geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: IceCandle on Wed, 17 June 2020, 21:18:37
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Integrated means it's going to be a cast case, some people don't like that either because looks or understanding. Separate also means you can change material for the plate, though most never do and few even offer alternatives. On the other hand, it means the plate is solidly mounted, which I actually like, I don't like a spongy or inconsistent plate feel (it also cannot rattle if loose). The plate on most 60 and 65% aren't even connected to the case, and yeah, that means noise can't transfer, but it also means the pcb is doing all the supporting and since the screws are not in a consistent pattern different parts of the board feel and sound different. I prefer a solid consistent feel then use the switches sort out the feel and sound others try and make the case conform then use a certain switch. Different (key)strokes for different folks. Personally I'd avoid the Tokyo for one reason, the hot swaps. I don't trust them long term, sure you can solder them shut or replace them but that kind of defeats the point.
As for ping and sound transfer, yes, true, but ping is from the switch (try different springs, switches and lube), you're treating a symptom not the cause. While treating the symptoms is limited, you can always do that, so go after the cause and any treatment towards the symptoms will be rewarded in spades.
Basically, don't listen to what others tell you on what to get, buy what YOU want. We don't have to look at it every day, we don't have to use it every day. We will probably never see it, much less touch it, so why should our opinion on it sway your judgement.
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If you're after sound, you're definitely going to have more challenges with integrated plates rather than not. This is due to the impact areas having direct surface contact with the rest of the board, thus causing additional resonant vibrations. That being said, I'll second; Buy what you want! At the end of the day its your board, if the sound bugs you that much, you can try stuffing foam in it or other dampening methods.
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I've never touched custom keyboard, all I can do is read/watch reviews and imagine how it feels. I'm not sure how much of that stiff experience is, that's why I said I'm going to follow what most people prefer. Looks like there are not many people who have used integrated plates, but I'd like to make a decision based on various opinions because I don't know when I'll be able to spend time and money to buy a keyboard again.
Not many have used them because there isn't many of them, they require a high initial investment and/or lots of expensive machining.
I think some people over-react towards the "stiffness" thing. It takes quite a lot to actually flex a steel or even aluminum plate, the difference between integrated vs bolted in is going to be 10 pounds of force vs 9 pounds of force. Sure, that's 10% difference, but your switches are 1/10th of a pound at activation, you need to put some serious force on that to actually cause flex. A Model M has one of the stiffest plates you can get and you never hear people complain, in fact most want the oldest, thickest plate they can get. Stiff means everything is consistent, if the board is flexible, it's very difficult to maintain a consistent feel across the whole board.
Sound is where you notice the most but that said it's less a matter of louder vs quieter but a matter of tone (high pitch sounds louder to us even when it actually isn't). If you have more material it's harder to create that resonance and it's at a different frequency but the difference is still rather small. Another issue is aluminum will reflect noise back at you more than plastic. Both of these are why many of us stuff foam in the case, it stops quite a lot of the vibration and reflection. If you really want the best sound, don't use a metal case or look for one made of brass (good luck with that).
Buy the case you like, tune the switch to feel and sound as close to what you want as you can, then use every trick in the book to eliminate the bad qualities you don't like. While we all want the full package it rarely ever actually exists.
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Thoughts on Integrated Plate?
SMH My head
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I had two board with integrated plates (M60 and a Luna). I thought they both had decent sound. `
My biggest reason for moving away from them was a desire to use some other materials and have a little more "flex".
The other thing to keep in mind is when it is integrated, it is typically thicker/stiffer (4mm) as well.