Case dampening

[saxophone]

Here's a little something I did on my Tizona G2N:

I've always been annoyed by the hollow echoing sound if you knock on the underside of keyboard. It's there since there's empty space between the PCB and the plastic parts that sticks out from the bottom frame to support the PCB.

So I opened the thing up and cut out some pads out of felt to put in there.

The felt pads are slightly thicker than the height of the plastic lines there to support the PCB, however it's also soft so it gets pushed down by the PCB and nicely fills up any gaps.

The sound made becomes dull after reassembly, kind of like the difference when you replace cheap thin ABS keycaps with thick PBT ones. It did also seem to somewhat silence the sound of typing it self. I'm pretty satisfied with the results I'd have to say.

[tronbeaver]

Where did you get the felt?

[saxophone]

Here in sweden we have this store chain called Panduro that sells all sorts of hobby related stuff from sewing to painting. Bought the felt from there as a single big square piece.

[iLLucionist]

Here's a little something I did on my Tizona G2N:

I've always been annoyed by the hollow echoing sound if you knock on the underside of keyboard. It's there since there's empty space between the PCB and the plastic parts that sticks out from the bottom frame to support the PCB.

So I opened the thing up and cut out some pads out of felt to put in there.

Show Image

The felt pads are slightly thicker than the height of the plastic lines there to support the PCB, however it's also soft so it gets pushed down by the PCB and nicely fills up any gaps.

The sound made becomes dull after reassembly, kind of like the difference when you replace cheap thin ABS keycaps with thick PBT ones. It did also seem to somewhat silence the sound of typing it self. I'm pretty satisfied with the results I'd have to say.

Can you make a sound comparison audio/video?

[saxophone]

I don't have any decent sound recording equipment so I'm unable to do anything like that.

[Geroximo]

I do this to all of my keyboards.

[iLLucionist]

I do this to all of my keyboards.

What material do you use and where do you buy it?

[fohat.digs]

I use felt, waffled rubber drawer liner, and the thick EPDM that I make my mats from, sometimes all 3.

The waffle rubber is the most compressible, and does not slip around as much as felt. The EPDM is heavy and I try to lay it at the bottom so that it just muffles the vibrations by brute force and weight. For voids that are not simply large and flat and accommodated with sheets, I fold layers into rectangles or cut strips and roll them into cylinders to get just the right sizes and shapes.

Other people have used multiple layers of duct tape alone, or duct tape along with other materials.

[iLLucionist]

I use felt, waffled rubber drawer liner, and the thick EPDM that I make my mats from, sometimes all 3.

The waffle rubber is the most compressible, and does not slip around as much as felt. The EPDM is heavy and I try to lay it at the bottom so that it just muffles the vibrations by brute force and weight. For voids that are not simply large and flat and accommodated with sheets, I fold layers into rectangles or cut strips and roll them into cylinders to get just the right sizes and shapes.

Other people have used multiple layers of duct tape alone, or duct tape along with other materials.

Nice, thanks!

[Geroximo]

I use PE-Foam. I got it from a huge package in which my monitors were. So I didn't buy it. You could probably order it online from a shop that is selling packaging materials.
I also have waffled rubber drawer line. I got it from a local store.

Technically, any sound dampening material works, just use the one you can get your hands on.

[iLLucionist]

I use PE-Foam. I got it from a huge package in which my monitors were. So I didn't buy it. You could probably order it online from a shop that is selling packaging materials.
I also have waffled rubber drawer line. I got it from a local store.

Technically, any sound dampening material works, just use the one you can get your hands on.

Thanks, I really got to try it.

[fohat.digs]

Technically, any sound dampening material works, just use the one you can get your hands on.

I would say that the denser and heavier materials work better. Also, if the padding is under compression, then it is likely to put the case under tension, and these will have a significant impact on dampening vibrations and resonance.

[lunas]

Sorbothane dampening pads are about as dense as you can get. Pricier but works great.

[Altis]

I do this to all of my keyboards.

As do I. Makes it sound much less hollow and gets rid of some of the plasticky sounds.

I use either drawer liner from the dollar store. Drawer liner lets you fill the space just right and get the right amount of compression. You don't want it too tight or it actually can sound kind of odd.

As nice as it is to sound deaden the inside of the case, putting the keyboard on something soft helps much more. You can cut out a piece and secure it to the bottom of the outside of the case if you don't want to type on a soft surface.

Yoga mat works really well for this but it usually isn't too cheap, especially if it's just for one keyboard.

[iLLucionist]

Sorbothane dampening pads are about as dense as you can get. Pricier but works great.

Where do you get those?

[iLLucionist]

I do this to all of my keyboards.

As do I. Makes it sound much less hollow and gets rid of some of the plasticky sounds.

I use either drawer liner from the dollar store. Drawer liner lets you fill the space just right and get the right amount of compression. You don't want it too tight or it actually can sound kind of odd.

As nice as it is to sound deaden the inside of the case, putting the keyboard on something soft helps much more. You can cut out a piece and secure it to the bottom of the outside of the case if you don't want to type on a soft surface.

Yoga mat works really well for this but it usually isn't too cheap, especially if it's just for one keyboard.

You just stack layer on layer inside the case or what?

[fohat.digs]

And there are also my mats .....

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=59308.msg1359377#msg1359377

I have enough stock for a few in the small sizes for HHKB, Poker, etc, (approx 4.3"x11.5" or 110mm x 290mm) and I hope to get some larger pieces for standard-size boards in the next week.

[SpAmRaY]

And there are also my mats .....

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=59308.msg1359377#msg1359377

I use this daily at work

[itzmeluigi]

And there are also my mats .....

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=59308.msg1359377#msg1359377

I have enough stock for a few in the small sizes for HHKB, Poker, etc, (approx 4.3"x11.5" or 110mm x 290mm) and I hope to get some larger pieces for standard-size boards in the next week.

Those look really good, do you think they would help slightly reduce the noise and ping on a Ducky 1008XM?

[fohat.digs]

And there are also my mats .....

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=59308.msg1359377#msg1359377

I have enough stock for a few in the small sizes for HHKB, Poker, etc, (approx 4.3"x11.5" or 110mm x 290mm) and I hope to get some larger pieces for standard-size boards in the next week.

Those look really good, do you think they would help slightly reduce the noise and ping on a Ducky 1008XM?

Any flexible material separating hard layers will reduce resonances and chattering as it keeps the flat surfaces from becoming sounding boards.

The easy test is to fold a towel and put it under the keyboard. A firm rubber mat will do less than the towel, sound-wise, but it is also helpful for traction and keeping the keyboard from moving.

[itzmeluigi]

And there are also my mats .....

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=59308.msg1359377#msg1359377

I have enough stock for a few in the small sizes for HHKB, Poker, etc, (approx 4.3"x11.5" or 110mm x 290mm) and I hope to get some larger pieces for standard-size boards in the next week.

Those look really good, do you think they would help slightly reduce the noise and ping on a Ducky 1008XM?

Any flexible material separating hard layers will reduce resonances and chattering as it keeps the flat surfaces from becoming sounding boards.

The easy test is to fold a towel and put it under the keyboard. A firm rubber mat will do less than the towel, sound-wise, but it is also helpful for traction and keeping the keyboard from moving.

Thanks i just put a towel under the 1008XM and it sounds much much better, i was really surprised. I would certainly like to buy some of those mats if you have enough in stock for a 1008XM 

[Altis]

I do this to all of my keyboards.

As do I. Makes it sound much less hollow and gets rid of some of the plasticky sounds.

I use either drawer liner from the dollar store. Drawer liner lets you fill the space just right and get the right amount of compression. You don't want it too tight or it actually can sound kind of odd.

As nice as it is to sound deaden the inside of the case, putting the keyboard on something soft helps much more. You can cut out a piece and secure it to the bottom of the outside of the case if you don't want to type on a soft surface.

Yoga mat works really well for this but it usually isn't too cheap, especially if it's just for one keyboard.

You just stack layer on layer inside the case or what?

Pretty much. The inside case isn't usually flat so you need to make it work. Usually I'll start with one full size layer and then make each one shorter (on the front side).

Here's an example of my KUL ES-87 with a single layer inside. Notice that I had to cut out around the stems that support the PCB and the cable. After that, I added more layers but not so much towards the front.

[lunas]

Sorbothane dampening pads are about as dense as you can get. Pricier but works great.

Where do you get those?

I bought some on Amazon, only one brand available, but a nice, thin sheet.

[The Hobbiest]

Is that some stuffed between the pcb board and the keyswitch plate as well?

[Altis]

Is that some stuffed between the pcb board and the keyswitch plate as well?

Aye, sharp eye!

I was experimenting with that to see if I could reduce some of the notorious ping of the KUL ES-87 with MX Clears. It pretty much went away when I changed the switches out to Zealio 62g/65g.

[Geroximo]

I was experimenting with that to see if I could reduce some of the notorious ping of the KUL ES-87 with MX Clears. It pretty much went away when I changed the switches out to Zealio 62g/65g.

You get rid of the pinging by lubing the spring inside the switch. (only where the spring is making contakt with the bottom of the housing and the stem)

[iLLucionist]

I do this to all of my keyboards.

As do I. Makes it sound much less hollow and gets rid of some of the plasticky sounds.

I use either drawer liner from the dollar store. Drawer liner lets you fill the space just right and get the right amount of compression. You don't want it too tight or it actually can sound kind of odd.

As nice as it is to sound deaden the inside of the case, putting the keyboard on something soft helps much more. You can cut out a piece and secure it to the bottom of the outside of the case if you don't want to type on a soft surface.

Yoga mat works really well for this but it usually isn't too cheap, especially if it's just for one keyboard.

You just stack layer on layer inside the case or what?

Pretty much. The inside case isn't usually flat so you need to make it work. Usually I'll start with one full size layer and then make each one shorter (on the front side).

Here's an example of my KUL ES-87 with a single layer inside. Notice that I had to cut out around the stems that support the PCB and the cable. After that, I added more layers but not so much towards the front.

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Late response, but that looks really nice! Time to try it myself..

[jcoffin1981]

This is very interesting.  I would love to see actual data on how much the noise is actually reduced.  One thing that annoys me to no end is pinging.  It's odd how random it is from keyboard to keyboardl

[E3E]

I used sorbothane on my Duck Eagle (what I call my Hammer Alps build) and it made it so quiet that I couldn't stand using PBT caps on the board, since it made it TOO quiet. I hear that carbon fiber also has vibration reduction qualities, and that is the material used for the plate I have in the board, so it's insanely quiet, especially with PBT. I use ABS so I can get more of a clack.







Dampening a board with blue Alps just sucks the soul out of them though, so I really don't like using blues in my Hammer Alps build. I stick to linears.

For the Orion v2, I use it undampened with blue Alps and it's dreamy. I did dampen it at one point but it really just ruins it.

[klennkellon]

I stuffed my Focus FK-2001 with paper towels. The FK-2001 is pretty flimsy but the added weight makes it feel better built than it actually is

[E3E]

I stuffed my Focus FK-2001 with paper towels. The FK-2001 is pretty flimsy but the added weight makes it feel better built than it actually is

If there's one amazing thing about this hobby, it's all the damn craftiness people have in making things work for them. That is awesome, man. Haha.

[Magna224]

I stuffed my Focus FK-2001 with paper towels. The FK-2001 is pretty flimsy but the added weight makes it feel better built than it actually is

The ones form the 80s aren't super bad. The 90s ones are super creaky! The earlier ones are a bit heavier. The cord is obviously bigger too.

[klennkellon]

I stuffed my Focus FK-2001 with paper towels. The FK-2001 is pretty flimsy but the added weight makes it feel better built than it actually is

The ones form the 80s aren't super bad. The 90s ones are super creaky! The earlier ones are a bit heavier. The cord is obviously bigger too.

Mine is from 95' made in China, so it's probably the worst one.

However, mine is unique because despite it being a later made board in China, it still uses complicated switches.

[E3E]

The ones form the 80s aren't super bad. The 90s ones are super creaky! The earlier ones are a bit heavier. The cord is obviously bigger too.

Mine is from 95' made in China, so it's probably the worst one.

However, mine is unique because despite it being a later made board in China, it still uses complicated switches.
[/quote]

Made in China vs Taiwan?

[Magna224]

I stuffed my Focus FK-2001 with paper towels. The FK-2001 is pretty flimsy but the added weight makes it feel better built than it actually is

The ones form the 80s aren't super bad. The 90s ones are super creaky! The earlier ones are a bit heavier. The cord is obviously bigger too.

Mine is from 95' made in China, so it's probably the worst one.

However, mine is unique because despite it being a later made board in China, it still uses complicated switches.

Well that's a good thing!

The ones form the 80s aren't super bad. The 90s ones are super creaky! The earlier ones are a bit heavier. The cord is obviously bigger too.

Mine is from 95' made in China, so it's probably the worst one.

However, mine is unique because despite it being a later made board in China, it still uses complicated switches.

Made in China vs Taiwan?
[/quote]

Yep. The '88 above is the rev1 or revA (Whichever one it is. Haven't had it open in years.) PCB with blue ALPS too.

[klennkellon]

Yeah, made in China in 95'.

It's in terrible condition atm, i have been scrounging it for parts, Im planning to get rid of it as a freebie soon.