Stuffing Keyboard Case with Rubber/Foam

[Altis]

I have a KPT-102 that's quite interesting, but the case is a terribly brittle plastic, and the PCB and plate are attached to the top cover of the keyboard. This leaves a gap underneath the PCB, making it the keyboard feel less sturdy (and the case makes a fair bit of hollow/stress noise).

I was thinking I could basically stuff the keyboard with some medium-firm rubber, something like a yoga-mat or mouse-pad type material, across the whole bottom of the board. Put enough in that the top and bottom of the case don't touch until you squish them together and bolt them down.

The idea is to reinforce the PCB/plate so that there isn't any flex, and to reduce the hollow sound of the plastic case.

Alternatively, I'm considering just building a new case altogether, but this may be worth a shot.

Has anyone tried this?  Thank you for your input!

[BlueBär]

Filling the bottom of the case with foam or shelf liner is quite common to improve the sound of a case. If you're having some PCB flexing issues, try making an additional center support stem from a more sturdy but of course non conductive material.

[spiceBar]

I have a KPT-102 that's quite interesting, but the case is a terribly brittle plastic, and the PCB and plate are attached to the top cover of the keyboard. This leaves a gap underneath the PCB, making it the keyboard feel less sturdy (and the case makes a fair bit of hollow/stress noise).

I was thinking I could basically stuff the keyboard with some medium-firm rubber, something like a yoga-mat or mouse-pad type material, across the whole bottom of the board. Put enough in that the top and bottom of the case don't touch until you squish them together and bolt them down.

The idea is to reinforce the PCB/plate so that there isn't any flex, and to reduce the hollow sound of the plastic case.

Alternatively, I'm considering just building a new case altogether, but this may be worth a shot.

Has anyone tried this?  Thank you for your input!

Yes, using some foam rubber mat, one that is softer than a mouse pad, works very well. I do that to all of my keyboards and it makes a lot of difference.

Depending on the shape of the case, and especially if it has dividers, you will need to cut several pieces to fill it completely. It's not difficult at all and it's very effective. The tricky is to find a way to fill the keyboard and still allow it to be re-assembled without putting too much stress on the plastic parts. But if you manage to do it correctly, your keyboard sounds much more solid.

You may also want to use foam rubber feet, it helps by preventing the shock waves generated by your finger to resonate on your desktop. They must be made of a really soft material, and you may have to stack two on each corner of the keyboard. It's another simple trick that makes a lot of difference.

[fohat.digs]

I have used a number of materials. Shelf liners ("waffle" shape rubber foam) are good and compressible, while fabrics such as felt have somewhat different characteristics.

Flat rectangular pieces are good, and can be cut and stacked. Inside the case, I like to use a greater amount of a less dense material, more deeply compressed, than a smaller amount of sturdier material, less compressed. You walk a fine line with adding unwanted tension to the board, of course, so start light and add incrementally.

For voids of greater volume, such as corner cavities, I prefer to cut my padding material into strips and roll it into cylinders rather than just stuffing it in at random.

In the past, I used the soft foam for a desk mat, but (shameless plug) once I started using my heavy mats, they have become my preference.

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=59308.0

[Altis]

Thanks for your replies!

I think I'm going to try it and see how it goes. If it works really well, might try it on some of my other boards.

And yes, having soft material between the keyboard and the desk really makes a huge difference in the sound for all keyboards. The top of the desk really resonates like a bass drum.

[fohat.digs]

having soft material between the keyboard and the desk really makes a huge difference in the sound for all keyboards

I have never gotten a complaint from anyone who has used one of my hard mats.