Novatouch Stem issues?

[Rotaku]

Hey guys, i attempted a novatouch stem swap for my hhkb that i just got, and everything was working fine (excluding the spacebar of course) and i reassembled the hhkb, and seen that about 5 or 6 stems were stuck. Like i'd press that switch once, and it wouldn't come back up. It's weird, because i know it's not the stems that are the issue (i tested the same 5 or 6 sports with multiple NT stems, issue still persisted) and i put the stock topre sliders back in and now everything works perfectly? Should i lube my NT Stems, or am i doing something wrong?

[Findecanor]

Hmm.. The Novatouch stems are actually a fraction of a mm wider than regular Topre stems but most of the time that is not an issue. Maybe those barrels in your HHKB are a fraction of a mm more narrow than the others.

But I wonder if someone else has swapped the sliders  in their HHKB and experience the same issue.

[Rotaku]

Hmm.. The Novatouch stems are actually a fraction of a mm wider than regular Topre stems but most of the time that is not an issue. Maybe those barrels in your HHKB are a fraction of a mm more narrow than the others.

But I wonder if someone else has swapped the sliders  in their HHKB and experience the same issue.

But if that was the issue, wouldn't all of the Novatouch stems have that problem?

[SpAmRaY]

Are you certain all the domes were properly aligned when you tried the novatouch stems?

[Rotaku]

Are you certain all the domes were properly aligned when you tried the novatouch stems?

I thought that was the issue, and I checked multiple times to make sure it wasn't. I'm positive the sliders are the issue, because when I set the sliders in place in the malfunctioning spots, I'd press down on the stem, and it'd literally get stuck there until I pushed it up my self. This is without the domes in place

[Jersern]

I swapped a few stems (and swapped it back) just for the fun of it and I had no such problems though my HHKB was lubed in the first place (thus lube on the barrel) and I also went ahead and slightly lubed my Novatouch so, also nice and slippery.

[jackiecanev2]

I have two barrels on my hhkb that are just a hair too tight for most of the novatouch stems. In my experience, the noppoo mix sliders are 1+mm narrower in diameter than topre, and the novatouch sliders are a fraction of a mm wider. I had to just keep trying different sliders (and their reverse orientations, it makes no real difference except that the slider or barrel might be a tiny bit off center) until I found a slider that would travel smoothly in those two barrels... just push the stem up and let gravity bring it back down. If it doesn't fall, try another slider until it does.

If you're really brave, you could sand very, very lightly with a high grit paper the inner lip of the barrel...

[Rotaku]

I have two barrels on my hhkb that are just a hair too tight for most of the novatouch stems. In my experience, the noppoo mix sliders are 1+mm narrower in diameter than topre, and the novatouch sliders are a fraction of a mm wider. I had to just keep trying different sliders (and their reverse orientations, it makes no real difference except that the slider or barrel might be a tiny bit off center) until I found a slider that would travel smoothly in those two barrels... just push the stem up and let gravity bring it back down. If it doesn't fall, try another slider until it does.

If you're really brave, you could sand very, very lightly with a high grit paper the inner lip of the barrel...

I just ended up selling off the novatouch stems due to me possibly messing up, and i'm just gonna wait to see if the JTK topre to mx stems would work better  )

[jackiecanev2]

The thing that worries me about the various sliders is the actual diameter; given the number of novatouch stems that I went through, there is obviously there is a fraction of variability in the barrel size of the hhkb. I haven't had any problems with my realforce, but again, the topre sliders and barrels will likely vary across manufacturer as well. I have a jtk set on order as well, but loose sliders are disastrous - the noppoo err on the narrow side and they work, but that 1.0Xmm difference creates lateral play such that even though the cap is snug, the barrel still wiggles. They actuate, but they feel wobbly. I'd rather err on the novatouch side and have to go through a handful of stems to find one for those two keys than sand my plate.

Hopefully the jtk sliders will be perfect!