Help: Filco spacebar clicky noise - is it normal?

[Doskungen]

Hello everyone!

I am new to this forum, as well as being a new and proud owner of the Filco Majestouch 105-key with MX Blue switches.

It truly is a FANTASTIC keyboard to type on and I just simply love it, there is no going back to the membrane based boards now - ever.

However there is this question that I have about the keyboard, and that is the percieved loudness of the spacebar.

When used normally it isn't really all that noisy, but it is when I tap it lightly with the side of my thumb so that it doesn't bottom out - then I get what I feel is a very sharp and loud 'click' noise - I have tried doing the same thing with a number of other keys on the keyboard and they do 'click' (just as they should) but not as loud as the spacebar does.

Are there any pictures of how the Filcos are set up underneath the spacebar? I almost get the feeling like there would be more than one switch under there causing the added sound level to the click on hitting the spacebar.

I have been trying to find sound samples of people hitting the spacebar slow to determine if the loudness of the click is normal. I even considered returning the keyboard for an exchange to a brown one but I have found that I can't part with it for the awesome feel of  typing on it.

However I have been also thinking about a possible mod to the keyboard, if there would be anything to do to quiet the switch in the spacebar or install another KIND of switch underneath....

This is the ONLY irk I have with this keyboard, and in all other respects I LOVE IT.

Thank you in advance for your help and comments on this.

[heedpantsnow]

Hmm, mine has browns and I LOVE it.  No weird noise from the spacebar either.  I don't know, but is it possible it needs lube or something?

[Doskungen]

You know its not that I think there is anything wrong with it just that the spacebar strikes me as being very shall we say "clicky" compared to the other keys, even counting the SHIFT, ENTER, BACKSPACE and other larger keys too.

I would just be curious to know if there is indeed TWO MX Blues under the spacebar that makes it go so clicky. I wish it wouldn't make such a high pitched click sound when hitting it lightly. Thats the only thing. Otherwise I am more than pleased with this keyboard.

And I am considering buying a Filco with MX Browns eventually, its just that since its rather costly I better wait for a while here before doing so.

[clickclack]

Hi Doskungen, welcome to geekhack! =)

So you're complaining that the blue cherry switched spacebar is clicky? LoL
haahaaa. I hope a few other than myself found this uber funny.

Anywho moving on...
I have the board you have and mention, there is only "one" cherry switch under the space bar to be sure. The difference you encounter is likely just the accoustics of the spacebar itself. It is larger and has a more cavernous space beneath it perhaps slightly amplifying any click noise or rattle the switch provides. I observe the same effect on my keyboard that you do, not to worry, all is ok. =)

If you would like in the future you could swap out (by desoldering) the switch and replacing it with another non-clicky switch or internals.

Just go enjoy your board =)
hope that helps a little

[theferenc]

I also think it is just the acoustics of the key. No need to worry, just type and enjoy.

[Doskungen]

Thank you so much for your replies in this matter, and thank you clickclack for the warm welcome. I am sure I will be coming back to this board a lot. This may have been my first mechanical keyboard but I have a feeling it will NOT be my last.

Talking about desoldering and replacing the switch that sounds like some work, and I'm not sure if I would be up to it but if all is well with my keyboard then I guess I'll just have to get used to it being very clicky when it comes to the spacebar.

The theory of the spacebar acoustics being different makes perfect sense now that I think about it.... To me its almost as if every key on the keyboard has its own pitch and sound. Plus there is that little metallic 'clang' noise that rings when you type the keyboard fast enough ....

Once again, thanks everyone for your kind assistance.

[clickclack]

You're welcome =)
I'm glad we could be of some assistance.

Sounds like the keyboard bug has bitten! I see many keyboards in your sigs furture. XD

[elef]

This would make sense if the Filco's spacebar had a green switch like the blue-switch G80-3000. I can attest that the spacebar in the '3000 is annoyingly loud, and clearly because of the different switch. Are you guys saying that the  Filco has a blue in the spacebar, like in all other keys?

[clickclack]

This spacebar does not utilize the green cherry switch. The the size, shape, weight, and mechanism are what give the spacebar its characteristics. A green switch (different only in color and a stiffer spring rate) should not really make a difference unless you were refering to how the key sounds when it pops back up, since it "could" come up with more force.

Again, the Filco spacebar does not use a green switch. If it did, that should not be a significant factor in how it would sound because of the free floating click mechanism.

=)
hope that clears some stuff up

[elef]

Thanks for the info, that's a bit surprising.
I have a filco with brown switches and a Cherry G80-3000 with blues. The Filco's spacebar sounds different than the other keys, but it's not that much louder. The Cherry's spacebar, on the other hand, has a VERY loud click even when I press it lightly, just like the OP says. So I assumed that the issue  isn't caused by the spacebar per se, as my brown-switch filco spacebar is not too loud, but the switch.

I just yanked off the spacebar from my G80-3000 to see what's what. Sure enough, the green switch isn't louder than the others, you're right. It's a bit odd that the spacebar amplifies the click of blue/green switches so radically, but doesn't amplify the sound of bottoming out nearly as much. In fact, the bottom-out is louder on my Filco's enter key than on the spacebar. Maybe the spacbar doesn't bottom out as hard because of the way it's stabilized, I don't know.

[Doskungen]

Thanks for the great insights into the issue I was having with the spacebar. Now I can see that it really never was an issue to begin with but I guess that the noise it makes is just something that I will have to get used to. Which I think will happen sooner or later because I just love typing on this keyboard SO much...

[Tony]

In a few months you probably love the Filco typing sounds anyway.

Some people in Youtube are very fond of the typing sounds of IBM model M. They use it as a lullaby when they are unable to sleep. Perhaps when they were young they get used to that sounds of their parents typing in the next room.

[Doskungen]

Well I would say I already love the typing sounds of the Filco, but I just find the clicking of the spacebar a little loud for my taste at times. Despite this I would never dream of desoldering the switch and putting something else in.

Besides the fact that I don't posess the skills to do such an operation, I wouldn't know where to go about buying just the switch, and even if I did that I don't know what would be a good replacement switch to put in. As I understand it now there is a single MX Blue underneath the spacebar, and I would need for the feel of striking the spacebar to be the same... minus the loud click. :-)

As I said though, I'll probably just stay with things as they are and get used to it.

[Ascaii]

you might be able to dampen the accoustics of the space bar with a thin layer of foam either under the spacebar or fitted into it. Make sure to not block the stabilizer. Cherry did this way back when with the Tandberg ML boards. Take a look at the photos sixty took.

http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=165