I ended up pulling off the stabilizer mounts on my SA keycaps...
I shudder at the thought of doing such horrific violence to beautiful SA keycapsThat's why I put the o-rings on the sliders... you can't hear them scream :p
You should wait for the upcoming Realforce RGB TKL
I applied this mod to my Topre Type Heaven - initially I purchased 5 packs of these:
https://www.banggood.com/20Pcs-a-Set-Topre-to-Cherry-MX-Switch-Adapter-for-Topre-Realforce-HHKB-Capacitive-Keyboard-p-1143935.html?cur_warehouse=CN (https://www.banggood.com/20Pcs-a-Set-Topre-to-Cherry-MX-Switch-Adapter-for-Topre-Realforce-HHKB-Capacitive-Keyboard-p-1143935.html?cur_warehouse=CN)
They worked but each keycap had an annoying slight turn of 1-2 degrees, enough to be noticeable, and were pretty wobbly to boot. They also had no modifier sliders, so that didn't really work. My OCD didn't take long to trigger and I opted for JTK sliders from originative:
https://originative.co/products/mx-sliders (https://originative.co/products/mx-sliders)
These provided modifier sliders, and the keycaps mount on them straight and with less wobble. I actually ended up grabbing the o-rings from the banggood sliders and putting them on the JTK sliders - they reduce the travel a bit, but the sound is deeeelicious. I ended up pulling off the stabilizer mounts on my SA keycaps that I put on the board, and because of the stabilizer mechanism on the mounting plate it hasn't rendered the modifiers more wobbly at all. It was easier than drilling holes in the plate, that's for sure. All in all the mod wasn't terribly difficult - the biggest challenge on the Type Heaven is that the domes aren't a single sheet, instead they come in various discrete groups, and if they come off of the PCB at all it can be difficult to re-center them. You can see why the back of the pcb has approximately 500 screws to keep it all sandwiched together. I try not to think of the cost of it all, but in the end that SA on silenced slider sound on a topre is worth it IMO.
I ended up pulling off the stabilizer mounts on my SA keycaps...
I would never do this. Firstly, because I shudder at the thought of doing such horrific violence to beautiful SA keycaps. Secondly, because I might want to use those keycaps on keyboards with stabilizer mounts someday.
Holes drilled in a Topre plate have no adverse effects, even if you don't end up needing them in the end. But hacking off stems is irreversible, and simply unthinkable (for me) when it comes to SA keycaps.
I'm trying to find a way to mod Realforce TKL to mount SA caps on it...
I ended up pulling off the stabilizer mounts on my SA keycaps...
I would never do this. Firstly, because I shudder at the thought of doing such horrific violence to beautiful SA keycaps. Secondly, because I might want to use those keycaps on keyboards with stabilizer mounts someday.
Holes drilled in a Topre plate have no adverse effects, even if you don't end up needing them in the end. But hacking off stems is irreversible, and simply unthinkable (for me) when it comes to SA keycaps.
Me too, but I would simply buy few more mods to hack them, problem solved.
I'm trying to find a way to mod Realforce TKL to mount SA caps on it...
Do you have some photos of this mod project?It's my work computer, so here's an un-glamourous shot of it in its natural habitat:
I'm trying to find a way to mod Realforce TKL to mount SA caps on it...
I should think that JTK sliders and drilled holes for the stabilizer stems will do the trick.
QuoteDo you have some photos of this mod project?It's my work computer, so here's an un-glamourous shot of it in its natural habitat:
(Attachment Link)
Popped a sticker on the top right corner because I didn't like the printed "Type Heaven" font, and it's my buddy's music shop, so there ya go. At some point I'll post more.
Thanks dude!
So, this means you used topre spacbear there, is this correct?
QuoteThanks dude!
So, this means you used topre spacbear there, is this correct?
Of course! Yes, I did leave the stock space bar on there (flipped) - I left it there while I was considering the best option for putting the matching SA spacebar on there, but in the meantime I actually got accustomed to and really liked the recessed/ tilted feel of the space bar, and its dark grey isn't too ugly with the black on everything else.
Actually, I'm not sure what to do about the spacebar. Maybe someone who has done the slider swap can weigh in here. I've never tried to find a 6u MX-stemmed spacebar to replace a stock Realforce spacebar.
OK guys, I've been thinking about this and decide to mod one of my 87U55's.
So, basically looks like bottom row needs to be modded, right. However, I want to do a full bottom row, so it will change from
1.5u 1u 1.5u 6u 1.5u 1u 1u 1.5 to 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u 6.25u 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u
That means all bottom row switches will have to move a bit, either left or right side.
(Attachment Link)
First 6 will go left a bit, then last two will be moved to the right.
I skipped stabilizers of space bar - just drew middle stems.
First, I need Novatouch keyboard for sliders... Anyone would sell me one? ;D
OK guys, I've been thinking about this and decide to mod one of my 87U55's.
So, basically looks like bottom row needs to be modded, right. However, I want to do a full bottom row, so it will change from
1.5u 1u 1.5u 6u 1.5u 1u 1u 1.5 to 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u 6.25u 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u
That means all bottom row switches will have to move a bit, either left or right side.
(Attachment Link)
First 6 will go left a bit, then last two will be moved to the right.
I skipped stabilizers of space bar - just drew middle stems.
First, I need Novatouch keyboard for sliders... Anyone would sell me one? ;D
How exactly are you going to move the topre key locations??
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
The sliders can be purchased separately from Aliexpress.
What about the pcb??OK guys, I've been thinking about this and decide to mod one of my 87U55's.
So, basically looks like bottom row needs to be modded, right. However, I want to do a full bottom row, so it will change from
1.5u 1u 1.5u 6u 1.5u 1u 1u 1.5 to 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u 6.25u 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u
That means all bottom row switches will have to move a bit, either left or right side.
(Attachment Link)
First 6 will go left a bit, then last two will be moved to the right.
I skipped stabilizers of space bar - just drew middle stems.
First, I need Novatouch keyboard for sliders... Anyone would sell me one? ;D
How exactly are you going to move the topre key locations??
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Well, I'm going to mod the plate - simply filling the housing holes either to the left or right.
Dismantle the keyboard, pull out housings and file the holes, making them wider on one of the sides.
I applied this mod to my Topre Type Heaven - initially I purchased 5 packs of these:
https://www.banggood.com/20Pcs-a-Set-Topre-to-Cherry-MX-Switch-Adapter-for-Topre-Realforce-HHKB-Capacitive-Keyboard-p-1143935.html?cur_warehouse=CN (https://www.banggood.com/20Pcs-a-Set-Topre-to-Cherry-MX-Switch-Adapter-for-Topre-Realforce-HHKB-Capacitive-Keyboard-p-1143935.html?cur_warehouse=CN)
They worked but each keycap had an annoying slight turn of 1-2 degrees, enough to be noticeable, and were pretty wobbly to boot. They also had no modifier sliders, so that didn't really work. My OCD didn't take long to trigger and I opted for JTK sliders from originative:
https://originative.co/products/mx-sliders (https://originative.co/products/mx-sliders)
These provided modifier sliders, and the keycaps mount on them straight and with less wobble. I actually ended up grabbing the o-rings from the banggood sliders and putting them on the JTK sliders - they reduce the travel a bit, but the sound is deeeelicious. I ended up pulling off the stabilizer mounts on my SA keycaps that I put on the board, and because of the stabilizer mechanism on the mounting plate it hasn't rendered the modifiers more wobbly at all. It was easier than drilling holes in the plate, that's for sure. All in all the mod wasn't terribly difficult - the biggest challenge on the Type Heaven is that the domes aren't a single sheet, instead they come in various discrete groups, and if they come off of the PCB at all it can be difficult to re-center them. You can see why the back of the pcb has approximately 500 screws to keep it all sandwiched together. I try not to think of the cost of it all, but in the end that SA on silenced slider sound on a topre is worth it IMO.
What about the pcb??OK guys, I've been thinking about this and decide to mod one of my 87U55's.
So, basically looks like bottom row needs to be modded, right. However, I want to do a full bottom row, so it will change from
1.5u 1u 1.5u 6u 1.5u 1u 1u 1.5 to 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u 6.25u 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u 1.25u
That means all bottom row switches will have to move a bit, either left or right side.
(Attachment Link)
First 6 will go left a bit, then last two will be moved to the right.
I skipped stabilizers of space bar - just drew middle stems.
First, I need Novatouch keyboard for sliders... Anyone would sell me one? ;D
How exactly are you going to move the topre key locations??
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Well, I'm going to mod the plate - simply filling the housing holes either to the left or right.
Dismantle the keyboard, pull out housings and file the holes, making them wider on one of the sides.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Huh, so are the domes not as offset from the PCB contacts as I would have thought, or is there really that much leeway in terms of coverage for the switches to activate? Seems almost too easy to turn Topre into a standard layout then, though I guess there's still the issue of Novatouch-style spacebar stabilizers not being a thing yet.
I just had to comment on how amazing this is. this might be the first in the world.
@phinix:
Very nice work!
I have modded my FC660C with Cherry MX sliders from an Noppo 108EC-PRO.
In order to avoid messing with the stabilizers as you did, I have done only the digits and letters keys, and the Alt keys. It's good enough for me, because I have customized keycaps which are almost the same profile as the original ones. This would not have worked with SA profile keycaps.
I think it's easy to see you did an amazing job.
Very nice mod, congrats! I would have been worried by the PCB not registering but if that works, that's awesome.
FYI Rixtox has released the 6u spacebar adapter :pWhich is crap, as it breaks easily and leaves stems inside caps plus to use it you would still need a proper 6.25u wire, it will still be very scratchy and occasionally stucks... :p
https://www.shapeways.com/shops/axiom-1
Keeping this thread as my modding one, just wanted to show my latest purchase and wee project.
Bought a RF R2, then modded with Novatouch sliders. Used KRytox 205g0 for stabs' wiring and Tribosys 3203 for modifiers' sliders and housings.
Then put on GMK Space Cadet.Show Image(https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=40658.0;attach=232217;image)Show Image(https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=40658.0;attach=232242;image)
Keeping this thread as my modding one, just wanted to show my latest purchase and wee project.
Bought a RF R2, then modded with Novatouch sliders. Used KRytox 205g0 for stabs' wiring and Tribosys 3203 for modifiers' sliders and housings.
Then put on GMK Space Cadet.Show Image(https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=40658.0;attach=232217;image)Show Image(https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=40658.0;attach=232242;image)
Hey Phinix!!
I'm so happy I came across this thread. Seeing that you were able to put GMK Space Cadet on a RF R2 makes me really happy! This might be a stupid question, but did you have to do any modding for the spacebar sliders? I've only got the kbdfans sliders right now, and they don't seem to fit the spacebar topre-"sockets". I've been wondering how people are able to use regular GMK sets on RF boards!
Well, I did mod R1 before to use MX caps - that one needed more work on it to use it (you can see my mod at the top of this thread - a bit of filling on the plate to get it done).
R2 is a lot more simple - I just used Novatouch sliders - problem with Topre is that spacebar stabs need to be swapped with the Novatouch housings - plus the wire.
So wo I did is I used all from Novatouch. Housings are fine, for all switches apart from spacebar stabs. R2's standard bottom row helps to simply swap them.
I'm actually selling one modded R2 in our Classified. (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95213.0;all) Practicaly new.
Well, I did mod R1 before to use MX caps - that one needed more work on it to use it (you can see my mod at the top of this thread - a bit of filling on the plate to get it done).
R2 is a lot more simple - I just used Novatouch sliders - problem with Topre is that spacebar stabs need to be swapped with the Novatouch housings - plus the wire.
So wo I did is I used all from Novatouch. Housings are fine, for all switches apart from spacebar stabs. R2's standard bottom row helps to simply swap them.
I'm actually selling one modded R2 in our Classified. (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95213.0;all) Practicaly new.
Ah I see. So the Novatouch sliders from a full CM board is needed to successfully mod the R2.
I unfortunately just invested in a Norbaforce Mk2 (He just restocked a few ones) so I can't possibly justify buying your R2 ;) I'll make do with what I have, until I can sell something or see if i can find a broken Novatouch or something to harvest parts from! (Or maybe you still have yours for sale a little while longer)
Thank you for the answer though, super helpful!
Yeah, basically to fully mod it and have best solution is to grab a Novatouch and butcher it.
There are 3rd party 3d printed solutinos for those spacebar stabilisers but they are not ideal, I had them and they broke after few uses.
That is why so many people do mod Topre boards but keep original spacebars as is, topre slider, stabs and actual cap.
So far best solution is to get NT and use its sliders and spacebar bits. Topre original housings for all caps apart from spacebar are fine.
What I also do is I always add rings (latest Deskeys are amazing), it helps if you want to have silent version. Without is also fine, but if you want a nice lovely thock, add some slim rings.