[MOD]: Type-S (silent) Leopold FC660C

[1pq]

I lubed and silenced my HHKB using this method yesterday. The result is fantastic. I've never used a Type-S, but this mod has completely eliminated any upstroke click without changing the feel of the keyboard. I'm officially a silenced Topre convert.

I'm wondering your thoughts on how it affects feel. Did you notice any decrease in tactility?

The HHKB is a strange keyboard when it comes to tactility. In my opinion, the feel of the switch is defined by the sudden collapse of the dome and the reasonably soft bottom-out which is a product of the HHKB being a plastic case-mount board. Neither of these things are affected in the slightest.

There is of course a tactile bump as well at the very top of the switch throw, and I cannot remember it being any different before I silenced it. There's a chance that it is less tactile, but any difference that I cannot remember is negligible in my opinion .

All in all, I'm very happy that I made this switch. A little while ago I started the mod but stopped after not particularly caring for the modded top-row, but I'm now attributing that to be being over-excited by Topre in the first place and not wanting to do anything that would mess with the feels of the cup rubber. There's a big difference between typing on only one row of modded switches and typing on an entire keyboard, and now that I've done it to the entire keyboard I wouldn't go back.

Ugh, now you're making me want to lube and silence my 55g 87U )
Did you use thick or extra thick lube? (mkawa recommends extra thick)

[riotonthebay]

I mix my own lube, but I made it much thicker than I normally would as per ming's recommendation.

[1pq]

I mix my own lube

[riotonthebay]

Currently typing on this silenced HHKB, on top of my laptop keyboard, in bed, next to my sleeping girlfriend.

Silenced Topre is the way to go.

[spiceBar]

Currently typing on this silenced HHKB, on top of my laptop keyboard, in bed, next to my sleeping girlfriend.

Silenced Topre is the way to go.

ABSOLUTELY. DEFINITELY.

It feels and sounds much more classy than non-silenced Topre, in my opinion.

And I still believe the DIY way (with landing pads) is superior to the Type-S. I am even tempted to apply the landing pads silencing mod to my Type-S HHKB.

[NovaTea]

Wooo my EK Landing pads arrived and I applied it immediately on my FC660C but I didn't iron the pads and I could feel the change in travel distance of the key but I'm liking it so far as it's like totally silenced.

[spiceBar]

Wooo my EK Landing pads arrived and I applied it immediately on my FC660C but I didn't iron the pads and I could feel the change in travel distance of the key but I'm liking it so far as it's like totally silenced.

Congratulations, your FC660C has now become a collector's item, as it is one of the very few in the world that has been silenced!

[OnTheBrink]

I don't mean to necro, but this is the first instructions that come up when searching how to silent this keyboard.

I want to add that I did this entire thing and did not like the affect it gave with actuation. It actually made the switch feel linear to me and it ruined the tactile feeling.

I would warn anyone preparing to do this that it will affect the keystroke. Also, it is not something that is easily felt by just changing one key and testing it. It took me doing the whole board, putting it back together and realizing I did not like the change in travel.

[spiceBar]

I don't mean to necro, but this is the first instructions that come up when searching how to silent this keyboard.

I want to add that I did this entire thing and did not like the affect it gave with actuation. It actually made the switch feel linear to me and it ruined the tactile feeling.

I would warn anyone preparing to do this that it will affect the keystroke. Also, it is not something that is easily felt by just changing one key and testing it. It took me doing the whole board, putting it back together and realizing I did not like the change in travel.

You can preserve the feel of the keyboard by slimming down the landing pads. You do that by using a clothing iron on them. You need to make them 0.4-0.3mm thin (from approx. 1mm).

It's more work but the result is worth it.

I have explained this somewhere else, but essentially you slim them down with heat. That's it.

[OnTheBrink]

I don't mean to necro, but this is the first instructions that come up when searching how to silent this keyboard.

I want to add that I did this entire thing and did not like the affect it gave with actuation. It actually made the switch feel linear to me and it ruined the tactile feeling.

I would warn anyone preparing to do this that it will affect the keystroke. Also, it is not something that is easily felt by just changing one key and testing it. It took me doing the whole board, putting it back together and realizing I did not like the change in travel.

You can preserve the feel of the keyboard by slimming down the landing pads. You do that by using a clothing iron on them. You need to make them 0.4-0.3mm thin (from approx. 1mm).

It's more work but the result is worth it.

I have explained this somewhere else, but essentially you slim them down with heat. That's it.

Yeah, I ironed them as well. However, maybe I could've done that a bit longer/better. It's not too tedious if you do it while the landing pads are all together.

With that said, don't get me wrong, it is a great mod. I just wanted to warn people doing this that it gets very tedious and there is the risk you might not like it (as I did). I didn't mean to sabotage your tutorial or anything. Great job and it was fun modding (or attempting to mod) my first keyboard. The instructions were excellent. Although, I would add how to take the plungers out. I had to figure that out on my own and have a hang nail now as a result, lol.

[Latin00032]

I may consider this after I get the board.

I just don't want to break it.

[YoJinBro]

Great guide, thank you for the helpful post! I'm looking for some advice, as I'm not having nearly as much success with this mod.

I tried using some soft landing pads on a few keys on my FC660C, and I just could not stand the shortened key travel distance! With the mod, the keys were visibly shorter, the key actuation distance felt greatly reduced and impacted the feel of the keys very, very negatively (in my opinion).

I also tried flattening the soft landing pads with an iron (a hair flatiron did the trick very well!), and while this helped, there was still a visible difference in key height, and the key actuation distance also felt shorter and did not feel as nice.

Am I doing something wrong? Has anyone else had a similar experience? I recommend trying the mod with just a few keys - the degradation in feel was so apparent!

(Note - I'm not trying to come off as a snob. I agree, the elimination of the *clack* in the key's upstroke is very, very nice, but not at all worth sacrificing the good feeling of oneness with cup rubber that Topre is all about.)

[Lurch]

Great guide, thank you for the helpful post! I'm looking for some advice, as I'm not having nearly as much success with this mod.

I tried using some soft landing pads on a few keys on my FC660C, and I just could not stand the shortened key travel distance! With the mod, the keys were visibly shorter, the key actuation distance felt greatly reduced and impacted the feel of the keys very, very negatively (in my opinion).

I also tried flattening the soft landing pads with an iron (a hair flatiron did the trick very well!), and while this helped, there was still a visible difference in key height, and the key actuation distance also felt shorter and did not feel as nice.

Am I doing something wrong? Has anyone else had a similar experience? I recommend trying the mod with just a few keys - the degradation in feel was so apparent!

(Note - I'm not trying to come off as a snob. I agree, the elimination of the *clack* in the key's upstroke is very, very nice, but not at all worth sacrificing the good feeling of oneness with cup rubber that Topre is all about.)

How flat did you make the landing pads? If I recall correctly, someone was able to flatten the landing pads enough that it did not effect travel distance, but it took quite some effort to make the landing pads as flat as possible.

[spiceBar]

Great guide, thank you for the helpful post! I'm looking for some advice, as I'm not having nearly as much success with this mod.

I tried using some soft landing pads on a few keys on my FC660C, and I just could not stand the shortened key travel distance! With the mod, the keys were visibly shorter, the key actuation distance felt greatly reduced and impacted the feel of the keys very, very negatively (in my opinion).

I also tried flattening the soft landing pads with an iron (a hair flatiron did the trick very well!), and while this helped, there was still a visible difference in key height, and the key actuation distance also felt shorter and did not feel as nice.

Am I doing something wrong? Has anyone else had a similar experience? I recommend trying the mod with just a few keys - the degradation in feel was so apparent!

(Note - I'm not trying to come off as a snob. I agree, the elimination of the *clack* in the key's upstroke is very, very nice, but not at all worth sacrificing the good feeling of oneness with cup rubber that Topre is all about.)

Yes, the mod affects the travel distance a little bit and how the keys feel.

The thinnest you can reasonably go for the landing pad width is approximately 0.3mm. So you reduce the travel distance by this amount. Instead of actuating at 2mm, the keys actuate around 1.7mm.

The rubber dome collapse is also less pronounced.

Is it acceptable or not? It's all a matter of personal taste. I think it turns the FC660C and the Realforce into very classy feeling and sounding keyboards.

Anyway, it's indeed a good idea to try it on a few keys before you decide to do the entire keyboard. That's how I did it.

[telegraphist]

Well, I decided that to me, personally, the best solution would have been a sound dampening mod, which would hopefully might have soften a rather hard feeling of a keystroke as well as audibly "rattling" stabilizers
That is, if I would have decided to hassle with this.
But I decided to avoid all the hassles and risks associated with this and simply sold the board, while it's still nice and new.
CM Novatouch Is clearly is not my cup of tea.
Here are about 1/10-th of the links I have dug up, while researching for a possible mod, hope they could be of help to more adventurous than me.
http://www.geocities.co.jp/kousaku_situ/silent_realforce/srf-pata1.html (Chrome browser acceptably well translates this Japanese page)
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/P-LB132/Light-Baffle-03125--132.aspx
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/~/C-411/Cutting-Tools.aspx
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/~/C-406/Hole-Punches.aspx
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=34972.0
http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/hhkp-pro-jp-variable-force-silencing-mods-t5196.html
http://imgur.com/a/8vnHb
http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/did-a-silence-mod-on-my-topre-88ub-t5955.html
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40465.30
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=53990.0#post_dim
http://www.amazon.com/Sheet-Adhesive-Backed-Black-Length-Durometer/dp/B00CCGW2B0/ref=sr_1_2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1413066956&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KE17JO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_2?rh=n%3A16310091%2Cn%3A%2116310161%2Cn%3A16310191%2Cn%3A350666011%2Cn%3A6469763011&bbn=350666011&ie=UTF8&qid=1412507546&rnid=350666011

[spiceBar]

I do realize that there has been a while since you posted this guide, but I'm sure many are interested in silencing their boards and referring to your guide. I, personally dislike how my new Novatouch sounds and I am currently researching best methods on how to do this as well.
I think that self-adhesive pads cut out of thin rubber sheets may work best for this type of project.
Here are some links that I found, which may be helpful:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/kousaku_situ/silent_realforce/srf-pata1.html (Chrome browser acceptably well translates this Japanese page)
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/P-LB132/Light-Baffle-03125--132.aspx
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/~/C-411/Cutting-Tools.aspx
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/~/C-406/Hole-Punches.aspx
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=34972.0
http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/hhkp-pro-jp-variable-force-silencing-mods-t5196.html
http://imgur.com/a/8vnHb
http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/did-a-silence-mod-on-my-topre-88ub-t5955.html
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40465.30
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=53990.0#post_dim
http://www.amazon.com/Sheet-Adhesive-Backed-Black-Length-Durometer/dp/B00CCGW2B0/ref=sr_1_2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1413066956&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KE17JO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_2?rh=n%3A16310091%2Cn%3A%2116310161%2Cn%3A16310191%2Cn%3A350666011%2Cn%3A6469763011&bbn=350666011&ie=UTF8&qid=1412507546&rnid=350666011

What you suggest is a possibility, but you need very very thin rubber sheets. As thin as paper.

I have now re-done the silencing of my FC660C.

I have removed all the landing pads, I have slimmed them down really hard with a clothing iron, and put the landing pads back in the keyboard.

I can now say that there is no reduction in key travel anymore. The collapse of the dome can be distinctly felt. In other words, the feel is unchanged compared to the unmodified keyboard, except that it is now silent.

When the landing pads are not in place, there is some play in the keys. You can tell there is some play because when you rub the top of the keys lightly, the keys move and make some clicking noise. The domes do not push the keys completely all the way up. So there is some room to fit very thin pads.

By slimming down the landing pads more than I had already tried, I have been able to make them so thin that they just fit and eliminate the play, without reducing the key travel at all.

I have checked this by modding only part of the keys. This way, I have been able to accurately compare the travel and feel of the modified keys with the original ones.

To do the improved mod, I had to set the clothing iron to its maximum temperature and pressed hard (applying the equivalent of approximately 5-6kg) on the landing pads until they are as thin as a sheet of paper. Apply pressure for 10-15 seconds to do this, or more if needed. Don't press on the landing pads directly with the iron. Put the landing pads between two sheets of paper before you apply pressure with the iron.

You can slim them down 4 by 4.

The landing pads will smell a little bit like burned rubber, which is OK. If the landing pads meld, then you need to use a lower temperature, but it did not happen to me.

Then you have to be a little bit more careful when you put them on the plungers, as they could more easily fold. But I have not found that it is a problem.

Once the keyboard is reassembled, bingo! No reduction in travel distance. The dome collapse is there, unchanged. And the keyboard is really silent.

[LechnerDE]

Thanks for the guide.

Maybe I should try that with my 660C 

[cookie]

As much as I appreciate your mod I highly doubt that Topre switches with such a reduced travel are ejoyable to type on.
The Idea goes in a right direction but the implementation is simply not good enough.

I'd highly recommend a thinner (approximately 0,5mm thick) material wich is out of foam (or simmilar soft material).

[spiceBar]

As much as I appreciate your mod I highly doubt that Topre switches with such a reduced travel are ejoyable to type on.
The Idea goes in a right direction but the implementation is simply not good enough.

I'd highly recommend a thinner (approximately 0,5mm thick) material wich is out of foam (or simmilar soft material).

It looks like you have not read my previous post.

I repeat: you use a clothing iron to slim down the landing pads until they are almost as thin as a sheet of paper. Once you do that, there is no reduction in travel anymore.

Please read my previous post. you are missing something interesting.

[Polymer]

It would be interesting to see if it truly doesn't reduce travel....the longer plungers on the silent Topres is there for a reason..and my topres don't seem to have the play you're talking about..

Still, good to see and good for the community to be able to mod stuff without having to pay a ton extra (although Silent RFs aren't much more).  Plus the 660c doesn't even have that option so even better..

[spiceBar]

It would be interesting to see if it truly doesn't reduce travel....the longer plungers on the silent Topres is there for a reason..and my topres don't seem to have the play you're talking about..

Still, good to see and good for the community to be able to mod stuff without having to pay a ton extra (although Silent RFs aren't much more).  Plus the 660c doesn't even have that option so even better..

The longer plungers are there because it's not an option for them to install, with factory machines, landing pads that are almost as thin as a sheet of paper. Machines couldn't handle the installation of the landing pads, because the machine can insert it wrong and fold it.

It's something you can do only by installing them manually, because when you do it you check visually that it is correctly inserted.

Their only option is to install a bigger silicone ring around the plungers, because that is something a machine can easily do, and it does not need to be visually checked. The machine forces the ring all the way into the plunger at that's all. But the price is that you require a longer plunger.

[cookie]

Apologies!

[Polymer]

It would be interesting to see if it truly doesn't reduce travel....the longer plungers on the silent Topres is there for a reason..and my topres don't seem to have the play you're talking about..

Still, good to see and good for the community to be able to mod stuff without having to pay a ton extra (although Silent RFs aren't much more).  Plus the 660c doesn't even have that option so even better..

The longer plungers are there because it's not an option for them to install, with factory machines, landing pads that are almost as thin as a sheet of paper. Machines couldn't handle the installation of the landing pads, because the machine can insert it wrong and fold it.

It's something you can do only by installing them manually, because when you do it you check visually that it is correctly inserted.

Their only option is to install a bigger silicone ring around the plungers, because that is something a machine can easily do, and it does not need to be visually checked. The machine forces the ring all the way into the plunger at that's all. But the price is that you require a longer plunger.

That's a bit of speculation there...I think they did the longer plunger because it just makes sense to...they could get the padding they wanted with the thickness they wanted and to achieve the feel they wanted they made some longer plungers...

[YoJinBro]

I have now re-done the silencing of my FC660C.

I have removed all the landing pads, I have slimmed them down really hard with a clothing iron, and put the landing pads back in the keyboard.

I can now say that there is no reduction in key travel anymore. The collapse of the dome can be distinctly felt. In other words, the feel is unchanged compared to the unmodified keyboard, except that it is now silent.

When the landing pads are not in place, there is some play in the keys. You can tell there is some play because when you rub the top of the keys lightly, the keys move and make some clicking noise. The domes do not push the keys completely all the way up. So there is some room to fit very thin pads.

By slimming down the landing pads more than I had already tried, I have been able to make them so thin that they just fit and eliminate the play, without reducing the key travel at all.

I have checked this by modding only part of the keys. This way, I have been able to accurately compare the travel and feel of the modified keys with the original ones.

To do the improved mod, I had to set the clothing iron to its maximum temperature and pressed hard (applying the equivalent of approximately 5-6kg) on the landing pads until they are as thin as a sheet of paper. Apply pressure for 10-15 seconds to do this, or more if needed. Don't press on the landing pads directly with the iron. Put the landing pads between two sheets of paper before you apply pressure with the iron.

You can slim them down 4 by 4.

The landing pads will smell a little bit like burned rubber, which is OK. If the landing pads meld, then you need to use a lower temperature, but it did not happen to me.

Then you have to be a little bit more careful when you put them on the plungers, as they could more easily fold. But I have not found that it is a problem.

Once the keyboard is reassembled, bingo! No reduction in travel distance. The dome collapse is there, unchanged. And the keyboard is really silent.

Interesting... So I wasn't aggressive enough with my ironing. I'll keep your notes in mind and give this another shot! Thanks for keeping this guide updated and continuing the experimentation.

[aref]

spiceBar: Excellent/explanatory procedure on your OP. Thank you.

[spiceBar]

spiceBar: Excellent/explanatory procedure on your OP. Thank you.

You are welcome!

Don't forget that my original post is not up to date.

The current method involves all that is described in the OP plus a new step in which you use a very hot clothing iron to flatten the landing pads as much as possible (until they are flat as a sheet of paper... almost). This must be done on a hard surface (I use a wood board).

The ironing step is required in order to perfectly preserve the tactility of the Topre switches.

[atk80]

I just performed this mod to my Novatouch and it worked perfectly. The ironing was a bit tedious, but worked well. Thanks so much!

[SpAmRaY]

spiceBar: Excellent/explanatory procedure on your OP. Thank you.

You are welcome!

Don't forget that my original post is not up to date.

The current method involves all that is described in the OP plus a new step in which you use a very hot clothing iron to flatten the landing pads as much as possible (until they are flat as a sheet of paper... almost). This must be done on a hard surface (I use a wood board).

The ironing step is required in order to perfectly preserve the tactility of the Topre switches.

Any thoughts on a more industrious way to flatten the pads? Some sort of roller perhaps that could flatten all the pads at once? I wonder how hot these pads can get before they melt....I could run them through the lamination roller at work  )

I had mixed success with the iron, I tried ironing too many at once and probably didn't get them all as even as I should have.

[spiceBar]

I just performed this mod to my Novatouch and it worked perfectly. The ironing was a bit tedious, but worked well. Thanks so much!

Congratulations!

The modded Novatouch is my preferred Topre board! I'm typing this answer on mine!

[spiceBar]

spiceBar: Excellent/explanatory procedure on your OP. Thank you.

You are welcome!

Don't forget that my original post is not up to date.

The current method involves all that is described in the OP plus a new step in which you use a very hot clothing iron to flatten the landing pads as much as possible (until they are flat as a sheet of paper... almost). This must be done on a hard surface (I use a wood board).

The ironing step is required in order to perfectly preserve the tactility of the Topre switches.

Any thoughts on a more industrious way to flatten the pads? Some sort of roller perhaps that could flatten all the pads at once? I wonder how hot these pads can get before they melt....I could run them through the lamination roller at work  )

I had mixed success with the iron, I tried ironing too many at once and probably didn't get them all as even as I should have.

As ATK80 said, it's tedious.

I iron them 4 by 4 now. Some end up not perfectly flat, but I notice them and iron them again.

But it's a pain anyway. You need to press really hard on the iron for approximately 20 seconds per batch of 4. You do 22 batches for a TKL, so ironing the landing pads alone takes easily more than one hour.

I don't know how to automate this step. This would require some equipment that is not available to everyone.

Instead of trying to find a way to iron the landing pads, it would be better to find a source for something that would replace the landing pads.

I recommend these specific landing pads only because:
- We have one reliable source (EliteKeyboards.com)
- You will get the same as the ones I have worked with
- You will be able to apply the same method as me and get the same results

It must certainly be possible to find flat rings made of silicone or rubber, that would have the right circumference (we don't need high accuracy for this) and the right thickness (between 0.006 and 0.004 inch = between 0.15 and 0.10 mm).

As long as the material is durable and not too hard (it must absorb the shocks), it will work.

I'm pretty sure there is an industrial source for exactly this kind of rings somewhere on earth.

If we go even further, anything that is soft, that could be inserted between the sliders and the housings, that is thin enough (not more than 0.006 inch), and that will stay in place for years without degrading, will do the work.

So it does not even have to be a ring...

[Hypersphere]

@spiceBar:

There is a company (Rogers) that produces thin foam (0.15 mm) for use in electronics products for shock absorption:

https://www.rogerscorp.com/documents/2256/hpf/poron/industrial/PORON-ShockPad-Foam-Data-Sheet.pdf

According to their website, they will send you free samples.

In addition, 3M makes thin foam tapes for electronics applications. It has pressure-sensitive adhesive, but if this was not wanted, perhaps they have non-adhesive varieties:

http://www.3mconvertersolutions.com/service-program/6-Foam-Tapes/3M-VHB-Tapes

It would be ideal if we could find a company that not only produced thin foam, but that could do the cutting as well (e.g., a ring or square with the correct inner and outer dimensions). There is another company whose website indicates that they can do this. I think they will even do a prototype if you send them a CAD file:

http://www.stockwell.com/contact.php

[Heliosphere]

I bought this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005584T7C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Going to try to cut out squares and punch 1/4" holes in them, see if it works out.

[spiceBar]

@spiceBar:

There is a company (Rogers) that produces thin foam (0.15 mm) for use in electronics products for shock absorption:

https://www.rogerscorp.com/documents/2256/hpf/poron/industrial/PORON-ShockPad-Foam-Data-Sheet.pdf

According to their website, they will send you free samples.

In addition, 3M makes thin foam tapes for electronics applications. It has pressure-sensitive adhesive, but if this was not wanted, perhaps they have non-adhesive varieties:

http://www.3mconvertersolutions.com/service-program/6-Foam-Tapes/3M-VHB-Tapes

It would be ideal if we could find a company that not only produced thin foam, but that could do the cutting as well (e.g., a ring or square with the correct inner and outer dimensions). There is another company whose website indicates that they can do this. I think they will even do a prototype if you send them a CAD file:

http://www.stockwell.com/contact.php

Thank you for the info.

I don't have enough time to do more research on this myself, but maybe someone else will.

[HalfSharkAlligator]

I bought this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005584T7C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Going to try to cut out squares and punch 1/4" holes in them, see if it works out.

Were you able to try this yet?

Also, to anyone - just curious if there are any other gains to be made by putting sound dampening material inside the case itself?  Let me know if you have tried something like this and seen any improvement.  Thanks

[spiceBar]

I bought this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005584T7C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Going to try to cut out squares and punch 1/4" holes in them, see if it works out.

Were you able to try this yet?

Also, to anyone - just curious if there are any other gains to be made by putting sound dampening material inside the case itself?  Let me know if you have tried something like this and seen any improvement.  Thanks

Yes, absolutely. I did not document it, but I did put sound dampening material in my FC660C, and actually in almost all of my keyboards.

I use the kind of rubber foam that is widely used as bathtub mat, and it looks like this:
  http://sell.lulusoso.com/upload/20120314/Rubber_bath_mat_carpet.jpg

This kind of mat is also used in the kitchen.

It definitely improves the sound of the keyboard.

Here is a picture f what it looks like. In this case, it is inside a Novatouch:




The part of the case where you can see the brown adhesive pads was too narrow for the bathtub mat. Using these pads here was better than leaving the case empty.

I also had to avoid some areas: for example I had to left empty space for the outgoing USB cable.

For best results, the rubber foam must press both against the PCB and against the case. It's not easy to achieve, because if you put just a little bit too much you can't reassemble the keyboard anymore. You have to proceed by trial and error until the case is filled.

[Heliosphere]

I bought this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005584T7C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Going to try to cut out squares and punch 1/4" holes in them, see if it works out.

Were you able to try this yet?

Also, to anyone - just curious if there are any other gains to be made by putting sound dampening material inside the case itself?  Let me know if you have tried something like this and seen any improvement.  Thanks

Yes, I recently modded the keyboard with .010" silicone rubber. Making each pad and installing takes some effort and time, and the overall process is probably about 4-5 hours. The mod seems to work somewhat well, but have not dampened as well as classic flattened pads, probably because I used very thin silicone. I made some of the first pads' circular cutouts too small so the edges are getting stuck between the switch stem and housing, causing the keypresses to require a lot of force. I plan to replace the trouble pads once I get time again. The lesson is to size the landing pads properly. I think the optimal size for the pads are squares with 10mm sides, and 1/4" hole punches (mixing metric and english units I know, but I didn't have metric punches). I probably would recommend using a slightly thicker silicone sheet (.015" or .020") so the pads provide better damping and are not as flimsy as .010" pads. I will update again once I've fixed the issues, maybe with photos. In the far future I may attempt doing the mod with thicker pads.

[HalfSharkAlligator]

I'd like to thank both SpiceBar and Heliosphere for their contributions to the knowledge base 

I'm going to order the pads from EK and try that method, ironing them down to be very thin. I really like my FC660C, and have never tried the HHKB2 Type-S, but think I would prefer the layout on my Leo. It's a solid board and the dedicated arrow keys are nice, plus mostly standard layout otherwise (less re-learning, and I have multiple boards that I bounce between at work and home).

I'll report back in a few weeks and contribute any tips or gotchas that I find.

[spiceBar]

I'd like to thank both SpiceBar and Heliosphere for their contributions to the knowledge base 

I'm going to order the pads from EK and try that method, ironing them down to be very thin. I really like my FC660C, and have never tried the HHKB2 Type-S, but think I would prefer the layout on my Leo. It's a solid board and the dedicated arrow keys are nice, plus mostly standard layout otherwise (less re-learning, and I have multiple boards that I bounce between at work and home).

I'll report back in a few weeks and contribute any tips or gotchas that I find.

Thanks.

Don't forget to iron on a hard surface. Don't use the ironing table, it will not work.

The silenced FC660C is more silent than the HHKB Pro 2 Type-S. I know because I own both. The silenced FC660C feels much more classy... Just my opinion of course...

[atk80]

Just wanted to say that I performed this mod on my HHKB Pro 2 and it worked brilliantly. I love it so much, the pitter patter of rain drops. One suggestion that I've used on both my Novatouch and HHKB was to trim the corners of the landing pads with fingernail clippers in order to make sure they don't bind with the switch housing. It takes a bit longer but it is worth it, I think.

 

[spiceBar]

Just wanted to say that I performed this mod on my HHKB Pro 2 and it worked brilliantly. I love it so much, the pitter patter of rain drops. One suggestion that I've used on both my Novatouch and HHKB was to trim the corners of the landing pads with fingernail clippers in order to make sure they don't bind with the switch housing. It takes a bit longer but it is worth it, I think.

 

Congratulations!

Have you used a clothing iron to flatten the landing pads to death? If so, can you confirm that the tactility of the switches is unchanged?

[atk80]

Just wanted to say that I performed this mod on my HHKB Pro 2 and it worked brilliantly. I love it so much, the pitter patter of rain drops. One suggestion that I've used on both my Novatouch and HHKB was to trim the corners of the landing pads with fingernail clippers in order to make sure they don't bind with the switch housing. It takes a bit longer but it is worth it, I think.

 

Congratulations!

Have you used a clothing iron to flatten the landing pads to death? If so, can you confirm that the tactility of the switches is unchanged?

Yes I ironed them to death, almost paper thin. After each slider I tested that it would freely slide in the housing and if not I retrimmed it.

I do not notice any change in tactility, it still has that pleasant snap initially to the thock on the downstroke, but no plasticky clack on the upstroke.

[spiceBar]

Just wanted to say that I performed this mod on my HHKB Pro 2 and it worked brilliantly. I love it so much, the pitter patter of rain drops. One suggestion that I've used on both my Novatouch and HHKB was to trim the corners of the landing pads with fingernail clippers in order to make sure they don't bind with the switch housing. It takes a bit longer but it is worth it, I think.

 

Congratulations!

Have you used a clothing iron to flatten the landing pads to death? If so, can you confirm that the tactility of the switches is unchanged?

Yes I ironed them to death, almost paper thin. After each slider I tested that it would freely slide in the housing and if not I retrimmed it.

I do not notice any change in tactility, it still has that pleasant snap initially to the thock on the downstroke, but no plasticky clack on the upstroke.

OK, it's the state-of-the-art mod!

[HalfSharkAlligator]

I received my landing pads from EK, and have ironed them.  I'm not sure if I ironed them enough, spiceBar, what do you think?  (original pad on top for comparison and scale)

[spiceBar]

I received my landing pads from EK, and have ironed them.  I'm not sure if I ironed them enough, spiceBar, what do you think?  (original pad on top for comparison and scale)

They are not thin enough.

Use a hard surface to iron them on. The clothing iron should be as hot as possible, at least in the first experiments.

Put the landing pads, 4 by 4, inside a folded piece of paper. It's better if they are already separated.

Press hard with the iron for long enough, which should be around 30 seconds.

If the pads melt and stick too much to the paper, your iron is too hot.

If the pads stick just a little bit and can easily be removed from the paper, that's OK.

Here is the thickness you are aiming for, almost paper-thin:

[HalfSharkAlligator]

Thanks much - that helps. I was afraid you'd say that but I'd rather fix it now than after the board is back together 

When I did it, I left the pads attached in groups of four, I'm going to separate them this time.  Also, I had put them between pages in a magazine, but I think there was too much cushion from the magazine still, this time I'll just fold a single magazine sheet in half and put them in there, on a board.  Don't tell my wife that the board is a shelf I pulled out of a piece of furniture for this use 

It's a tedious process but you get a little bit of a core strengthening workout from pressing down hard nonstop for thirty minutes LOL.  Also Netflix and beer helps.

[spiceBar]

Thanks much - that helps. I was afraid you'd say that but I'd rather fix it now than after the board is back together 

When I did it, I left the pads attached in groups of four, I'm going to separate them this time.  Also, I had put them between pages in a magazine, but I think there was too much cushion from the magazine still, this time I'll just fold a single magazine sheet in half and put them in there, on a board.  Don't tell my wife that the board is a shelf I pulled out of a piece of furniture for this use 

It's a tedious process but you get a little bit of a core strengthening workout from pressing down hard nonstop for thirty minutes LOL.  Also Netflix and beer helps.

I won't tell anyone about the shelf. I have been using one, too!

NOTE: I think a blank sheet of paper is better than a page from a magazine, which may stick to the pads, but you will see this by yourself.

[a_ak57]

I was always disinclined to do the dental band or original landing pad mod since I didn't want feel to be affected, but this new method seems aces.  Out of curiosity though, do you suggest 4x4 for any particular reason?  Wouldn't it be more beneficial to fill out as much of the iron's surface area as possible to reduce how many times you have to do it? 

Either way, gonna be applying to this to my work board after I order some of those pads.

[spiceBar]

I was always disinclined to do the dental band or original landing pad mod since I didn't want feel to be affected, but this new method seems aces.  Out of curiosity though, do you suggest 4x4 for any particular reason?  Wouldn't it be more beneficial to fill out as much of the iron's surface area as possible to reduce how many times you have to do it? 

Either way, gonna be applying to this to my work board after I order some of those pads.

You can't iron too many pads at the same time. You need to press rather hard and make sure you press evenly, or better, to press on all sides, so all the pads are equally flattened.

It's difficult to do this if you have more than 4 pads under the iron.

The best method is to do them one by one, but it takes too long. 4x4 is OK.

[a_ak57]

Well, completed the mod and it turned out great.  Took longer than I expected, and had some trouble with getting the pads thin enough (had to use a harder floor to set the board on), but I can say it was well worth all the effort. 

[spiceBar]

Well, completed the mod and it turned out great.  Took longer than I expected, and had some trouble with getting the pads thin enough (had to use a harder floor to set the board on), but I can say it was well worth all the effort.

Great! I'm glad you like it.

You know, it's only the first board that is a pain. Starting with the second board you mod, it becomes easier and easier.