Keycaps, sound and feel?

[DrinkTea]

Does the material and thickness of keycaps affect the feel and sound of typing on any keyboards? Or is it purely for aesthetics and fingertip sensation? Thank you.

[neunelfer]

Yes, thicker keys generally have a deeper, more solid sound. PBT and ABS usually sound different from each other too. In my experience, ABS has a slightly higher pitched sound.

[DrinkTea]

Yes, thicker keys generally have a deeper, more solid sound. PBT and ABS usually sound different from each other too. In my experience, ABS has a slightly higher pitched sound.

Are there any recordings comparing otherwise identical boards with different caps?

[neunelfer]

I actually have a couple videos comparing the two.

Filco, Blacks with stock ABS

Filco, Blacks with PBT

It might be kind of hard to tell the difference, but there definitely is one.

[DrinkTea]

I actually have a couple videos comparing the two.

Filco, Blacks with stock ABS

Filco, Blacks with PBT

It might be kind of hard to tell the difference, but there definitely is one.

I hear the difference. PBT sounds like more of a thud in those videos. How much of that is just weight and not material? Also, how much of that sound difference would be removed with the use of landing pads or o rings?

[neunelfer]

I actually have yet another video of the PBT with o-rings, which I have since removed. They alter the feel and sound a little too much for my liking.

I think it mostly comes from the material in this case, because the PBT and ABS are approximately the same thickness.

[Oobly]

Even at the same thickness, PBT weighs more because it is denser. More mass = lower pitch.

The feel is affected by a few factors. The surface, the weight and the profile. PBT is "drier" feeling, almost like unglazed ceramic. It is also denser, which increases the impulse required to move the key.

The combination results in a less "cheap" sound and feeling, IMHO.

Personally, I prefer POM. It is even denser than PBT and I like the smooth surface feel.

[tp4tissue]

Even at the same thickness, PBT weighs more because it is denser. More mass = lower pitch.

The feel is affected by a few factors. The surface, the weight and the profile. PBT is "drier" feeling, almost like unglazed ceramic. It is also denser, which increases the impulse required to move the key.

The combination results in a less "cheap" sound and feeling, IMHO.

Personally, I prefer POM. It is even denser than PBT and I like the smooth surface feel.

pom felt a little stick to me.. but it's not a huge issue since I don't have sweaty hands.

[noisyturtle]

I keep seeing the title cut off in the index and reading it "Keycaps, Sound and Fury"
That should be a thread, and also a movie

[tp4tissue]

I keep seeing the title cut off in the index and reading it "Keycaps, Sound and Fury"
That should be a thread, and also a movie

oooo... that does ring like earth, wind, and fire..

it should be    keycap (singular), sound and fury

They all have two intonations

[bamze]

I actually have yet another video of the PBT with o-rings, which I have since removed. They alter the feel and sound a little too much for my liking.

I think it mostly comes from the material in this case, because the PBT and ABS are approximately the same thickness.

Haha i like your "yet another video" library  .

[Oobly]

I keep seeing the title cut off in the index and reading it "Keycaps, Sound and Fury"
That should be a thread, and also a movie

oooo... that does ring like earth, wind, and fire..

it should be    keycap (singular), sound and fury

They all have two intonations

I get the impression of a hero typing furiously, hair blown back by the blast of hot air from his furiously thundering, flaming fingers, churning out paragraphs a second for.... his book report... or something. A review of keycaps rated by their resistance to melting or shattering.

[strict]

Even at the same thickness, PBT weighs more because it is denser. More mass = lower pitch.

The feel is affected by a few factors. The surface, the weight and the profile. PBT is "drier" feeling, almost like unglazed ceramic. It is also denser, which increases the impulse required to move the key.

The combination results in a less "cheap" sound and feeling, IMHO.

Personally, I prefer POM. It is even denser than PBT and I like the smooth surface feel.

I just aquired my first set of PBT keycaps and that is an excellent way to describe their texture. The feel of PBT is simply amazing.

Regarding the OPs questions, I have noticed a slight tone change when switching out my stock Filco ABS caps for the BangGood PBT caps I'm using now. Both sets of caps are pretty thin but the PBT ones seem to have a slightly deeper tone. I feel like it even kind of helped reduce the "pinging" that my Filco suffered from to a small degree.

[Linkbane]

Even at the same thickness, PBT weighs more because it is denser. More mass = lower pitch.

The feel is affected by a few factors. The surface, the weight and the profile. PBT is "drier" feeling, almost like unglazed ceramic. It is also denser, which increases the impulse required to move the key.

The combination results in a less "cheap" sound and feeling, IMHO.

Personally, I prefer POM. It is even denser than PBT and I like the smooth surface feel.

I just aquired my first set of PBT keycaps and that is an excellent way to describe their texture. The feel of PBT is simply amazing.

Regarding the OPs questions, I have noticed a slight tone change when switching out my stock Filco ABS caps for the BangGood PBT caps I'm using now. Both sets of caps are pretty thin but the PBT ones seem to have a slightly deeper tone. I feel like it even kind of helped reduce the "pinging" that my Filco suffered from to a small degree.

I think the Keycool (i.e. banggood) is the new start for a lot of members. It was my first exposure to PBT caps, and I personally really like them; a nice roughness which grips my fingers, and not very heavy. For some reason, it's medium-thick, which I actually think is nice. It has a higher pitch than the thick PBT on my Ducky, but the difference between rough and very smooth make them difficult to compare. They both are great.

[demik]

Pom is the only one I haven't tried.

But between pbt and abs I truly feel no damn difference.

But then again I have weird fingers.

[SpAmRaY]

Pom is the only one I haven't tried.

But between pbt and abs I truly feel no damn difference.

But then again I have weird fingers.

you got dem workin man fingers