Quietest Cherry MX possibilities?

[minho]

Is the quietest possible Cherry MX keyboard one with red switches and o-rings? Would different backplate/no backplate help with this? And are there any other modifications that can be done to make the keyboard even quieter beyond o-rings?

Also, why isn't there a subforum for key switches? (Just never a need for one?)

[blithen]

I think Reds plus o-rings is your best bet. Although blacks might be even quieter because you're less likely to bottom out with those(in my experience anyway). I'm not sure about the backplate bit though. I assume a backplate would help. And just to clarify the term backplate for me means that the switches are mounted onto a plate of some sort and not directly on the circuit board thus you're less likely to get noise/vibrations from the entire board. I could be wrong about that though.

[Oobly]

You can trampoline and latex mod them for the quietest MX experience: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50632.0

The "trampoline" dampens and softens bottoming out and the latex dampens the release, when the slider hits the top casing.

[Zeal]

In general, a stiffer linear switch would result in quieter key presses as you're less prone to bottoming out. So ideally MX Linear Grays + soft O-rings would be your quietest bet. Will your fingers be happy after a long typing session? Most likely not.  )

[minho]

You can trampoline and latex mod them for the quietest MX experience: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50632.0

The "trampoline" dampens and softens bottoming out and the latex dampens the release, when the slider hits the top casing.

Wow that's a world of difference. Thanks, was looking for something like this 

[SpAmRaY]

Honestly I think stock clears can be very quiet once you get the hang of not bottoming out. I'm sure lube + orings + different caps would yield different results. Also plate material, case material and adding some dampening material inside the case as well as some sort of dampening mat on your desk under the keyboard can make a difference as well.

The quietest keyboard I ever had was a 55g lubed and dental band silenced HHKB.

The thing is you might get the quietest switch possible but will you still enjoy typing on it?

[CPTBadAss]

The variant of Jailhouse Blues created by khaangaroo was the quietest MX switch I've tried.

I also think that if you can learn not to bottom out, linear MX switches (Blacks and Reds) are very quiet.

[Findecanor]

I assume a [switch mounting plate] would help.

In general, a stiffer linear switch would result in quieter key presses as you're less prone to bottoming out.

Honestly I think stock clears can be very quiet once you get the hang of not bottoming out.

In my experience, you are all wrong.
Any Cherry MX switch can have its "clack" silenced with O-rings, but they can't be silenced on the rebound - and stiffer switches rebound harder.
New, unmodified Clears are louder than blacks, reds and browns because of the friction against the big tactile bump. Lubing does help, though.
Thick ABS and POM keycaps are more silent than thin ABS and thick PBT.

My Cherry G80-series keyboards with PCB-mounted switches are more silent than my keyboards with plate-mounted switches, but I know also that some keyboards with plates are more silent than others.
It has to do with how resonance is transmitted through the different materials and amplified inside the case.
I think that having only a circuit boards dampens vibration because they flex somewhat, while plates are rigid, transferring vibration directly to the case. Rubber feet or large mouse pad under the keyboard are significant. You could also place sound-dampening material inside keyboard cavities.

[Oobly]

...
Any Cherry MX switch can have its "clack" silenced with O-rings, but they can't be silenced on the rebound -

Sure they can - latex mod. Open the switches, apply a dab of liquid latex to the case top where the slider hits it, let it dry and reassemble. May as well trampoline mod and maybe lube the switches / change springs, etc if you want to while the switches are open.

[minho]

...
Any Cherry MX switch can have its "clack" silenced with O-rings, but they can't be silenced on the rebound -

Sure they can - latex mod. Open the switches, apply a dab of liquid latex to the case top where the slider hits it, let it dry and reassemble. May as well trampoline mod and maybe lube the switches / change springs, etc if you want to while the switches are open.

Is pretty much any liquid latex for cosmetic purposes okay for this mod? And how is the spread of the latex? (Did you spread it or just leave a drop or two?)

[Findecanor]

Sure they can - latex mod. Open the switches, apply a dab of liquid latex to the case top where the slider hits it, let it dry and reassemble. May as well trampoline mod and maybe lube the switches / change springs, etc if you want to while the switches are open.

Eww.. Latex is a natural product and it deteriorates with exposure to air, heat, oils etc. It will turn really gooey and smell horribly in a few years. While latex has its uses, I would never use it for anything that I want to last.

[minho]

Sure they can - latex mod. Open the switches, apply a dab of liquid latex to the case top where the slider hits it, let it dry and reassemble. May as well trampoline mod and maybe lube the switches / change springs, etc if you want to while the switches are open.

Eww.. Latex is a natural product and it deteriorates with exposure to air, heat, oils etc. It will turn really gooey and smell horribly in a few years. While latex has its uses, I would never use it for anything that I want to last.

Damn it, can anyone verify this? 

Would some type of thin adhesive padding work instead of latex for this mod?

[iLLucionist]

Recently put o-rings and PBT caps on my Filco (plate mounted) and it is as silent if not more silent than my Apple Aluminum Keyboard (which I personally find a benchmark for silent keyboards). But I do not bottom out (I have browns).

[minho]

Recently put o-rings and PBT caps on my Filco (plate mounted) and it is as silent if not more silent than my Apple Aluminum Keyboard (which I personally find a benchmark for silent keyboards). But I do not bottom out (I have browns).

If you don't bottom out, why do o-rings make a difference?

[ideus]

Recently put o-rings and PBT caps on my Filco (plate mounted) and it is as silent if not more silent than my Apple Aluminum Keyboard (which I personally find a benchmark for silent keyboards). But I do not bottom out (I have browns).

If you don't bottom out, why do o-rings make a difference?

Good point.

[iLLucionist]

Recently put o-rings and PBT caps on my Filco (plate mounted) and it is as silent if not more silent than my Apple Aluminum Keyboard (which I personally find a benchmark for silent keyboards). But I do not bottom out (I have browns).

If you don't bottom out, why do o-rings make a difference?

Good point.

Quite simply because sometimes you do. Although I touch type, given the very subtle tactile bump on the Browns, sometimes I go beyond the actuation point. Also, it reduces travel in that case. Further, I have the impression that, whether I bottom out or not. It absorbs some of the resonance produced by the switches or backplate.

[noisyturtle]

Recently put o-rings and PBT caps on my Filco (plate mounted) and it is as silent if not more silent than my Apple Aluminum Keyboard (which I personally find a benchmark for silent keyboards). But I do not bottom out (I have browns).

If you don't bottom out, why do o-rings make a difference?

Everyone bottoms out sometimes. Everyone.

[Oobly]

Sure they can - latex mod. Open the switches, apply a dab of liquid latex to the case top where the slider hits it, let it dry and reassemble. May as well trampoline mod and maybe lube the switches / change springs, etc if you want to while the switches are open.

Eww.. Latex is a natural product and it deteriorates with exposure to air, heat, oils etc. It will turn really gooey and smell horribly in a few years. While latex has its uses, I would never use it for anything that I want to last.

Hmmm... Well, it is used for many commercial products: swimming caps, mattresses,  to seal zippers on weatherproof clothing, etc.

There are different formulations and how long it lasts depends largely on the environment. If it is used in a cool, dry environment it can last 20 years or more.

If it bothers you, then thin self-adhesive rubber sheet will do the job. It has to be quite thin so as not to reduce the key travel much. The BEST material for this is actually sorbothane since it absorbs shock really well, but finding a thin enough self-adhesive sheet is difficult.

Also, for the trampolines, you could try these: http://imsto.cn/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=88

I'm going to buy some to try on my next board and see how they compare to the ones I punch myself from silicon rubber sheet.


I have found stock MX Clears to be the easiest switches to not bottom out with. I like the feeling of plate mounted switches with thick POM caps on (even denser than PBT and I like the semi-slick feeling). Thick PBT is my second choice, but I am not such a fan of the "dry", high friction feeling. Orings and trampolines do reduce the shock to your fingers when bottoming out and they can both help you to learn to do so less, by making the point of impact more progressive and less sudden, so you can feel where it starts to get harder and train your fingers to stop at that point. I prefer the trampolines, though, since they are more consistent, can be tuned to your preferences (softer or harder material, where they start to have effect, etc) and don't depend on the keycap type (DCS profile keycaps from SP, for example, don't have the structural cross-pieces and so need different sized orings for different rows). You don't need to open switches to use orings, though.

[Oobly]

...
Any Cherry MX switch can have its "clack" silenced with O-rings, but they can't be silenced on the rebound -

Sure they can - latex mod. Open the switches, apply a dab of liquid latex to the case top where the slider hits it, let it dry and reassemble. May as well trampoline mod and maybe lube the switches / change springs, etc if you want to while the switches are open.

Is pretty much any liquid latex for cosmetic purposes okay for this mod? And how is the spread of the latex? (Did you spread it or just leave a drop or two?)

I used some I found at a crafts store. This is how the switch top looks just after dabbing it on with a toothpick:



It really doesn't need much.

[Findecanor]

Eww.. Latex is a natural product and it deteriorates with exposure to air, heat, oils etc.

There are different formulations...

Yes, latex is often mixed with other types of rubber in industrial applications.
Pure latex, however -  the stuff you can buy liquid -  has a limited lifespan. I have used it for skin appliances for cosplaying. I have also heard horror stores about people in the prop-collecting community spending lots of money on a piece made for some movie production and after a few years sitting untouched in a glass cabinet it has the consistency of butter.
BTW. Condoms are made from latex without toxic additives, and they have a best before-date even though they are packaged in sealed plastic bags.

I have found stock MX Clears to be the easiest switches to not bottom out with.

Me too, but I bottom out occasionally anyway and I find O-rings to make even those keyboards more silent.

[Elrick]

BTW. Condoms are made from latex without toxic additives, and they have a best before-date even though they are packaged in sealed plastic bags.

Too right, I use to remember using old condoms back at uni (was a cheap bastard back then) when I was fortunate enough to get some decent action from my then girl friend.  After putting it on, and working her hard for several minutes (couldn't last long before gushing), when I pulled it out, the condom was in pieces.

Christ I got scared that summer thinking I got her preggo, all because I was cheap in not buying a FRESH supply of condoms, certainly learned a valuable lesson back then  .

[Oobly]

I was thinking about the whole latex not lasting thing and while it seems to be holding up fine for now on my board, I guess I shouldn't recommend it to others. I was thinking about other materials to use and remembered there's a liquid rubber product called Plastidip for making rubber coatings for tool handles, etc. Perhaps that would be a better, longer lasting choice. Worth a bit of research I guess. I'll update the mod thread when I know more.

[kohi]

BTW. Condoms are made from latex without toxic additives, and they have a best before-date even though they are packaged in sealed plastic bags.

Too right, I use to remember using old condoms back at uni (was a cheap bastard back then) when I was fortunate enough to get some decent action from my then girl friend.  After putting it on, and working her hard for several minutes (couldn't last long before gushing), when I pulled it out, the condom was in pieces.

Christ I got scared that summer thinking I got her preggo, all because I was cheap in not buying a FRESH supply of condoms, certainly learned a valuable lesson back then  .

lol well that escalated quickly . . . from quietest switch options to condoms )

[lordchecksalot]

I was thinking about the whole latex not lasting thing and while it seems to be holding up fine for now on my board, I guess I shouldn't recommend it to others. I was thinking about other materials to use and remembered there's a liquid rubber product called Plastidip for making rubber coatings for tool handles, etc. Perhaps that would be a better, longer lasting choice. Worth a bit of research I guess. I'll update the mod thread when I know more.

I know it's been years since you posted about the trampoline mod and liq latex.  Just curious if it's still holding up or if you found a better approach.

[Maledicted]

I was thinking about the whole latex not lasting thing and while it seems to be holding up fine for now on my board, I guess I shouldn't recommend it to others. I was thinking about other materials to use and remembered there's a liquid rubber product called Plastidip for making rubber coatings for tool handles, etc. Perhaps that would be a better, longer lasting choice. Worth a bit of research I guess. I'll update the mod thread when I know more.

I know it's been years since you posted about the trampoline mod and liq latex.  Just curious if it's still holding up or if you found a better approach.

Check that user's profile. They haven't been online since November of 2016.

[Handke]

I was thinking about the whole latex not lasting thing and while it seems to be holding up fine for now on my board, I guess I shouldn't recommend it to others. I was thinking about other materials to use and remembered there's a liquid rubber product called Plastidip for making rubber coatings for tool handles, etc. Perhaps that would be a better, longer lasting choice. Worth a bit of research I guess. I'll update the mod thread when I know more.

I know it's been years since you posted about the trampoline mod and liq latex.  Just curious if it's still holding up or if you found a better approach.

why would you ask that when there are a lot of natural born silent switches?

[junkfist]

I think Clears + o-rings is the quietest i've ever gotten for a MX style build


Actually no point in me chiming in here. I am still in 2011 keyboards-wise.

[Maledicted]

I think Clears + o-rings is the quietest i've ever gotten for a MX style build


Actually no point in me chiming in here. I am still in 2011 keyboards-wise.

I have reverted to the 1980s and I don't think there's any better place to go from there anyway. 

[c.a.t.]

Durock T1 Shrimp.... So silent and tactile!

[mkleehammer]

I would recommend Kaihl box silent pink.  They also actuate at 1.8mm instead of 2.0 or 2.1 of most keys, so they are very light and easy, which seems to help keep from bottoming out.

[Maledicted]

I would recommend Kaihl box silent pink.  They also actuate at 1.8mm instead of 2.0 or 2.1 of most keys, so they are very light and easy, which seems to help keep from bottoming out.

MX red is already too light in my opinion, to each their own though. I do have some silent pinks. They seem like good switches, but their weighting deterred me from even trying them in a board.

[dokternik]

Silent Ink Blacks + Film + O ring + Lube are pretty dang quiet.

[Riverman]

MX red is already too light in my opinion, to each their own though. I do have some silent pinks. They seem like good switches, but their weighting deterred me from even trying them in a board.

Silent reds/pinks are the mushiest switches I've ever had the displeasure of typing on.  I much prefer silent blacks.  They're incredibly silent though, at least for an MX switch.

[WhiteHelix]

Durock T1 Shrimp.... So silent and tactile!

Absolutely, amazing switch imho. If you want tactile, they are really great. I dont even think about lubing them because they are very good stock. And with a nice and distinct tactile feedback.

[c.a.t.]

Yeah! These are nearly perfect out of the box! Save you some time and some money!

[Handke]

MX red is already too light in my opinion, to each their own though. I do have some silent pinks. They seem like good switches, but their weighting deterred me from even trying them in a board.

Silent reds/pinks are the mushiest switches I've ever had the displeasure of typing on.  I much prefer silent blacks.  They're incredibly silent though, at least for an MX switch.

they're identical, except for the spring.... I've spring swapped them and noticed no difference.

[ander]

Is the quietest possible Cherry MX keyboard one with red switches and o-rings? Would different backplate/no backplate help with this? And are there any other modifications that can be done to make the keyboard even quieter beyond o-rings?

I assume you've tried adding foam pieces to reduce the amount of empty space (and thus, sound-reverb room) inside the case?

You may also find it helpful to put your KB on a mat rather than directly on your desk/table. Part of what we perceive as switch noise is actually the vibrations the KB transmits to the surface it's on... That's how a speaker works, right?

Also, why isn't there a subforum for key switches? (Just never a need for one?)

I think it's because it's hard to say where "keyboards" stop and "switches" start. Sometimes people want to discuss specific switches (how they compare, advantages of lubing/modding, etc.). But most of the time the rest of the board enters into it too.

[Hyde]

Aliaz switches are quite nice for silent switches, it come with 4 different weight options so you can go as high as you want.

https://kbdfans.com/products/pre-orderaliaz-silent-switch-tactile

[ideus]

Aliaz switches sound less and low than other switches; yet, as has been already written, the case, sound dampener, and if the board is on the desk directly or over a soft material will make a significant difference in the final noise level and tone.

[granola bar enthusiast]

two words: silent switches, better than o-rings without the bad feel
also an fr4 plate i experienced to be the quietest

[HungerMechanic]

Just a note on Aliaz, since it's being talked about:

The switch is okay, but the springs are bad. They make a 'crunching' noise. So replace the springs, at least. [And lube them].

The housings are smooth enough, so you can get away without lubing them. They're maybe comparable to the early Zealios switches.

Stems should be lubed, if you are using replacement stems*.

Problem with Aliaz, for me, is that they actuate a little lower than Cherry tactiles. I find this annoying. But lots of other people don't. If you're okay with Gateron Brown, then Aliaz should be okay for you.

*I find that Aliaz make a good housing for OUTEMU Silent Sky stems. You can get away with as little as 52 G OUTEMU springs. Because Aliaz is smooth and lightly-tactile. Just lube the stems, springs, you're set. TX 14mm springs are more than adequate for this build.

You can buy Aliaz by the 1x at FlashQuark. They're discounted now:

https://flashquark.com/product/aliaz-silent-switches-pcb-mount/

Hope that helps! The rest of the build has to be muffled, too, for this to work optimally.

[MIGHTY CHICKEN]

If you're willing to go into frankens, a gazzew silent linear stem in a jwick ultimate black is unbelievably silent