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Author Topic: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound  (Read 5693 times)

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Offline markquisdesoiree

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New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:05:42 »
Hi,

Today I received my first, brand new HHKB. So far I am very happy with the device, except, there are two keys (- and =) which kinda bother me because they make a high-pitched rattling sound even when lightly pressed, which doesn't occur with any of the other keys.

I made a small video demonstrating it:

I tried removing and reattaching the keys, but it didn't help. Do you have any suggestion what I could do, or is it just "normal" with Topre switches and something I have to get used to?

Thanks for your help!
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Offline Puddsy

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:07:58 »
I read the second half of your post after I posted. I'm a bit slow today.

Let me check if my realforce does this.

EDIT: No weird rattling noises unless I'm REALLY light on the keycap. Especially present on the artisans I have on it, but nothing oppressive. I think it has to do with PBT shrinking at a variable rate and not fitting the plunger 100% correctly. It sounds a lot like the wobble I have on some of my MX boards.
« Last Edit: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:15:51 by TacticalStache »
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Offline markquisdesoiree

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:36:54 »
@TacticalStache thanks for checking. I think you are absolutely right that it's something with the keycaps. I replaced the two rattling keycaps with two other random keys that didn't rattle, and the rattle would stop. Kinda disappointing, but I guess I could always buy a new keyset (drooling for some black blanks  ;)).
« Last Edit: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:43:15 by markquisdesoiree »
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Offline Puddsy

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #3 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:42:49 »
No idea. Make sure you're snapping your keycaps in when you take them out.
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"Everything is worse, but in a barely perceptible and indefinable way" -dollartacos, after I came back from a break | "Is Linkshine our Nixon?" -NAV | "Puddsy is the Puddsy of keebs" -ns90

Offline markquisdesoiree

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #4 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:45:51 »
Quote from: TacticalStache on Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:42:49
No idea. Make sure you're snapping your keycaps in when you take them out.

Thanks. Yeah I am pretty sure they were snapped in properly. Well, perhaps I am a bit too OCD right now given that I just spent $260 on a new keyboard. I will let it sink for a bit and try again tomorrow. And again the next day. I heard the more you use topre keys the more you fall in love with them. (btw, I am coming from MX clears.)
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Offline Puddsy

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:52:45 »
Quote from: markquisdesoiree on Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:45:51
Quote from: TacticalStache on Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:42:49
No idea. Make sure you're snapping your keycaps in when you take them out.

Thanks. Yeah I am pretty sure they were snapped in properly. Well, perhaps I am a bit too OCD right now given that I just spent $260 on a new keyboard. I will let it sink for a bit and try again tomorrow. And again the next day. I heard the more you use topre keys the more you fall in love with them. (btw, I am coming from MX clears.)

HHKB layout can be a rough switch, but once you get used to it, it's pretty nice.

My GH60 is a pretty similar layout and I really like it. Topre is one of my top 3 switches, but I agree that they definitely take some getting used to.
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QFR | MJ2 TKL | "Bulgogiboard" (Keycon 104) | ctrl.alt x GON 60% | TGR Alice | Mira SE #29 | Mira SE #34 | Revo One | z | Keycult No. 1 | AIS65 | First CW87 prototype | Mech27v1 | Camp C225 | Duck Orion V1 | LZ CLS sxh | Geon Frog TKL | Hiney TKL One | Geon Glare TKL



"Everything is worse, but in a barely perceptible and indefinable way" -dollartacos, after I came back from a break | "Is Linkshine our Nixon?" -NAV | "Puddsy is the Puddsy of keebs" -ns90

Offline Tactile

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:59:31 »
I'll never be able to express this properly but...

I think the stem/shank of those key caps is undersized - slightly smaller in diameter - than they should be. They will snap into position properly but the stem/shank portion, being a little small, allows the cap to "rock" and makes that click. If you shake the keyboard with those caps installed you should be able to hear them rattle as they rock back & forth. Remove them & the sound should be different.

I once had an entire set like this. If you picked up the keyboard & shook it it sounded like you were shaking a box of candy corn.
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Offline markquisdesoiree

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #7 on: Sat, 29 October 2016, 20:29:00 »
Thanks Tactile. Fortunately it is not that bad in my case. I did some shaking of the keyboard and it sounded rather quiet. :) I think I am already getting used to the fact that most of the keys have their own individual sound. Even the two high pitched rattle ones... I suppose I can always change it by replacing the keycaps one day.

Starting to really love this board!!!
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Offline Polymer

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 01 November 2016, 02:55:09 »
Quote from: markquisdesoiree on Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:45:51
Well, perhaps I am a bit too OCD right now given that I just spent $260 on a new keyboard.

Ding ding ding!!!

Its not just you...a lot of people get like that..the expectations are it will be absolutely perfect in every single way...and even the smallest variance gets magnified...
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Offline Macsmasher

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #9 on: Tue, 01 November 2016, 19:57:36 »
I have an HHKB as well as three Realforce TKL boards. I love the HHKB, but it's not the quality of the Realforce boards.
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Offline tp4tissue

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 01 November 2016, 23:56:13 »
hahaha..

it's a moving part,  it's suppose to be a bit rattle-y, otherwise , it wouldn't move..
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Offline breaker9691

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 05 November 2016, 17:52:54 »
everything is fine with me, no weird sound from that 2, i just get my hhkb one or two month ago...
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Offline markquisdesoiree

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #12 on: Sun, 27 November 2016, 02:18:03 »
I feel I owe this thread an update. Last week I replaced the printed caps that came with my HHKB with a set of original non-printed caps. And guess what - the distracting rattling sound is gone.  :) :) So as some of you have suggested, there was something off with one or two keycaps. Easy fix but one that made me eternally happy.
« Last Edit: Sun, 27 November 2016, 02:54:06 by markquisdesoiree »
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Offline keykaiser

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #13 on: Sun, 27 November 2016, 17:58:09 »
Glad it was an easy fix!   :thumb:
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Offline Erikdayo

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #14 on: Mon, 28 November 2016, 09:36:08 »
Glad you got it solved. I haven't noticed an issue like that with my new HHKB. However, there were a few loud crackling sounds when I used the keyboard for the first few minutes. Wonder if that has to do with the case mounting. Don't think I've ever experienced it before. But it's fine now! :D
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Offline markquisdesoiree

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #15 on: Wed, 30 November 2016, 02:25:19 »
Not only did it fix the rattle issue, but I also like the texture of the replacement keys better. It's weird, since both were brand new (the board purchased from EB, produced 2016-05, and the blank keyset directly from PFU, produced 2016-04), yet the new keys have a grainer texture. Perhaps because they are blank?
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Offline Polymer

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #16 on: Fri, 02 December 2016, 11:22:07 »
Could be..but I'm not even sure why it would've bothered you...why would you be tapping the keys in such a manner and specifically THOSE keys which are not used as often...
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Offline markquisdesoiree

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #17 on: Fri, 02 December 2016, 11:32:34 »
Quote from: Polymer on Fri, 02 December 2016, 11:22:07
Could be..but I'm not even sure why it would've bothered you...why would you be tapping the keys in such a manner and specifically THOSE keys which are not used as often...

I am a touch-typist. But every time I pressed one of those keys, it distracted me and slowed me down, because they sounded/felt SO much different from the rest of the keys. Whether or not you often use these keys depends on your needs... for example, when I program I use them quite regularly in fact.
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Offline Polymer

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #18 on: Sun, 04 December 2016, 03:35:50 »
But the bit of clicking you see in a lot of HHKBs and that's part of the enjoyment..

To be honest, I don't really believe they were THAT different in normal use..otherwise you would've shown the difference in several different ways or at least a normal way vs. the really oddball way...

Or they were really different and you just chose a silly way to demonstrate that..

I'm chalking it up to being OCD about things, even irrelevant things that people grab onto when they first get a relatively expensive keyboard...
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Offline markquisdesoiree

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #19 on: Sun, 04 December 2016, 10:36:38 »
Quote from: Polymer on Sun, 04 December 2016, 03:35:50
But the bit of clicking you see in a lot of HHKBs and that's part of the enjoyment..˛

I am not sure what part of enjoyment you're referring to, but that clicking/rattling I pointed out in the video is definitely not it - and yes, forget the part where I said that it is no longer an issue after replacing the keycaps.

Quote
To be honest, I don't really believe they were THAT different in normal use..otherwise you would've shown the difference in several different ways or at least a normal way vs. the really oddball way...

Why would you not believe me? They were hugely different from the other keys. Did you forget to unmute your sound before listening to the video?

Quote
Or they were really different and you just chose a silly way to demonstrate that..

Yes, I clicked on each key to make a comparison. Indeed what a silly way to demonstrate...  :rolleyes:

Quote
I'm chalking it up to being OCD about things, even irrelevant things that people grab onto when they first get a relatively expensive keyboard...

Yeah right. Just as irrelevant as your contribution to this thread.
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Offline Moistgun

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #20 on: Sun, 04 December 2016, 10:44:45 »
Quote from: markquisdesoiree on Sun, 04 December 2016, 10:36:38
Quote from: Polymer on Sun, 04 December 2016, 03:35:50
But the bit of clicking you see in a lot of HHKBs and that's part of the enjoyment..˛

I am not sure what part of enjoyment you're referring to, but that clicking/rattling I pointed out in the video is definitely not it - and yes, forget the part where I said that it is no longer an issue after replacing the keycaps.

Quote
To be honest, I don't really believe they were THAT different in normal use..otherwise you would've shown the difference in several different ways or at least a normal way vs. the really oddball way...

Why would you not believe me? They were hugely different from the other keys. Did you forget to unmute your sound before listening to the video?

Quote
Or they were really different and you just chose a silly way to demonstrate that..

Yes, I clicked on each key to make a comparison. Indeed what a silly way to demonstrate...  :rolleyes:

Quote
I'm chalking it up to being OCD about things, even irrelevant things that people grab onto when they first get a relatively expensive keyboard...

Yeah right. Just as irrelevant as your contribution to this thread.

He said he didn't believe that they would be that different under normal use.  You finger slapping a few keys doesn't demonstrate the typical use of the keyboard.
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Offline markquisdesoiree

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #21 on: Sun, 04 December 2016, 11:31:10 »
Quote from: Moistgun on Sun, 04 December 2016, 10:44:45
He said he didn't believe that they would be that different under normal use.  You finger slapping a few keys doesn't demonstrate the typical use of the keyboard.

Yes, I am aware of that (among the other things he so politely said); yet, I clearly stated that those keys bothered me and that I was greatly relieved about the fact that the issue could easily be fixed with the replacement of said keys. In other words, yes, it did make a difference under normal use, because of the way those keys sounded and felt so much differently from the others. It's like asking why someone would want to replace an ABS Topre spacebar with a PBT one. Because it feels different. Better. More like the rest of the keys and how you would expect them to feel.
« Last Edit: Sun, 04 December 2016, 11:33:39 by markquisdesoiree »
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Offline Polymer

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Re: New HHKB Pro 2 rattling sound
« Reply #22 on: Sun, 04 December 2016, 17:14:33 »
Quote from: markquisdesoiree on Sun, 04 December 2016, 11:31:10
Quote from: Moistgun on Sun, 04 December 2016, 10:44:45
He said he didn't believe that they would be that different under normal use.  You finger slapping a few keys doesn't demonstrate the typical use of the keyboard.

Yes, I am aware of that (among the other things he so politely said); yet, I clearly stated that those keys bothered me and that I was greatly relieved about the fact that the issue could easily be fixed with the replacement of said keys. In other words, yes, it did make a difference under normal use, because of the way those keys sounded and felt so much differently from the others. It's like asking why someone would want to replace an ABS Topre spacebar with a PBT one. Because it feels different. Better. More like the rest of the keys and how you would expect them to feel.

So why not show that in your testing then instead of oddball way of showing it?

And I'm almost afraid to mention it but you do know all of your keys on your HHKB don't feel the same right?  There is a significant variance in how much force is needed to press them....the bigger keys feel different from each other as well....

You were right before when you said it was just OCD gone mad..and it is...

I'm happy the problem is fixed for you...but I'm almost afraid to tell people that their keyboard isn't 100% perfect because it just isn't...

The little click you were hearing, is pretty common on a lot of HHKBs and is probably as much of the personality of the keyboard as anything else..

There you go...Irrelevance..

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