Did a silence mod on my Topre 88UB.

[huttala]

Hello!

I did a silence mod on my Topre 88UB since I wanted a board that is really quiet, and this really hit the spot, it's really, really quiet.
And since I've not seen anyone else do this on a Realforce board I thought I'd share some pics and a video.

Here's a video with the topre VS my Filco with blues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2HyDCMIQ50&feature=youtu.be

Took some pics of the mod as well.

Top cover removed.


Screws that holds the plate and PCB together.


Plate removed.


Dental rubberbands on the sliders. They are so cute.



Some more pics that does not really matter but might be fun to look at.

[AKIMbO]

Pretty awesome.  I'll eventually get around to doing this to my Realforce too.

[huttala]

Pretty awesome.  I'll eventually get around to doing this to my Realforce too.

Do it. It's really easy, among the easiest mods I've done.
It just took 1-2 hours to complete and the results are amazing. It's the most usefull mod I've done so far.

Just because it was so easy I want to do it with an 55g board.  ) But as far as I know they do not exist in ISO.

[AKIMbO]

Did you use 3/16" medium dental bands?  I'm trying to make out that photo of the packaging.

[CPTBadAss]

Would the o-rings from WASD work or are those dental bands the only thing that you've tried?

[Moosecraft]

Pretty awesome.  I'll eventually get around to doing this to my Realforce too.

Do it. It's really easy, among the easiest mods I've done.
It just took 1-2 hours to complete and the results are amazing. It's the most usefull mod I've done so far.

Just because it was so easy I want to do it with an 55g board.  ) But as far as I know they do not exist in ISO.

Actually we have an IC for 55g ISO nordic, if we get 10 we can order them from thekeyboardco.com
Here's the thread: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=43676.msg911065#msg911065

[longweight]

Would the o-rings from WASD work or are those dental bands the only thing that you've tried?

Only dental bands I believe as there isn't much room in there!

[CPTBadAss]

Would the o-rings from WASD work or are those dental bands the only thing that you've tried?

Only dental bands I believe as there isn't much room in there!

That's what I thought but I was curious. Really cool mod though. I'll have to watch the video later

[huttala]

Would the o-rings from WASD work or are those dental bands the only thing that you've tried?

Only dental bands I believe as there isn't much room in there!

The o-rings from WASD is too big I believe. As longweight said there is not much room in there.

I bought the dental bands from here : http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-16-Medium-3-5oz-NEON-ORTHODONTIC-ELASTIC-BRACES-DENTAL-RUBBER-BANDS-/140937069342?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20d081031e

And yes, they are 3/16"

[keymaster]

Thank you for making this thread, huttala. I did this mod today on my 103UB 55g and the upstroke is almost completely silent now.

It took me about 2 hours total to do it. It's by far the most useful keyboard mod I've done to date.

Thanks!

[dustinhxc]

Awesome post!  Im a noob to Topre would this work on any Topre switch? I cant decide between Realforce and HHKB Thanks!

[unicomp_uc]

Any change in feel at all with the dental rings? I'm going to watch the video tomorrow.

[absyrd]

Thanks for sharing the detailed pics and video.

[keymaster]

Any change in feel at all with the dental rings? I'm going to watch the video tomorrow.

Now that I have been using the modded 55g for quite a while, I've noticed that there is a slight increase in resistance. The switch now feels just a little heavier. I'm thinking of getting a 45g uniform Topre keyboard and doing the dental mod. I think that will put me somewhere in between the resistance of a 45g and a 55g.

[dustinhxc]

Any change in feel at all with the dental rings? I'm going to watch the video tomorrow.

Now that I have been using the modded 55g for quite a while, I've noticed that there is a slight increase in resistance. The switch now feels just a little heavier. I'm thinking of getting a 45g uniform Topre keyboard and doing the dental mod. I think that will put me somewhere in between the resistance of a 45g and a 55g.

Good to know thank you!

[keymaster]

Okay, so I'm about to order some "lighter" 3/16" dental bands to try out. These are the ones I currently have installed...and these are the lighter ones I will try installing. My goal is to decrease the additional resistance caused by the current "medium" dental bands.

I'll report here on my findings.

[dustinhxc]

Okay, so I'm about to order some "lighter" 3/16" dental bands to try out. These are the ones I currently have installed...and these are the lighter ones I will try installing. My goal is to decrease the additional resistance caused by the current "medium" dental bands.

I'll report here on my findings.

Great idea man!

[theMANtonio]

Okay, so I'm about to order some "lighter" 3/16" dental bands to try out. These are the ones I currently have installed...and these are the lighter ones I will try installing. My goal is to decrease the additional resistance caused by the current "medium" dental bands.

I'll report here on my findings.

Keep us posted. I have a RF 45g and 55g board. Aluminum case is on the way, but I just need to figure out which one I should do the dental band mod on. I ordered the Light ones you linked also. 

[dustinhxc]

Please keep us posted because I cant decide between realforce 87u 45 or 55 and i want a silenced version but they only offer it in the various weights. so id like to get a 45 or 55 and do the light or normal dental bands to it like you did.

[keymaster]

Okay, so I'm about to order some "lighter" 3/16" dental bands to try out. These are the ones I currently have installed...and these are the lighter ones I will try installing. My goal is to decrease the additional resistance caused by the current "medium" dental bands.

I'll report here on my findings.

So, I finally ended up swapping these "light" ones, in addition to lubing the sliders and stabilizer wire.

The difference between "light" and "medium" is small to insignificant as far as I can tell. However, if I had to choose, I'd go with the "light" dental bands just in case they do in fact add on less resistance to the 55g switch. I think the "medium" bands may have added additional resistance to the somewhat already heavy 55g switch.

On lubing: I used Krytox 205 lubricant without mixing it with anything (I have 103 as well). This was done with mkawa's advice to use a thick lube for Topre switches. I lubricated only the sliders and the metal stabilizer wire. The metal pingy sound previously heard from modifier keys is now non-existent. The switches themselves now also feels a bit smoother, but not by much.

[SpAmRaY]

Nice, thanks for sharing your insights!

[Dude]

I just ordered some light dental bands for this mod.  Thanks for the great information in this thread!

[keymaster]

I just ordered some light dental bands for this mod.  Thanks for the great information in this thread!

Since you're taking apart the keyboard for this mod, make sure to lube the stabilizers. It will reduce the chatter coming from the modifier keys (Enter, Backspace, etc.) and space bar.

[dustinhxc]

Okay, so I'm about to order some "lighter" 3/16" dental bands to try out. These are the ones I currently have installed...and these are the lighter ones I will try installing. My goal is to decrease the additional resistance caused by the current "medium" dental bands.

I'll report here on my findings.

So, I finally ended up swapping these "light" ones, in addition to lubing the sliders and stabilizer wire.

The difference between "light" and "medium" is small to insignificant as far as I can tell. However, if I had to choose, I'd go with the "light" dental bands just in case they do in fact add on less resistance to the 55g switch. I think the "medium" bands may have added additional resistance to the somewhat already heavy 55g switch.

On lubing: I used Krytox 205 lubricant without mixing it with anything (I have 103 as well). This was done with mkawa's advice to use a thick lube for Topre switches. I lubricated only the sliders and the metal stabilizer wire. The metal pingy sound previously heard from modifier keys is now non-existent. The switches themselves now also feels a bit smoother, but not by much.

Thanks for the info! I'll have to reopen mine and use some thick lube. 

[eisenhower]

Does this mod work on buckling springs?

[theMANtonio]

Okay, so I'm about to order some "lighter" 3/16" dental bands to try out. These are the ones I currently have installed...and these are the lighter ones I will try installing. My goal is to decrease the additional resistance caused by the current "medium" dental bands.

I'll report here on my findings.

So, I finally ended up swapping these "light" ones, in addition to lubing the sliders and stabilizer wire.

The difference between "light" and "medium" is small to insignificant as far as I can tell. However, if I had to choose, I'd go with the "light" dental bands just in case they do in fact add on less resistance to the 55g switch. I think the "medium" bands may have added additional resistance to the somewhat already heavy 55g switch.

On lubing: I used Krytox 205 lubricant without mixing it with anything (I have 103 as well). This was done with mkawa's advice to use a thick lube for Topre switches. I lubricated only the sliders and the metal stabilizer wire. The metal pingy sound previously heard from modifier keys is now non-existent. The switches themselves now also feels a bit smoother, but not by much.

Thanks for the info! I'll have to reopen mine and use some thick lube. 

FWIW, I used the EK MechLube 2 on the slide grooves and stabilizer wires and everything just feels great.

[theMANtonio]

Does this mod work on buckling springs?

Nope. For buckling springs, the equivalent mod would be the dental floss mod (not dental band).

[Dude]

Just a tip to those attempting this type of mod for the first time.  I have a Realforce, and I wasn't happy with the feeling of the keys when I finished.  It turns out the problem was that I screwed the back screws in too tight, which made the keys feel a little muddy.  The problem is that the black screws pulls the PCB away from keys, which causes the keys to have to travel even farther than they should.

Now that I've fixed the black screws so that they're barely tightened, it feels a million time better and it's silent!!

[Glissant]

I just moded my brand spanking new hhkb pro 2 with these rubber bands 1/8" LIGHT 2.5 oz.
They looked too small when I first got them, but when on the barrel it worked very well. I lost no noticeable travel, and the sound of plastic hitting plastic is gone.
I would recommend anyone try these tiny dental bands . Don't forget to lube your slider wells .

[Dyslexic]

I just moded my brand spanking new hhkb pro 2 with these rubber bands 1/8" LIGHT 2.5 oz.
They looked too small when I first got them, but when on the barrel it worked very well. I lost no noticeable travel, and the sound of plastic hitting plastic is gone.
I would recommend anyone try these tiny dental bands . Don't forget to lube your slider wells .

1/8" or 3/16"? Everything in the thread prior to your post mentioned the 3/16. Just wondering, as I'm considering trying this mod on my FC660C. I want to get it right the first time.

[Glissant]

Like I mentioned in my post above 1/8". I chose the smaller size because I heard people complaining about the key travel on the 3/16", and in that way might lessen the impact on that issue.
I note no difference in travel, and a real noticeable difference in sounds.
They aren't expensive, so I would actually recommend trying both just to be safe . YMMV, you know .

[lunr]

Great post. Gonna try and do this when I get my 87U 55g. I am a sucker for silence noise.

[Dyslexic]

Thanks for the clarification. I'll probably order both since it's so cheap and see which I prefer.

[epzy]

I just moded my brand spanking new hhkb pro 2 with these rubber bands 1/8" LIGHT 2.5 oz.
They looked too small when I first got them, but when on the barrel it worked very well. I lost no noticeable travel, and the sound of plastic hitting plastic is gone.
I would recommend anyone try these tiny dental bands . Don't forget to lube your slider wells .

Can I haz link to where you bought them? I have the 3/16 ones installed in my Realforce currently, but I want to test the ones you used as well.

[Glissant]

This is the exact auction I bought them from http://www.ebay.com/itm/141017868936?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

[epzy]

Ty, ordered.

[lunr]

I wonder is there a better way to get the sliders out? I used a flathead to push the tab in but I stopped after 4 sliders because I didn't want to chip or crack the housing or the slider itself. I notice I had to exert a lot of pressure just to get them out.

[Glissant]

Probably too late, but for future reference I suggest using a plastic tool to either pop them out from the inside or by pushing them through from the "outside". One of those plastic tools that are made to open electronics are usually a softer plastic than the sliders, so they won't chip or scratch your sliders.