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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: sealcouch on Thu, 15 July 2010, 19:29:02

Title: The over asked question
Post by: sealcouch on Thu, 15 July 2010, 19:29:02: I have a Model-M. I'm very very attached to it. I'm going to college and I have to room with this douchey looking baseball player. What is the best replacement for a Model-M keyboard that has the affirmative feel with a little less noise? I know this has been asked like 93857 times, I just could not find one direct response.

Sealcouch
Title: The over asked question
Post by: Superfluous Parentheses on Thu, 15 July 2010, 19:35:43: No I'm not a girl.

Oh that other question....

When you've got 2 Kilos of keyboard in your hand, who cares how loud it is?!
Title: The over asked question
Post by: hyperlinked on Thu, 15 July 2010, 19:36:22: If you have time on your hands, you can try skcheng's Model M dental floss silencer mod. He stuffed the springs with fluffy dental floss. Search for "dental floss" and you should find his mod thread.

I believe Ripster also had a mod that he used to dampen the springy sounds, though to a lesser extent than skcheng's mod.

If you have to swap in another board for your Model M, you'll probably go for a Cherry Blue or a Clicky ALPS board. I'm assuming you still want some loudness, but not to level of Model M loudness. If you want to be as quiet as possible, a Cherry Brown might be your future to not getting a baseball bat to the head.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: Computer-Lab in Basement on Thu, 15 July 2010, 20:18:27: Cherry browns are quiet, but they are alot different than typing on a Model M. I can't type on my Cherry Brown board after using my Model M for so long.

I am sure you can get use to Cherry Browns though, so I too would advise them.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: ironman31 on Thu, 15 July 2010, 21:37:48: Cherry blues, i think, are just as loud in a quiet environment. The browns are nice once you get used to typing without bottoming out. (I really enjoy browns and bs if that helps any)
I don't have much trouble going between brown and bs.

I have no experience with topre, so no advice there.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: SpatiallyAware on Fri, 16 July 2010, 05:46:46: For a dorm room: browns, Topre, rubber dome.

Blues will be too loud as well.

Don't forget to have fun!!!
Title: The over asked question
Post by: Jack on Fri, 16 July 2010, 06:31:29: I really think most of the noise from blue switches (at least on this Das S) come from bottoming out because when I just trip the switches it's not so resoundingly loud. I'm heavy-handed, Model M user, though, so if I want to type near my usual speed on Das I have to bottom out. You could probably figure out some mod to make the bottoming of the blues quieter. I have nothing right now. :(
Title: The over asked question
Post by: hyperlinked on Fri, 16 July 2010, 06:56:13: Quote from: Jack;203277
I really think most of the noise from blue switches (at least on this Das S) come from bottoming out because when I just trip the switches it's not so resoundingly loud.

No it's not so loud in comparison to a Model M, but I think someone's point above was that it may still be too loud for a dorm room. Then again, if he's living in the average freshman dorm, who's gonna hear the racket above the guy bouncing a basketball from above, the neighbors having sex, and the drunk guy trying to call his ex-girlfriend from the hallway with a bar of soap that he thinks is his cell phone?
Title: The over asked question
Post by: microsoft windows on Fri, 16 July 2010, 08:25:26: Just use the model M and tell your room mate to get over it.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: ironman31 on Fri, 16 July 2010, 21:02:00: Quote from: microsoft windows;203296
Just use the model M and tell your room mate to get over it.

lol, I'm not sure if that's the best idea. "I'm living with this kid for 10 or so months, let's start off by being an ass and making him hate me"
Title: The over asked question
Post by: EverythingIBM on Fri, 16 July 2010, 21:07:25: Yep. Your model M is fine.

And you can't get something that feels the same but dampened -- because since it's dampened it won't feel the same.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: patrickgeekhack on Sat, 17 July 2010, 15:30:15: Quote from: EverythingIBM;203489
Yep. Your model M is fine.

And you can't get something that feels the same but dampened -- because since it's dampened it won't feel the same.

True. I tried silicone grease to dampen the sound of my Customizer and it just never feel the same after that. I have not used it since. I'm waiting to have some free time to remove all the grease from each key and spring. Long process.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 17 July 2010, 16:08:50: There is that dental floss mod. I really have to try it out some day.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: hyperlinked on Sat, 17 July 2010, 16:10:54: Quote from: ironman31;203487
lol, I'm not sure if that's the best idea. "I'm living with this kid for 10 or so months, let's start off by being an ass and making him hate me"

Plus the roommate will either have baseball bats or be able to throw a ball very hard and very accurately. I lived with a pitcher before. You never got in a snowball fight with him. ;)
Title: The over asked question
Post by: Konkistadori on Sun, 18 July 2010, 17:02:47: buy earplugs for him :) Then its almost silent Model M ^^,
(http://www.activevibrant.com/catalog/images/hearing/Reusable%20Ear%20Plug%201260.jpg)
Title: The over asked question
Post by: hyperlinked on Sun, 18 July 2010, 17:06:00: Quote from: Konkistadori;203948
buy earplugs for him :) Then its almost silent Model M ^^,
Show Image
(http://www.activevibrant.com/catalog/images/hearing/Reusable%20Ear%20Plug%201260.jpg)

Oh yeah, we forgot to mention the ear plugs mod. It has the best results so far, but the drawback is that the results are temporary and you need to re-apply the mod each time. You may also have to deal with ear crud, which is another drawback.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: Xuan on Sun, 18 July 2010, 20:09:31: This is permanent, just apply once in each ear:

(http://rideliquid.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Air_Horn.jpg)
Title: The over asked question
Post by: Voixdelion on Sun, 18 July 2010, 21:24:53: keep the M and get him some earplugs
Title: The over asked question
Post by: hyperlinked on Sun, 18 July 2010, 22:18:42: Quote from: Xuan;203980
This is permanent, just apply once in each ear:

Show Image
(http://rideliquid.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Air_Horn.jpg)

Bah, that mod is impossible to complete. You might be able to finish the job on one ear, but the second one is near impossible to do.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: Xuan on Mon, 19 July 2010, 22:24:17: In that case buy two and apply at the same time.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: gr1m on Mon, 19 July 2010, 23:53:48: Quote from: Xuan;204375
In that case buy two and apply at the same time.

Win.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: Oqsy on Tue, 20 July 2010, 00:07:08: Oh my lulz.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: Jack on Tue, 20 July 2010, 01:06:48: You have to clamp the device down while applying the airhorn mod so it doesn't come loose before the mod takes effect.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: stickemup on Tue, 20 July 2010, 09:37:46: Funny, I was wondering if you could just ask for a deaf or hard of hearing roommate.

Another idea: if you're a competent touch typist, just make a sound-dampening box, with an open front to stick your hands through. Just think how handy this would be to set books on to plagarize (oops, I mean study) for your papers, and those will add to the sound dampening too.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: didjamatic on Tue, 20 July 2010, 09:40:58: A user on here Nanu was contemplating that at one time.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: washuai on Tue, 20 July 2010, 15:40:49: Well, if you're serious about quiet, during sleeping hours that leaves Topre, silicone, scissor switches, cherry clears (since you're an M user, better than browns), etc. There's no reason you shouldn't use your M during the day.

I personally couldn't fall asleep in a room with someone typing on cherry browns without ear plugs. Probably the same for cherry clears, but since they're harder to bottom out on, I have this illusion they're a little quieter. I mostly recommended clears, because you're an M user, so you're used to force and clears have more force and tactility than browns (though of course, still without audible feedback).

It is a dorm, why doesn't this guy have ear plugs and noise canceling over ear head phones, if he's so sensitive? Unlike loud talking/****ing, noise canceling headphones can actually have an impact on typing noise.

Remind him that the library is the quiet place.
Title: The over asked question
Post by: velociraptor on Tue, 20 July 2010, 17:57:16: I quieted down the Matias by putting it on top of a neoprene pad (basically a giant mouse pad). I've considered opening it up to see what else could be done to prevent the echoing inside the housing.

Perhaps there enough room inside your Model M to put neoprene or thin craft foam on the back of the metal plate inside? This should dampen the noise quite a bit. It's also not permanent, and easy to "undo" if you don't like the results.

IMO, the keys themselves aren't the problem, but the "ringing" from the sound rebounding around inside the keyboard housing and whatever hard surface the keyboard is on.

=V=
Title: The over asked question
Post by: 1839cc on Wed, 21 July 2010, 23:35:34: I second the clear Cherries. They really are harder to bottom out and therefore quieter than browns, at least for me.Also I prefer them to the browns for their slightly heavier and much more defined feel.

I haven't ever used a model M though, so I can't say how they compare.