Blue Cherry Keycap Dampening Material -- anyone try this?

[Crypt]

The Blue switch alone is very quiet/mellow.  However, the Filco keycap seems to greatly amplify the noise -- noticeably high pitched on occasion.  I'd like an inbetween sounding solution.  Ideally, I'd want more tock and less tick.  However, an overall volume reduction may be an improvement on its own.  I know thicker keycaps help in this area, but I prefer blanks to doubleshots.

Can anyone report experiences or recommendations regarding inserting sound dampening materials into keycaps?  I'm not interested in the O-ring type inserts, as I don't want my travel or bottom out feel to be affected.  I'm thinking more along the lines of those PC case sticky mats like:



Thanks!

[woody]

The asians have put clay in their keys and baked them.

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I have thought about this (some quick drying compound, no baking), but never got to it. What's the outcome?

[keyb_gr]

That amount of material would seem to be a little excessive to me. Essentially you want to bring the keycaps up to par with vintage Cherry caps, not increase moving mass to plus infinity.

Choice of material is tricky... high density and good internal damping would be useful.

[Findecanor]

I wonder if you scored a pattern into the sculpey you would get even more sound dampening ...

I think that I would fashion a stamp and use that if I was doing it on 105 keys ... With a stamp it would also be easier to attain the perfect depth.
Unfortunately, when baking, sculpey does lose its stickiness and it would remain inside by friction only (I know this from having baked sculpey on metal many times) ... unless there are any undercuts inside the key cap, of course.

[flyball]

That amount of material would seem to be a little excessive to me. Essentially you want to bring the keycaps up to par with vintage Cherry caps, not increase moving mass to plus infinity.

Choice of material is tricky... high density and good internal damping would be useful.

low density you mean

[Findecanor]

Perhaps you could cut a cross-shaped piece of craft foam and glue that to the inside walls of your key caps. That is the only type of open-cell foam that I think could be cut with enough precision.

[Spinifex]

I  don't know how it would work, but in Australia we have this stuff called Space Invader.  It is an expanding foam that comes in an aerosol can with an injector nozzle so you can spray it into cracks and really small spaces.  You buy it from the hardware shop and I am going to give it a try in a few weeks.

Being expanding foam any extra weight would be minimal to negligible and have little impact on the tactile feel on the key cap being filled.

Problem is it is rather fiddly and a little messy, but as to filing the key caps I would think that it was a reasonable option however I have no idea as to its actual sound deadening properties.

I would be fairly certain that a similar product is available at most hardware stores around the world.

Oh, and it would be a hell of a lot faster than individually cutting and fitting 100 odd key caps with solid foam. Space Invader would set in situ as it dries. No need to bake or glue either.

[Enzyme]

im guessing the best dampening would come from silicone, why so many pmp and mobile skins use it as shock protection.
foam would compress over time and become hard.
i took a quick google and maybe something like this would be of use: Silicone Sheet (Medical Grade )

you can get that stuff in many thickness' and densitys, and a damn site cheaper than pc modding parts (maybe not the medical grade, but your bog standard sheeting).

[Enzyme]

with silicone you can use a metal cake cutter aproach (pencil with eraser removed).
i use it to add belt loops to my pmp sili skins without causing tear weakneses.
get a couple of sizes so you have rings and it should be pretty quick.
but it would'nt work as well with foam unless you heated up the cutter ring first,
and then youd have to allow for shrinkage and hardening.

[Findecanor]

You will have to avoid there becoming a tight seal between the key cap and the silicone sheet.

I have got a whole keyboard that came with a silicone rubber sheet in-between the switches and key caps to act as a splash-guard.
The keys took some extra time on the up-stroke and they made a sucking sound when they did.
At first I thought it was because of the rubber domes in the sheet, but I cut off a dome and discovered that the effect was still there! Apparently, the key cap had formed a seal against the rubber sheet and there was a suction effect!

I noticed later that most, if not all rubber dome keyboards have air channels moulded in them in-between the rubber cups to prevent the suction effect under the sheet.

[AcidSouL]

here my mode...this is the bottom of very cheap mouse pad





its a little strange now...because the keys dont down all 4mm now... and the feel its a little fleet but...not bottoming out anymore..and a lot more quiet now and i am kinda type more fast now...i think