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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Neurochirurg on Tue, 05 March 2013, 07:17:34
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Hello everyone!
Since I have been an active reader of this forum for quite some time now I found out that a Filco Majestouch Tenkeyless MX-blue would be the right choice for me!
And indeed I am not dissapointed, it's a great keyboard overall, there's just one thing that bothers me. Friends keep complaining about the typing noise via voice chat and I thought about putting some O-rings on it to reduce the noise it makes. The thing is, I have no idea which ones to buy and where since I live in Europe, Austria.
As mentioned before I have a Filco Majestouch Tenkeyless MX-blue DE-layout.
Thanks in advance!
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you have to ask yourself what kind of noise it is.
Bottoming out: When you slam the keys hard and they hit the plate making a "thud" sound. O-rings do help with this. WASDkeys sell them
Clicking: You're using MX blues. Those switches click every time it actuates. -> No way you can change this unless you change your keyboard
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No, I'm sorry, I didn't quite express myself correctly. I love the clicking, I just want to reduce the "slamming" noise as you described.
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O rings definitely help with that.
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O-rings definitely helps with bottom out noise, and high viscosity oil will help noise from the keys springing back up. It's MX blues, so there's no way to reduce the actuation click.
Tell your friend to suck it up : p
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O-rings definitely helps with bottom out noise, and high viscosity oil will help noise from the keys springing back up. It's MX blues, so there's no way to reduce the actuation click.
Tell your friend to suck it up : p
This.
The click will be heard just as much with the o-rings. You should have gone with browns :)
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http://www.lowes.com/pd_31083-98-92059-80025_0__?productId=3102175&Ntt=ear+plugs&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dear%2Bplugs&facetInfo=
you can use them yourself or pass them out :)
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People seem to prefer this:
http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/cherry-mx-rubber-switch-dampeners.html
This works too but most find it too cushiony:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,slpads
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This works too but most find it too cushiony:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,slpads
Feels better with blues IMHO.
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1. Use a large sort(er) mouse pad or get some serbothane sheets and put below the keyboard.
2. Fill the keyboard with thick mineral oil (not joking, some guy filled his desktop with this and the computer still worked even after 3 months. Somehow you have to seal the keyboard.
3. Design your own switch.
4. Use dampened AEK2/matias switches.
problem solved.
p.s. I am using #1 and may go on the #3 route.
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People seem to prefer this:
http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/cherry-mx-rubber-switch-dampeners.html
This works too but most find it too cushiony:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,slpads
I like the soft-landing pads. I have them on my Leopold. I'd recommend o-rings/dampeners as you prefer. Also put your keyboard on top of a towel/mousepad/rubber mat. People have said that works as well. But what was said about the actuation click was right, you can't get rid of that without going to another switch. Also, feel free to check out my review (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40227.0) if you wanna get my thoughts and hear how the dampeners/o-rings might sound like.
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There are some practical things that can be done, how practical depends on you though.
O-rings help, but they work almost exclusively towards dampening bottoming out.
You get noise from the blue switches (clears are more quiet but retain similar feel), but not just from bottoming out, you also get noise when it returns to the top of the stroke. Softer springs (blues are the softest), help on stiffer switches, but otherwise there is little you can do to stop topping out noise except dampen vibrations from it as sound is vibration.
Double thick keycaps can help some with topping out noise, but don't expect miracles. A towel, foam, mousepad, soft rubber feet under your keyboard also helps. Aluminum cases can dampen it, but it's not cheap. If you have a steel plate, switching to an aluminum one will cut down the noise. If you have no plate a plate can help, laying tracks/lines with silicone all over the plate between switches can also dampen the noise. Filling the bottom with foam of some sort will help. As mentioned, mineral oil can work, but it's messy if you ever have to transport it. Foam is less quiet, but more practical.
Bottom line, you can do lots of little things that help by dampening vibrations and altering the pitch but for the most part, a mechanical keyboard, particularly with tactile feel, and especially Blues, is going to be noisy.
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Maybe you need to make your friends more quiet. Do you like the click?
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Or a more costly option that involves doing nothing to the keyboard, simply get a throat mic. It works based on contact picking up vibration while speaking and not background noise.
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There's a simple solution to your particular issue - use a push-to-talk voice actuation method as opposed to automatic / always on. That way your friends only hear you when needed.