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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: lakiozoon on Sat, 13 April 2019, 16:13:29

Title: What makes the board clack?
Post by: lakiozoon on Sat, 13 April 2019, 16:13:29
I have two linear boards:

QFR clacks when bottoming out, whilst TADA68 is almost muted. Not that I don't like my TADA, it is smooth and silent but it doesn't clack on bottoming out, not like my QFR does.

To illustrate, QFR is somewhat like this, obviously much less refined but the clack on bottoming out is there. -

TADA is very similar to this one -
t=13s  almost no clack on bottom out.

I know lube and aluminum case make some difference, but tbh I think the difference in clacking is due to something else.

Any points?

I like clack!
Title: Re: What makes the board clack?
Post by: Fate25 on Sun, 14 April 2019, 06:50:54
Lubing your linear switches with thicker lube, like Krytox 205 grade 0, would definitely mute the clacking. The logic there is that there is now a layer of lube covering your switch sliders and somewhat cushioning them when they hit the top and bottom of your switch housings.

Personally I don't own a aluminium case yet. But the switch plate material should affect the noise as well. If you like a more clacky noise, then using plastic material plates such as polycarbonate plates should increase the sound and maybe affect the pitch. As polycarbonate is a more flexible material compared with metal such as brass, hence more vibration sounds when hit. By the same logic, I believe plastic casings should sound more clacky as well, as the case also vibrates more when hit, compared to metal materials like aluminium.

In summary, if you want more clacky linear bottoming sounds when typing. I would suggest no lube or thinner lube for your switches. (Personally I can no longer tolerate unlubed switches ). Plastic or polycarbonate switch plates. Plastic or frosted acrylic keyboard cases. All these in theory should produce more vibrations when you hit the bottom of your switches, resulting in louder clacks. Try it out and post the results!
Title: Re: What makes the board clack?
Post by: rowdy on Sun, 14 April 2019, 22:02:15
It's not something obvious, like O-rings, is it?
Title: Re: What makes the board clack?
Post by: lakiozoon on Wed, 17 April 2019, 13:06:04
I used only a small amount of thin lube. I was surprised how big of a difference it made. But, it made very little difference regarding sharp clacky sound when bottoming out, cause
out of the box TADA was very different from my QFR in that regard. Aluminum case also made the board quite different, sound and feel wise. It made the feel more solid and the sound less hollow, but the clack was always half muted.

TADA has the switches  mounted upside down (that's why I used north facing washers) but mounting them also didn't make the board clack. Both boards have steel plates but QFR feels way "sharper" when bottoming out.

Both examples I posted paint the difference quite well but I still can't seem to be able to pinpoint the cause.

Quote from: Fate25 on Sun, 14 April 2019, 06:50:54
In summary, if you want more clacky linear bottoming sounds when typing. I would suggest no lube or thinner lube for your switches. (Personally I can no longer tolerate unlubed switches ). Plastic or polycarbonate switch plates. Plastic or frosted acrylic keyboard cases. All these in theory should produce more vibrations when you hit the bottom of your switches, resulting in louder clacks. Try it out and post the results!

Thanks for your input!
To try these things I would need to buy myself a new board, and I was planning for the TADA to be my endgame :)