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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: AKIMbO on Mon, 22 July 2013, 19:55:00

Title: Realforce modding (Silence mod on easy mode)
Post by: AKIMbO on Mon, 22 July 2013, 19:55:00: I plan on modding my 55g RF into a 55g silent. I'd rather do it the easy way (i.e. buy a stock RF 87u silent version and swap the metal plunger plates).

So my question is...will swapping the top metal plate (with plungers still connected) from the RF silent onto the RF 55g PCB work? Are the PCB's of the RF87u non silent and RF 87U silent exactly the same such that it would allow an easy swap of top plates to achieve a silenced RF 87u 55g?

The mod worked! I listed the steps in a below post.
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: khaangaaroo on Mon, 22 July 2013, 23:25:35: I'm pretty sure they are the same, and that will work just fine. The only thing that might have changed over time between 87u models are the housings for keys with LEDs. (I think the "EK" edition had something different so that there would be less light bleed outside the key.) In that case, you might have to swap two or three housings between plates for the keys with LEDs if they don't fit right over the LEDs.

I've never seen any issues swapping cases between 87u's, so that must mean the plates are probably all exactly the same size.

EDIT: Also note that the white 87u has a unfinished metal plate, and the black 87u has a black painted plate. So keep that in mind when you buy the silenced model, what kind of look you want for the plate.
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: iri on Tue, 23 July 2013, 05:09:33: don't you experience finger pain anymore on topre?
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: AKIMbO on Tue, 23 July 2013, 07:15:21: Quote from: iri on Tue, 23 July 2013, 05:09:33
don't you experience finger pain anymore on topre?
Nope...I'm good. I've got no idea what was going on in the past with my knuckles, but typing on topre is fine for me now.

Quote from: khaangaaroo on Mon, 22 July 2013, 23:25:35
I'm pretty sure they are the same, and that will work just fine. The only thing that might have changed over time between 87u models are the housings for keys with LEDs. (I think the "EK" edition had something different so that there would be less light bleed outside the key.) In that case, you might have to swap two or three housings between plates for the keys with LEDs if they don't fit right over the LEDs.

I've never seen any issues swapping cases between 87u's, so that must mean the plates are probably all exactly the same size.

EDIT: Also note that the white 87u has a unfinished metal plate, and the black 87u has a black painted plate. So keep that in mind when you buy the silenced model, what kind of look you want for the plate.

Thanks! I'm probably going to get a black 87u silent. A spare set of black dyesub caps and a black backplate on a white 87u 55g would be excellent. I think I'll post a little pictorial how to if the mod works out smoothly.
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: MJ45 on Tue, 23 July 2013, 11:45:14: You could turn your HHKB typeS into a HHKB typeS 55g with your 55g RF!
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: khaangaaroo on Tue, 23 July 2013, 21:40:23: Quote from: AKIMbO on Tue, 23 July 2013, 07:15:21
Thanks! I'm probably going to get a black 87u silent. A spare set of black dyesub caps and a black backplate on a white 87u 55g would be excellent. I think I'll post a little pictorial how to if the mod works out smoothly.

Just listed: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=46122.0
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: iri on Wed, 24 July 2013, 10:01:22: Quote from: AKIMbO on Tue, 23 July 2013, 07:15:21
Quote from: iri on Tue, 23 July 2013, 05:09:33
don't you experience finger pain anymore on topre?
Nope...I'm good. I've got no idea what was going on in the past with my knuckles, but typing on topre is fine for me now.
congratulations. how much time did the "recovery" take?
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: KuhnTang on Wed, 24 July 2013, 12:58:32: I'm curious to see how this turns out. Also how much work is involved.
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: AKIMbO on Wed, 24 July 2013, 17:09:10: Quote from: iri on Wed, 24 July 2013, 10:01:22
Quote from: AKIMbO on Tue, 23 July 2013, 07:15:21
Quote from: iri on Tue, 23 July 2013, 05:09:33
don't you experience finger pain anymore on topre?
Nope...I'm good. I've got no idea what was going on in the past with my knuckles, but typing on topre is fine for me now.
congratulations. how much time did the "recovery" take?

Just a few days. I have no idea what was going on? It could have been bad typing technique or lupus. I'm going with lupus though.
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: badcop on Wed, 24 July 2013, 17:30:22: Quote from: AKIMbO on Wed, 24 July 2013, 17:09:10
Quote from: iri on Wed, 24 July 2013, 10:01:22
Quote from: AKIMbO on Tue, 23 July 2013, 07:15:21
Quote from: iri on Tue, 23 July 2013, 05:09:33
don't you experience finger pain anymore on topre?
Nope...I'm good. I've got no idea what was going on in the past with my knuckles, but typing on topre is fine for me now.
congratulations. how much time did the "recovery" take?

Just a few days. I have no idea what was going on? It could have been bad typing technique or lupus. I'm going with lupus though.

(http://files.gamebanana.com/img/ico/sprays/neverlupus_2.gif)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: oTurtlez on Thu, 25 July 2013, 14:28:47: Quote from: badcop on Wed, 24 July 2013, 17:30:22

Quote from: AKIMbO on Wed, 24 July 2013, 17:09:10
Quote from: iri on Wed, 24 July 2013, 10:01:22
Quote from: AKIMbO on Tue, 23 July 2013, 07:15:21
Quote from: iri on Tue, 23 July 2013, 05:09:33
don't you experience finger pain anymore on topre?
Nope...I'm good. I've got no idea what was going on in the past with my knuckles, but typing on topre is fine for me now.
congratulations. how much time did the "recovery" take?

Just a few days. I have no idea what was going on? It could have been bad typing technique or lupus. I'm going with lupus though.

Show Image
(http://files.gamebanana.com/img/ico/sprays/neverlupus_2.gif)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

I just died. Omg House.
Title: Re: Realforce modding question
Post by: AKIMbO on Thu, 01 August 2013, 21:17:59: Quote from: KuhnTang on Wed, 24 July 2013, 12:58:32
I'm curious to see how this turns out. Also how much work is involved.

So I just did the mod (swapped the metal plate from a stock silenced board and installed it onto a stock not silenced board). It worked flawlessly. Total time spent was about 30 minutes.

Steps involved:
1) Remove cases from both keyboards.
2) Unhook the usb cables from the PCBs on both boards.
3) Flip the boards over so the plungers are on resting on your desk/table/worksurface.
4) Unscrew the PCB from the plate.
5) Flip PCB over so plungers are on top.
6) Lift plate away from PCB.
7) Swap the plates/place plates on top of PCBs (note: PCBs will still have the rubber domes installed...we are only swapping the metal plates with this mod).
8) Flip boards over (plungers on your worksurface) and screw the plates back into the PCB.
9) Reinstall usb cables.
10) Reinstall the cases on the keyboard.
11) Enjoy newly silenced realforce keyboard.
Title: Re: Realforce modding (Silence mod on easy mode)
Post by: KuhnTang on Fri, 02 August 2013, 10:29:00: So what is your opinion of the new silenced 55g?
Title: Re: Realforce modding (Silence mod on easy mode)
Post by: oTurtlez on Fri, 02 August 2013, 10:33:46: Uniform silence sounds wonderful.
Title: Re: Realforce modding (Silence mod on easy mode)
Post by: AKIMbO on Fri, 02 August 2013, 10:36:41: Quote from: KuhnTang on Fri, 02 August 2013, 10:29:00
So what is your opinion of the new silenced 55g?

It's heaven.

Near dead silent. It doesn't thock as much as an 87u-silent (variable weighted) nor an HHKB Type S. The actuation force required doesn't seem to be affected by the silenced plungers or foam disks and the scratchiness of a silenced topre switch is somewhat reduced (probably due to the heavier actuation force required of a 55g switch in comparison to 30g, 35g, 40g, or 45g topre switches).

I think it's my favorite keyboard, but I will reserve final judgment for a few months.
Title: Re: Realforce modding (Silence mod on easy mode)
Post by: wendell on Fri, 02 August 2013, 11:34:25: I wonder if EliteKeyboards would be interested in doing this. They could take a Realforce 87U Tenkeyless 55g and a Silent, swap the plates, then sell the 55g/silent for a bit more and the variable/normal for a bit less. I would expect a lot of people to be interested in both. The trick would be to make the price differential enough that they didn't get stuck with a lot of variable/normals.
Title: Re: Realforce modding (Silence mod on easy mode)
Post by: Neo.X on Fri, 02 August 2013, 11:36:16: That a great and easy mod. I have a 55g one and silent one as well, maybe I should try this mod as well.

Thanks for sharing :thumb: