of backlight.
Is there any chance we could get those features in the future? I would happily upgrade!
It does have black light, to turn it on make sure num lock is off and tap enter button to adjust backlight led. If you mean whole numpad can’t lit up like keyboard?
As noted by the last response, the numpad does have a backlight that can be toggled. You can find out how to toggle backlight and backlight breathing here:
Also, you’re correct: the numpad doesn’t have a numlock status led. Luckily, there’s free software to assist with keeping track of key states. I use this to add a few onscreen indicators in the Windows taskbar:
Of course there are all kinds of software solutions, but I agree with Kalthea, a hardware LED like exists on the Caps lock would be very useful and would show consistency on the keyboard as well.
Oh, goodness me, shows how much I pay attention! Thank you for informing me about the LED functionality on my numpad, though I would argue it’s a bit strange that it requires its own button presses in order to change the LED separate from the rest of the keyboard. I already have fn + Spacebar to cycle through my lighting, why should I have to cycle it with its own button? (I’m not entirely dense on this one, I understand that it might be a limitation of the hardware and its ability to communicate with other pieces that get swapped in and out).
And yeah, I still would enjoy a hardware indicator light to let me know when the Num Lock is active, I shouldn’t need to download a software solution for something like that.
reason why it probably has a own button, is probably because normally on a default 15.6 inch laptop numpad and keyboard is together in 1 piece so numpad is connected with same connector as keyboard. While on FW 16 they are 2 seperated devices. Keyboard connects with’s own pins and numpad is seperated with it’s own pins. So then keyboard cannot control leds on numpad sadly. So that is cause of it needing own way to enable backlight on numpad.