Looking for a quiet keyboard

[Johannes]

Yeah, that's why the Filco Browns are so loud, they have a very sharp top out noise. Typing without the keycaps on is next to silent.
Typing style matters, but on the Filco Browns, the only way to (mostly) eliminate the harsh noise is to type so gently that I can't get above 60 wpm. (not very practical, in other words)

[arplod]

Yeah, that's why the Filco Browns are so loud, they have a very sharp top out noise. Typing without the keycaps on is next to silent.
Typing style matters, but on the Filco Browns, the only way to (mostly) eliminate the harsh noise is to type so gently that I can't get above 60 wpm. (not very practical, in other words)

Not really. A lot of the component of the noise on a Filco brown is the return noise, which does resonate to an extent off the keycaps. But as I've heard with the rubber sheet, getting rid of the possible resonance doesn't cut a whole lot of the noise.

[arplod]

Topre, Macally, Sidewinder, Filco, in that order.

Any other takers? I notice Mr IT Technician hasn't put in a vote yet.

[The Solutor]

Mr IT Technician hasn't put in a vote yet.

Frankly I don't even listened your sample.

My concern is to have what i like, w/o becoming a fanboy and w/o negating the evidence. Not to win in stupid quiz, I'm sorry.

[arplod]

Frankly I don't even listened your sample.

My concern is to have what i like, w/o becoming a fanboy and w/o negating the evidence. Not to win in stupid quiz, I'm sorry.

Ah - the last refuge of the Internet BS artist. "My opinion is what counts to me"

It's also a relevant quiz since it gives the OP a chance to check out two of the popular mechanical actions, his own keyboard and among the noisier examples of the switch type I recommended.  You're not going to help the OP?

[arplod]

I'd hate to be the OP.

He was just looking for a nice quiet keyboard.  Probably is happy with that Microsoft crappy Keyboard 600 too.

The rounded front edge is nice.
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Sadly if he's ever been in a nerd board he must be familiar with it by now. I'm not overly fond of the X6, but I will take it over a Filco Brown any day. At least until it starts to get loose (given that of course, you can replace an X6-class keyboard 2-3 times at least for the cost of a Filco).

[arplod]

I'd help out but my hearing has been ruined by too many ping videos.

Afraid to put your rep on the line? :tongue: No-one's perfect :madgrin:

I ought to clarify by the way that the bass thumps are caused by having the mic standing on the same surface as the keyboard, and it's unlikely you'll hear them in normal use. In any case it's constant for all the recordings, which was done at the same time, same setup, with the mic above the home keys.

[arplod]

Please test again using this robot device to ensure consistent key presses and avoid any human bias.

Show Image

If you buy it, sure.

I've nothing to lose in this argument and I can tell you that all the keyboards were recorded at my normal typing cadence on each keyboard writing an actual sentence.

Go on, take a stab, You aren't chicken, are you? :tongue:

[Jim66]

Problem solved....

http://www.geekstuff4u.com/computers/peripherals/keyboard-mouse/thanko-keyboard-quiet-cover.html

[The Solutor]

Ah - the last refuge of the Internet BS artist. "My opinion is what counts to me"

Being rude or being a troll has never helped to reverse the reality, and yes, when I express what I think it's my opinion that counts (as happen to every user registered to any forum).

You're not going to help the OP?

I posted a sample of a relatively quiet cherry board v.s. a normal scissor switch board, no need to be Einstein to understand where to look for a silent board.

[arplod]

You are SO bad at this.

In what way? The return noise on a Brown is either about the same, or slightly louder than an X6's travel noise. The X6 is a short-throw rubber dome and certainly in terms of regular typing I don't find it inconveniences me more than a Brown. In fact, because of the low-profile shape I find it more comfortable.

I'm not specifically aiming to point out the merits or demerits of the X6 here, but this is a very good example of peer opinion taking precedence or those who might hold definitive but flawed opinions which don't come from direct experience.

Now, if someone asks about a Lycosa for example, I can't answer the question because I've not owned one. But I'm sure that there are plenty of people here who will wade in on the basis of conjecture or needing to appear the expert. And they may well by dint of being able to write pretty well sound pretty convincing.

Who is the real troll in that situation?

...And are you going to take a stab or not?

[The Solutor]

The X6 is a short-throw rubber dome and certainly in terms of regular typing I don't find it inconveniences me more than a Brown.

The X6 is the worst keyboard available out there, it's noisy, filmsly, wobbly, mushy, unpleasant because the flat keys and the keytravel too short to be considered classic, too long to be considered short, practically any 5$ keyboard is better.

But is still quieter than any cherry board.

[arplod]

You still haven't guessed the keyboards. I've posted a way that (after the guesses) allows people to evaluate the products. You've posted a whole load of conjecture.

[arplod]

Lol - I deleted my post when I read the whole thread and decided I want no part of this ***** fight.

I've got lots of keyboards and scissors are obviously the quietest.

I figured you might edit it, quoted you so your troll post is still up there :tongue:

I'll post the answer after two other guesses, with at least one from Mr IT Technician :madgrin:

[arplod]

Oh I don't claim it would be the same for everyone else, but it's clear that many, in their need to be seen as the experts, can't see the wood for the trees.

Looks like all of you are too chicken. Here's the keyboards from the recording in the correct order - once again, the icekey (white) is one of the noisier scissor-action keyboards due to it's scissor mech clatter in travel.

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 24083[/ATTACH]

The recording again [ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 24084[/ATTACH]

Hope it helps, OP, in support to my original reply. I'm out of this thread and it's smattering of 'experts'.

[N8N]

What i heard there is that the M$ RD board is just as loud as the Filco, which is on the loud side as far as brown switch keyboards go.

A Chery G80-3000 or eBay "rawko" board would be far, far quieter, and IME on the same order of magnitude of loudness as the scissor board, if not quieter.

This is in fact personal experience talking as I've got a Filco and two "rawko" boards.

Additionally, I suspect that a WASD with browns might be quite quiet, the click from the blues on mine is the loudest noise that I can hear.  However, I have not tried one with browns although I know that several people here have ordered them.

[The Solutor]

What i heard there is that the M$ RD board is just as loud as the Filco

O_o

on the same order of magnitude of loudness as the scissor board, if not quieter

O_o  O_O

Very strange ears on GH...:madgrin:

[N8N]

If I *had* a crappy scissor switch board here I'd record my own sample and prove it to you.  Just because a Filco has browns and a G80-8200 has browns doesn't mean that they sound anything alike.  The G80 is WAY quieter.

Actually, the "thock" that the Filco makes when the key returns to the top is something that I've never heard before until recently.  I always assumed that that was bottoming out noise in posted sound samples, until I got one for myself.

[The Solutor]

If I *had* a crappy scissor switch board here I'd record my own sample and prove it to you.

Mee too, if I had a scissor board louder than a cherry I'd record it. But I'm afraid I have to wait that someone invent such board

For now this is a g80 brown v.s. a scissor recorded side by side.

[FourOhFour]

If you want a really quiet keyboard, grab one of those awful silicone ones. Or an iPad running one of the remote control apps.

'course, they're both awful to type on for very long.

[Johannes]

I still think good scissors are the best balance of quietness and decent feel. And availability/price..

[theferenc]

My HHKB is nowhere near as loud as your realforce, at 40% volume on my tablet, which makes the ice key almost inaudible.

[N8N]

Mee too, if I had a scissor board louder than a cherry I'd record it. But I'm afraid I have to wait that someone invent such board

For now this is a g80 brown v.s. a scissor recorded side by side.

You sure that that is a G80 w/ browns?  I'm not calling you a liar, but that sounds NOTHING like a G80 with browns.  Which I happen to have sitting right here.  The only way it could be that loud is if you were bottoming out on every key press.

A G80 with clears is even quieter.

[The Solutor]

You sure that that is a G80 w/ browns?  I'm not calling you a liar

Oh I won't to be surprised, looks like in the American forums this is a common habit, if I had a dollar each time I was called liar in an US based forum I was richer than Bill gates...:pound:

BTW It's a G80 3000 LQCDE ex clears, now brown (with clear springs) the pitch is different than filco or qpad but surely isn't quieter, the quietest board I have it's the Xarmor because the keycaps and the ergo clears, and I posted the sample before.

[The Solutor]

I still think good scissors are the best balance of quietness and decent feel. And availability/price..

Obviously they are

[N8N]

Oh I won't to be surprised, looks like in the American forums this is a common habit, if I had a dollar each time I was called liar in an US based forum I was richer than Bill gates...:pound:

BTW It's a G80 3000 LQCDE ex clears, now brown (with clear springs) the pitch is different than filco or qpad but surely isn't quieter, the quietest board I have it's the Xarmor because the keycaps and the ergo clears, and I posted the sample before.

That makes no damn sense.  that thing is making a hell of a racket, I have 2x G80-8200's (same manufacturer, same switches, same construction methods, same keycaps) one clears one brown and neither one sounds anything like that.  The clears one is likely the quietest mechanical board I've ever typed on, and as I said before, if you are typing on it correctly (not bottoming out) it is quieter than a common rubber dome.  Don't know about scissor switch boards because I don't have any to compare (and they feel like arse to type on)

[The Solutor]

if you are typing on it correctly (not bottoming out)

Who said that typing correctly implies not bottoming out ?

Surely I don't hammer the keyboard but also surely I don't mind to constantly force my fingers to not bottom out.

Someone like to not bottom someone doesn't, and someone hammers the keys, and none of the three is right or wrong.

and they feel like arse to type on

The thinkpad X100/X120 keyboard is likely the best keyboard I ever touched. Cost a little more than some topre but comes with a great notebook for free...:happy:

[N8N]

If you're looking for a quiet keyboard surely you can't bottom out, or even a rubber dome will make an unholy racket.

Besides, to me that is the biggest advantage of the mechanical-switch keyboards; having to constantly bottom out the keys to get the keypresses to register was I believe part of the cause of some hand discomfort that I was experiencing (the other major part likely being the beginnings of an inherited tendency toward arthritis) ever since going 100% mechanical and making a concerted effort to type more correctly and feel for the tactile bump rather than just slamming the keys all the way down, my hands have felt incredibly better.

to me, saying "bottoming out is neither right nor wrong" is akin to saying "lifting heavy loads by bending at the waist is neither right nor wrong."

[nhwhaup]

I'm surprised nobody commented on how quiet that Topre was in the sound sample.

Obvious #1 choice if you want a quiet keyboard you don't have to bottom out on.   No Ping.  No Chattering.  Only good feeling of cup rubber.

Silent Topre version if the sound of birds chirping, the wind blowing, and streams flowing annoys you because you're a member of the T-Ball Generation that DESERVES silence.  Or you give a rat's ass what your wife thinks about the sound of your keyboard.

 
I am a total fan of my new 87U Silent RealForce.  I really didn't think it would be much quieter than my Filco with Reds and sound dampening pads but oh yes the RealForce is really quiet.  Nice feel to it and oh so quiet.

Quite a while ago I purchased a Silent Das Keyboard with brown switches and it was not quiet at all - actually pretty noisy.  And although not part of the T-Ball generation or at least I don't think so (what is the T-Ball generation?) but I do give a rat's ass that my hubby actually commented that it is a much better sound.

[arplod]

That white keyboard was the noisiest scissor switch ever.  I would have RMA'd it.

Show Image

You SURE it's not a rubber dome?

I firmly pass the troll mantle to you.

I'll reiterate for the benefit of those who can't turn back pages that the very low thumping noises came from the mic being on the same table as the keyboard, and that in reality you would not be able to hear them. I do adjust my technique very slightly for the Topres and the Filco's, and it's not like e.g. the Icekey requires much more force to activate.

See you on the flipside, experts.

[sordna]

I wonder if there's a way to silence the upstroke in Cherry switches... it's what ends up making most of the noise once you have o-rings / soft-landing pads on.

[FourOhFour]

Anyway everybody at Geekhack seems to want the Cherry Corp engineers to concentrate on ping instead.

Is there a reason you bring up ping in almost every one of your posts?

[brandonspeed2006]

Problem solved....

http://www.geekstuff4u.com/computers/peripherals/keyboard-mouse/thanko-keyboard-quiet-cover.html

I'm pretty sure before I was caught typing with my hands in that retarded $36 cover, I'd just cover my hands with a towel...

[brandonspeed2006]

Thanks most of you for your input, trolls, godie. For now I'm going to stick with my Microsoft 600 keyboard until I find something better. I've yet to find a scissor keyboard that's quieter than this one, I'm not a serious computer gamer, do most of my gaming on Xbox Live. Any keyboard with the basic media keys and isn't loud is fine with me. Is it too much to just ask that I like quiet things? God damn, give me a break.

[F u r u y á]

Thanks most of you for your input, trolls, godie. For now I'm going to stick with my Microsoft 600 keyboard until I find something better. I've yet to find a scissor keyboard that's quieter than this one, I'm not a serious computer gamer, do most of my gaming on Xbox Live. Any keyboard with the basic media keys and isn't loud is fine with me. Is it too much to just ask that I like quiet things? God damn, give me a break.

haha. Don't take them too seriously. After the trollage fest in ESReality now I'm used to those things. The world would be a sad and boring place without the trolls.


So here is my two cents:

My Filco with MX Brown is way, way, way louder then my IBM rubber dome with bearing grease in the stems. But it also way, way, way better to type and it has a way (x3) better feeling. I'm searching in local O'ring manufacturers for these (btw very well specified by sordna) to try to reduce the noise. I only hope that that won't change the good feeling of the switch.

So I would say stay away from mechanical switches (especially plate mounted ones) if you really care about noise. And I've never tried Topre switches but I imagine them as being very quiet.

[keyboardlover]

Is there a reason you bring up ping in almost every one of your posts?

It's called "trolling". Ripster is an expert at it.

He once won a troll poll by a mile, but that's another story.

[keyboardlover]

Not the poll I'm talking about and you know it.

[keyboardlover]

That rule would apply to probably at least 3/4 of your posts.

[Input Nirvana]

Because the topic is quiet keyboards?
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I pinged a couple girls this weekend.

They enjoyed it immensely. Both want to ping again.

Am I a troll? A ping-troll? Am I trollping this thread?

[keyboardlover]

I was recently made an honorary member of the Ping dynasty.

[arplod]

I wonder if there's a way to silence the upstroke in Cherry switches... it's what ends up making most of the noise once you have o-rings / soft-landing pads on.

Breaking my own 'outta here' post, I will say that foaming out the keycaps does make an acoustic change (and depending on the config this is done in, also acts as the bottom out bumper) but not a great one. Topre still quieter than any Filco at least, Sidewinder marginally quieter than both even with full travel and return. Other than a redesign of the switch I don't see any other way of mitigating the noise.

[N8N]

well, you could shave a channel in the sides of the slider a la dampened Alps and quiet it that way...  but would probably be cheaper/easier to mold some custom MX sliders if one were to do that (and would likely be expensive for a small scale DIY mod project.)

That said,  I am typing this on a Filco w/ straight up clears (yes, I know that Filco never made a board like that ) with Teflon-lubed sliders and Cherry corp. doubleshots - it's not *quite* as silent as a good RD board typed on by someone who has a light touch, but it is still a very quiet board by any standards let alone mechanical keyboard standards.  I thought about putting some Dynamat on the plate in areas that don't show with the cover on, but a) I don't have any pinging problem with this board, either before or after the mods, and I suspect that that is the main thing that it would reduce and b) I didn't have any dynamat handy when I had the board apart...

I also lubed the heck out of the stabilizers and used a grey switch for the space bar so that I'm not bottoming out on anything.  That helps quite a bit.

To put the sound in perspective, when I'm sitting at my desk at work and typing on the Filco, it sounds about as loud to me as the sound I can hear when the person in the next cube over is typing on her new Dell rubber dome board.

And yes, the sound of the switches topping out is the loudest sound that you can hear when I'm typing.

[sordna]

If you add o-rings, you may reduce the sound a bit further.

[N8N]

I've tried the O-rings, but I don't like them - I can tell the difference in switch travel as apparently it shortens it just enough that I'll hit the o-rings in normal typing and I don't like that.  The main appeal to me of the mechanical switch keyboards is the additional travel below the actuation point which makes my fingers happy.  With the clears I'm not bottoming out anyway.  I think I've achieved the goal of "quiet enough for the office" as a little clickety-clack is not offensive to me personally, but apparently my experiment with seeing if a Model M would be quiet enough to use in the office was a failure

Now the bad news - I've discovered today that since the surgery I apparently have taken a previously non-pingy keyboard and it now pings (on a couple numeric keys,) so I will have to pull a few switches and reseat them; if that fails I'll have to investigate Dynamat or something similar.  You can't hardly hear it, but now that I know it's there it's annoying me.

Edit: forgot to mention that for reasons I don't completely understand, this keyboard (Filco) is quieter than the G80-8200 that I was using as a switch try board, despite the fact that it has a plate and the G80 doesn't.  Only explanation that I can think of is perhaps the greater mass of the doubleshot keys compared to standard Cherry PBTs?

[arplod]

Having done the o-ring mod, I must say it's pretty amusing to realise that some nerds will continue to try and use mechanicals even when they've managed to cripple it beyond a really bad rubber dome feel :pop2:

On a helpful tip and as an alternative which doesn't screw up the feel so much but arguably requires far more work, try putting a thin layer of firm foam under the keycaps (i.e. a hole-punched square with a tiny amount of glue to hold it in place if you don't have the wherewithal to make an exactly-fitting shape), which will double both as less 'boingy' bottom out bumpers and partial return noise absorber (obviously won't help doubleshots as much, but who knows) while affecting travel feel less. Obviously the result must weigh less than an o-ring but we managed to dig up some solid-block packing foam that was suitably dense yet light when thinly sliced. I would never, ever, in a million years however be as nerdy to actually pack it out myself but given what I read here, many clearly are.

[Input Nirvana]

I was recently made an honorary member of the Ping dynasty.

Pingy-Hana?

[N8N]

Having done the o-ring mod, I must say it's pretty amusing to realise that some nerds will continue to try and use mechanicals even when they've managed to cripple it beyond a really bad rubber dome feel :pop2:

On a helpful tip and as an alternative which doesn't screw up the feel so much but arguably requires far more work, try putting a thin layer of firm foam under the keycaps (i.e. a hole-punched square with a tiny amount of glue to hold it in place if you don't have the wherewithal to make an exactly-fitting shape), which will double both as less 'boingy' bottom out bumpers and partial return noise absorber (obviously won't help doubleshots as much, but who knows) while affecting travel feel less. Obviously the result must weigh less than an o-ring but we managed to dig up some solid-block packing foam that was suitably dense yet light when thinly sliced. I would never, ever, in a million years however be as nerdy to actually pack it out myself but given what I read here, many clearly are.

Have you tried the Elite Keyboards soft landing pads?  That kind of sounds like what you are describing, and requires much less fiddling around to achieve the same result.  I've also seen posts recommending what sounded and looked like a German version of that stuff that you'd use underneath an area rug to stop it from slipping, or as a kitchen cabinet shelf liner.  For variations on the theme, you can buy several different flavors of drawer liner for mechanics' roll cabinets that are similar to the above but range from slightly firmer than the rug pad/shelf liner to significantly thicker/firmer.

Personally I prefer the feel of the heavier clear springs to any of the damper type solutions, but that may just be me.  However, I've only tried the O-rings and one of the two EK pads offered.  (I'd happily sell my leftovers if anyone wants them; I don't have any real desire to use them on any of my keyboards now that I've tried enough different configurations to figure out what I like.)

[N8N]

What teflon lube did you try?

It was some DuPont brand aerosol lube that I got at Lowe's.  It was called a "teflon dry wax lube" or something like that. I can dig up the can later if you want to know exactly.  I applied it by simply putting the sliders in a small pill bottle, spraying a mess of the lube in and swishing it around, and then dumping the sliders out onto a paper towel to soak up the excess and dry.  After I reassembled the whole keyboard but before installing the keycaps I wiped off the tops of the stems with isopropyl alcohol to hopefully remove most of the lube from the keycap/stem interface.  I have no idea if this will work well long term or eventually become gummy, but it feels great right now.  (but I haven't tried the magic Asian keyboard lube, nor have I tried Sil-Glyde which was another idea that I had but seemed to be much more work.)

[sordna]

Proper o-rings only change the feel in the last 0.5mm or so of travel (providing a softer landing). Any comparisons to rubber domes is a gross exaggeration. Besides, you can select how soft or hard the landing is by getting a different shore durometer.
Anyway, I'd advise against slicing any material for this purpose, as it's very hard achieve the correct thickness and uniformity. Finding a ready sheet of material would be a better bet. Note that the keycap underside plays a huge role in switch travel reduction. I have a couple of keycaps in which an 008 o-ring had absolutely no effect, it never got to touch the switch casing, and I had to add a shim.
On the other hand, if you find key travel reduced much more than 0.5mm, your keycaps probably have taller struts on the underside, in which case you could try thinner o-rings, or thin rubber washers.

[Input Nirvana]

A ping-travaganza! lol