Gateron switches

[Allthunbs]

I've just received my Drevo Seer Pro with the brown (supposed to be dual detent) compact keyboard. The size is perfect and the layout surprisingly intuitive after two days of use. But it is noisy but, then so was my Blademaster Pro wireless. the Blademaster solution (Cherry MX silent red) was to put those little donuts on it and it went silent instantly.

I'm faced with the same problem with the new keyboard except these are Gateron switches. I haven't lifted a switch yet so I don't know what's there. it's interesting, the backspace key and the Fn keys seem quieter than the rest. Don't know why yet. The question: will donuts work on this key switch and if so, what hardness and thickness has anyone else tried?

Thanks for the help.

[Hellcatz]

if a keyboard is loud you can try lubing the keys switches and stabilizers. this video here shows a relatively easy but messy way to lube your keyboard if you dont feel like desoldering and taking apart each key.

t=342s

[treeleaf64]

What's a donut? You mean O rings? Yeah they'll work on Gateron switches, only problem is that they don't feel good  compared to silent switches.

lubing doesn't reduce the sound to a  silent level it just makes it slightly quieter  and please Don't Spray Lube!!!!!!! It's not consistent and it can mess up your switches long term.

I don't know anything about o rings since I've never used them - I wouldn't recommend them.

[Allthunbs]

thanks to both of you. Useful information. I'll experiment and report back.

[Hellcatz]

try lubing the stabilizers first as that the easiest thing to do that normally yields the best result with out much skill or money involved. you can also try putting foam under the pcb to dampen/quiet down your hollow sounding keyboard. (result vary due to the case and design by the board but give it a try)

[diazel]

O-rings will work on your gateron switches but the biggest problem with the o-rings is they introduce mushiness to the bottom of the keystroke and doesn't do anything for the upstroke. I bought into the o-rings as a cheap and easy modification I could do without having to desolder/resolder. I put them on, felt the decrease of key travel, the mushiness, the fact that they did very little to make the board quieter, and after a couple of days I took them all off and haven't considered it since. I am intrigued when you say it went from loud to silent with them. Are you a heavy handed typer that strikes your keys hard? If so, I can see that. If you're a light typer, I can't imagine the sound difference being that drastic. Do you have a way to share?

Also, please don't spray lube your switches. Yes, it will drastically change and quiet your keyboard but you're also going to shorten its life too. Recently, I've enjoyed watching Wildcat do spray lube videos because typically that means I can expect some damaged keyboards such as Ducky mini or Anne Pro2 showing up on eBay. $90 for an AP2 with switches I don't want? I'll pass. How about fully functional keyboard but malfunctioning switches for $40? Yes, please.

I agree with Hellcatz. Typically I find the stabilizer rattle to be the worst part about manufactured pre-builts but also one of the easiest things to fix. There's a lot of people that go the route of the high end lube/grease on the stabs too but personally some cheap dielectric grease will go a long way. I don't know what that keyboard has but if they have costar stabs, put a little dab in the wire slot underneath the keycap as well.

[treeleaf64]

O-rings will work on your gateron switches but the biggest problem with the o-rings is they introduce mushiness to the bottom of the keystroke and doesn't do anything for the upstroke. I bought into the o-rings as a cheap and easy modification I could do without having to desolder/resolder. I put them on, felt the decrease of key travel, the mushiness, the fact that they did very little to make the board quieter, and after a couple of days I took them all off and haven't considered it since. I am intrigued when you say it went from loud to silent with them. Are you a heavy handed typer that strikes your keys hard? If so, I can see that. If you're a light typer, I can't imagine the sound difference being that drastic. Do you have a way to share?

Also, please don't spray lube your switches. Yes, it will drastically change and quiet your keyboard but you're also going to shorten its life too. Recently, I've enjoyed watching Wildcat do spray lube videos because typically that means I can expect some damaged keyboards such as Ducky mini or Anne Pro2 showing up on eBay. $90 for an AP2 with switches I don't want? I'll pass. How about fully functional keyboard but malfunctioning switches for $40? Yes, please.

I agree with Hellcatz. Typically I find the stabilizer rattle to be the worst part about manufactured pre-builts but also one of the easiest things to fix. There's a lot of people that go the route of the high end lube/grease on the stabs too but personally some cheap dielectric grease will go a long way. I don't know what that keyboard has but if they have costar stabs, put a little dab in the wire slot underneath the keycap as well.

This is some good advice,  if you have a soldering iron you can also swap out the switches that you have for silent switch ~

[Allthunbs]

My thanks to you all. My history --- in the 1960s & 1970s I worked key punch and word processing. I used dual-detent hall-effect keys on the word processors and on the ancient DataGeneral Nova 1210 terminals they used a spring with a sponge on the bottom of the keystroke. This serves a necessary purpose. When you push down on  the key, the contact is  made and the second detent/sponge will _gently_slow down your finger and, before it bottoms out, it will begin to restore the finger to rest; little joint damage and good accuracy. Requires several weeks to adjust too but once adjusted, speed, accuracy go up and fatigue goes down.

Mushy keys? Might be the ticket. Worth a try. Lube/grease, nope. Is there such a thing as A20 x 1mm o-rings or even A10?

[Hellcatz]

maybe try QMX-Clips by gmk. places a piece of foam between the key and the key switch; helps quiet down the thock you get from bottoming out. never used it myself but seems like a good fit for you

[Allthunbs]

Next installment:

Today I stuck on some WASD O-Ring switch dampeners (Blue 40-A-R) on the Gateron switches. This is the new DREVO SEER illuminated, wireless, compact keyboard. Specifically I stuck them on the 6 punctuation on the right side and the four cursor keys + function. Works a charm. The throw on these Gateron Brown seems longer than on the Cherry. The 2.0mm doesn't affect the engagement point and doesn't interfere with the length of stroke somehow but sound deadening is remarkable.

Next, I'm going to try a real experiment. I've found some 30A 1.5 & 2.0 at Mechanical Keyboards.com. Frightening Prices but I'm determined. Still can't find any 20A. Suggestions?

[ddrfraser1]

if a keyboard is loud you can try lubing the keys switches and stabilizers. this video here shows a relatively easy but messy way to lube your keyboard if you dont feel like desoldering and taking apart each key.

t=342s

um... can you not lead the newbies astray by telling them to spray lube please?

[treeleaf64]

Don't spray lube, did we not go over this already LOL

[Leslieann]

if a keyboard is loud you can try lubing the keys switches and stabilizers. this video here shows a relatively easy but messy way to lube your keyboard if you dont feel like desoldering and taking apart each key.

Please stop promoting this.

[Darthbaggins]

I would recommend on lubing the switches and stabs properly, it may seem like a pain but will cause less headaches and better consistency in the long run.