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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Fandom on Mon, 27 January 2014, 14:59:48

Title: The ping is too high...
Post by: Fandom on Mon, 27 January 2014, 14:59:48: Hey everyone,

Some time ago I bought a Filco Majestouch ninja 2 with brown switches, but quickly returned it due to high ping issues. I'm using it in a relatively small room, which simply enhances the ping noise when there is silence.

I now got a Cm storm quickfire tk brown, which together with the slightly lower build quality compared to the Filco, has even worse ping. I literally can hear a ping sound, similar to the error sound windows 98 make, every time I finish typing a sentence.

I can return the keyboard. Please offer me your advise on what I could get to improve my keyboard experience over a rubber dome. I can put in the extra money to buy a topre, if that will be ping-free.

Thank you very much for your time and info.
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: t2russo on Mon, 27 January 2014, 15:34:30: My theory: plate-mounted switches in a case where the metal plate itself is not held down securely enough ends up using the plate as a resonator. Yes the Filco plate screws to the case, but it has a lot of areas that aren't always touching something and thus aren't effectively dampened.

A breakdown of the construction method can be see in this infamous ripster album: http://imgur.com/a/gtm3t#0

The "inferior" standoff-free plate mounting in the Vortex case is much more similar to the build of a KMAC where you bolt the plate to either the top or bottom half of the case and then sandwich the rest, maximizing the contact area of the perimeter of the plate to immovable aluminum. Otherwise the edges can vibrate and thus make or amplify a noise, just the same as if you took a ruler, overhung some of it from your desk, and then twanged it:

YMMV but look into PCB mounted keyboards first if you are willing to give Cherry switches a shot still, I don't have hands on experience with enough Topre to dissect how they make noise.
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: PointyFox on Mon, 27 January 2014, 15:39:00: You type TOO DAMN HARD.

(http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2013-12-09/1209_mcmillan_630x420.jpg)
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: Novus on Mon, 27 January 2014, 15:47:21: Give her a good massage and lube her up.

(http://i.imgur.com/u8NmEVh.jpg)
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: Air tree on Mon, 27 January 2014, 15:54:49: Quote from: the1onewolf on Mon, 27 January 2014, 15:47:21
Give her a good massage and lube her up.

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/u8NmEVh.jpg)

I wish HHKB's smelled like bacon..
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: SpAmRaY on Mon, 27 January 2014, 16:03:31: Quote from: Air tree on Mon, 27 January 2014, 15:54:49
Quote from: the1onewolf on Mon, 27 January 2014, 15:47:21
Give her a good massage and lube her up.

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/u8NmEVh.jpg)

I wish HHKB's smelled like bacon..

Just rub one of these on it

http://www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-11076-Bacon-Air-Freshener/dp/B0095UVKRI
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: rowdy on Mon, 27 January 2014, 17:21:43: Quote from: SpAmRaY on Mon, 27 January 2014, 16:03:31
Quote from: Air tree on Mon, 27 January 2014, 15:54:49
Quote from: the1onewolf on Mon, 27 January 2014, 15:47:21
Give her a good massage and lube her up.

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/u8NmEVh.jpg)

I wish HHKB's smelled like bacon..

Just rub one of these on it

http://www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-11076-Bacon-Air-Freshener/dp/B0095UVKRI

That's a thing? :eek:
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: Fandom on Mon, 27 January 2014, 20:02:35: Is lubing a keyboard's switches really a practised solution around these forums, or do people generally not hear the ping/ignore it? I'm starting to believe that the pingyness is just an inherent attribute of most mechanical keyboards, let me know if I am wrong.
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: phoenix1234 on Mon, 27 January 2014, 20:25:30: Quote from: Fandom on Mon, 27 January 2014, 20:02:35
Is lubing a keyboard's switches really a practised solution around these forums, or do people generally not hear the ping/ignore it? I'm starting to believe that the pingyness is just an inherent attribute of most mechanical keyboards, let me know if I am wrong.

IMO, generally, we don't hear it because we concentrate on typing / gaming.
If we notice they are there, we try to listen to it, we may hear the ping on some switches.
However, if we forget about it, we may not hear it anymore.

And yes, lubing the springs may resolve the ping issue. You can lube the springs with some Krytox GPL103 (expensive solution) or Victorinox multi-tool oil (cheaper solution) but very effective.
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: Fandom on Tue, 28 January 2014, 11:39:14: I'm currently considering one of the following scenarios, as from what I understood, Topre switches are also quite noisy/pingy.

1) Keep the CM storm and lube the crap out of it. Maybe add some additional silencing such as pads (though I have no idea where to find these in Europe).
2) Return the CM, get a Filco and lube the crap out of it.
3) Return the CM and get a Matias Quiet Pro or a PCB mounted keyboard.

Please advise on a good PCB mounted keyboard that can be found in Europe guys. Also, if anyone can provide an opinion on how the Matias Quiet pro behaves in terms of pinging, I would very much appreciate it.
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: epzy on Tue, 28 January 2014, 11:56:01: Sigh, just buy a $1 anti-slide rubber mat and place it under your keyboard and the pinging should go away. It does for all of my keyboards with the infamous 'ping issue' at least. And as far as I know Topre = pingless.
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: Fandom on Tue, 28 January 2014, 12:11:28: Quote from: epzy on Tue, 28 January 2014, 11:56:01
Sigh, just buy a $1 anti-slide rubber mat and place it under your keyboard and the pinging should go away. It does for all of my keyboards with the infamous 'ping issue' at least. And as far as I know Topre = pingless.

Thanks for the tip. I tried with a big rubber mat, as well as with a mousepad and they did little to nothing to reduce the high pitched pinging sound. I'm all ears for further recommendations.
Title: Re: The ping is too high...
Post by: epzy on Tue, 28 January 2014, 15:57:06: Quote from: Fandom on Tue, 28 January 2014, 12:11:28
Quote from: epzy on Tue, 28 January 2014, 11:56:01
Sigh, just buy a $1 anti-slide rubber mat and place it under your keyboard and the pinging should go away. It does for all of my keyboards with the infamous 'ping issue' at least. And as far as I know Topre = pingless.

Thanks for the tip. I tried with a big rubber mat, as well as with a mousepad and they did little to nothing to reduce the high pitched pinging sound. I'm all ears for further recommendations.

That's weird. Helped with 3 of my keyboards that suffered the ping curse. :/