Model F "band-aid" mod

[BlissOnTap]

I was wondering if this has been tried before. I noticed much of the sound from the model F comes from the return. I tried something like this on my only model F key and it made a big difference. It did not seem to affect key feel or bottom out noise, just the return noise.



audio sample: https://i.imgur.com/WUVmb8S.mp4

[fohat.digs]

That is an interesting idea. Next time I have one apart, I may try that.

[Disciplexeon]

That is really cool, I would imagine this would be kind of difficult to do, but looks like it would be worth it. What I am wondering is what would happen if you were to put the band-aid on both the bottom of the housing as well, it would be interesting and I think that it would be silenced. Btw, how quiet is it?

[E TwentyNine]

Interesting, you have a sound clip of the difference for one with, one without the mod?

[BlissOnTap]

To me it sounds like a quieter Model M with a deeper sound. https://imgur.com/WUVmb8S You might need to unmute it.

[LarryBWilliams]

I sometimes do not understand the developers who create keyboards for gaming PCs. I work with text and I need noiseless keyboards that can withstand mechanical contact. We often publish our reports on this resource https://edubirdie.com/dissertation-writing-services. A qualitative thesis should be written on a good keyboard. I do not understand the diode system that is bypassing color. This distracts the person from the game or work.

[lafnian1990]

I understand you because it is a difficult question. I like the sound of the keyboard that works. This can be compared to a sweep of paper or money.

[snarfarlarkus]

Model F's are made to ping so I won't take any of that away from it!

[Maledicted]

Model F's are made to ping so I won't take any of that away from it!

Indeed. I only wish they made more noise than they already do. I can understand people wanting to muffle them though, if they're typing anywhere near somebody that is sleeping, or there are keyboard heretics nearby.

[treeleaf64]

Model Fs are from a time and age where nobody cared about loud noises in the workroom. Remember, everyone was coming from typewriters and early, solenoid-added keyboards. The last thing on anyone's mind would be a quiz.

I agree with Male, and I love really loud keyboards, but only if the sound is good. Cherry MX Blue is an example of loud, but annoying.

[Maledicted]

Model Fs are from a time and age where nobody cared about loud noises in the workroom. Remember, everyone was coming from typewriters and early, solenoid-added keyboards. The last thing on anyone's mind would be a quiz.

I agree with Male, and I love really loud keyboards, but only if the sound is good. Cherry MX Blue is an example of loud, but annoying.

Nobody cared about noise, or secondhand smoke. Everybody perpetually lived and worked in a smoke cloud of pollonium and tar. The good old days. With the exception of my K70s, I actually find MX Blues to usually be pretty muted in sound level, they just sound and feel like plastic grocery bags.

I'm still curious to hear of the results of this mod.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

I was young during that period, but I remember clearly just how loud old offices could be with their keyboards, and how normal all of that was for the time.

Just the sight of old keyboards always brings back fond memories of gaming on those old beasts, and being excited by the introduction of windows, and then quite a bit later windows 95.

And sides, the Pollonium and tar built character. 

[jacethesaltsculptor]

To me it sounds like a quieter Model M with a deeper sound. https://imgur.com/WUVmb8S You might need to unmute it.

Bliss, this is a very interesting mod, I would love to see a writeup done with pictures to see your process. (I'm guessing you just ripped up bandaids and used chunks of them on the board?

Also I'd be very curious to see the longevity of the bandaids, as well as what kinds you used.

[BlissOnTap]

I followed Taeha Types https://youtu.be/cD5Zj-ZgMLA?list=LLmBt8fYkd6twLokZzWLE9_A&t=309 tutorial on band-aid modding.

The concerns that I have with doing this on the Model F are that pushing the band-aid too deep can hit the spring. So the band-aid needs to be applied shallowly and only where the flipper impacts the upper housing. Too thick of a band-aid and the spring can not fully come back to a full return. However this doesn't seem to be an issue with one thin band-aid. I also don't know if it interferes with the Model F's capacitive actuation as I do not own a working Model F. Some grease may get onto the PCB.

So I wouldn't recommend anyone blindly doing this with out research. I figured it had been done before and was curious how it turned out.

It also dampens some of the vibration of the return both in the housing and in the spring giving it a slightly different key feel. This is especially true when trying this mod on a Model M switch.