Switch Silencing

[psiclone]

OK, so on my quest to get a perfectly silenced mechanical switch, I've tried almost everything, but I found that there really isn't anything out there I'm looking for.  I have used lube, Zealencio Silencing Clips, O-rings of various hardness and thickness, landing pads, different keycaps (ABS/PBT and different brands), a towel under the keybaord, different keyboards, and more.

Having said that, I attempted to use Aquarium Sealant on the inner parts where the slider goes...not on the side, but where the slider hits when going up upon release.  I had to let it set for almost a day, but the attempt (while still not perfect) works really well.  The main thing to remember is that you really need to let it set or cure before you use it.  If not, what you might find later on is that the slider is stuck to the housing.  Now, that's just the action going up, trying to handle this on the way down is the next step.

If you're asking about residue, etc...there's little to worry about..as I found if you want to get the sealant out, then it can simply be knocked off with a small tool.  I used the sealant, because it was the only thing I could think of that would likely stick to the plastic housing and give a rubber-like effect.  The only thing is, the sealant came in such a large tube, that at this rate it would literally last me over 400 full keyboards.

Here's a couple of sound clips.  See if you can tell which one has no silencing, which one has a Zealencio clip and which one has the aquarium sealant?

[shadowku]

Just wondering if you've tried a Topre keyboard? I was going through this a while back because my wife and I share a computer room and she absolutely hates the sound of my mechanicals. I had browns initially, and she complained even when silenced. The issue was that I would have times when I would get excited and type harder and faster (if I had just figured something out or if I was playing games).

I starting looking at the Topres, HHKB Type-S in particular. I ended up getting a regular HHKB Pro 2 that was hypersphere'd, and after also adding a large desk mat under the board, the keyboard is quieter than the Apple chiclet keyboards that my coworkers use. Also, since the HHKB is not plate mounted, the sound it does make is a lower pitch "thock" sound which I find very pleasant. My wife no longer complains either. Though this really only works if you can adjust to Topre (any variant) and get it silenced.

[shadowku]

I also can't exactly tell which is which in those sound clips you attached. They both sound loud AF to me. Esp compared to my HHKB that I'm typing this message on 

[zslane]

Switch makers should be internally silencing all their switches. Making end-users resort to all the ugly silencing measures they go to is unconscionable.

[shadowku]

I really want to try out the Cherry silenced reds and blacks. I hear those are very noticeably quieter than normal reds and blacks.

[psiclone]

I haven't.  No.  This was on a Gateron Yellow with lube and the aquarium sealant on a GMMK.  This basically means that if I can get the bottoming out silenced better, then I've got a $100 keyboard with $15 in lube and sealant I can use, plus I can swap out my switches if they go bad.

Unfortunately, not everyone can afford or like the Topre keyboard, but I've heard they're wonderful.  I just don't know what you do when a switch goes bad.  I can't seem to find a stand-alone Topre switch anywhere.

Part of the reason this sounds loud is because I recorded the sound with my phone right next to the switches.  Plus, I was hitting them pretty hard to get the effet across.  Sorry for the volume.  It's also because they're...well...loud.

[psiclone]

Switch makers should be internally silencing all their switches. Making end-users resort to all the ugly silencing measures they go to is unconscionable.

Agreed.  If I can get this far, why can't they?  Having said that, I moved from a Cherry red silenced keyboard to this one.  I like the feel of the Kailh Burgundies and Gateron Yellows.  I did order some QMX clips, but it will be quite a long time before I see those.  I can get the bottoming out quieter with a landing pad, but I wanted to get that upstroke shut down.  It's not perfect, but it appears to work pretty darn well.  Time will tell.

[yuppie]

Please, try a cherry MX Silent stem inside a Zealio housing. Choose your preferred spring weight, not the stock cherry spring. Report back here.

[psiclone]

Please, try a cherry MX Silent stem inside a Zealio housing. Choose your preferred spring weight, not the stock cherry spring. Report back here.

I don't have any stand-alone cherry silents to try.  The ones I have on my other keyboard are on a Strafe, so they're soldered in, and I don't want to mess with that keyboard.  I am curious as to how that would work out, however.  Maybe I'll give it a try some time in the future.  My goal right now is to get this implemented on a few switches...try them out over a few weeks and see how they hold up.  If all goes well, I'll do the whole board.

[shadowku]

Yeah, Topre keyboards are quite damn pricey, and the keyboards/layouts are very limited.
Also, a lot of people usually have to buy them without trying them first because there aren't many (maybe none?) official vendors outside of Asia.

But there are cheaper silencing options than Hyperspheres now (I forgot where) but I think a silenced Topre (esp the HHKB) will probably stand as one of the end games for silenced keyboards.
From what I've read, a silenced HHKB is going to be the quietest "mechanical" keyboard you can easily get.

[psiclone]

OK, so I just tried this with a black landing pad, which is pretty darn silent, but the travel distance suffered tremendously and felt horrible.  So I put on a different O-ring, which is thicker then the one I had.  This is about as close as I might get before I can try out the QMX-Clip.  The funny thing is, it almost feels like a rubber dome...only in that the sealant wants to grab the slider just a hair before I press.  I probably didn't let it set long enough.  It's not a bad feeling, but not what I was after.  I recorded this at a more reasonable distance (5 inches away, instead of right on the keyboard), so it doesn't sound so loud.

[davkol]

QMX Clips are hands down the most efficient method out there, that works right away.

I'm using PCB-mounted vintage Cherry MX Black switches with thick Cherry POM keycaps and a rubber mat underneath. The most noticeable sound is my fingertip tapping on keycaps. There's no solution for that, other than using some sort of softer keycaps—I believe there are "jelly" silicone caps like that in China and I think I've seen them on Massderp.

At some point, you have to make a compromise between damping and mushiness though.

[Riverman]

QMX Clips are hands down the most efficient method out there, that works right away.

I'm very impressed with the QMX Clips that I just installed on my Varmilo keyboard at home.  They were far faster to install than o-rings, and the keyboard is very quiet with them on.  Every key sounds the same, which I couldn't always say with o-rings.  I like the feel of the QMX Clips a lot more than the Cherry silent red switches in the G80-3494 Silent that I bought a while back.  The QMX Clips aren't nearly as mushy, although key travel is slightly less than with the silent reds.  I have a Topre with hypershere rings on the way, and I can't wait to see how that one types.  I've had a Realforce and a pair of Type Heavens before, and always liked them.

[psiclone]

Here's the Strafe with silent reds against this mod.  It starts with single keys and then the space bar (I don't even know why I did that, since neither has a mod) and then faster single keys.

[psiclone]

So, I've done all the letter keys, the spacebar, enter, ESC and backspace.  I have to say that the end result was and wasn't what I was after.  It's definitely silent on the upswing...so that worked as intended.  I love it on the keys that aren't letters.  However, unless you like a somewhat stiff and sticky tactile feel, this isn't for you.  If you like tactile, then you may love this.  I have had a few people try it out and most actually really like it.

This is what it feels like.  Think of a strong tactile bump just as you start to press the key.  The rest of the motion shoots down easily to bottom out.  This means that it takes what I'm guessing is about 80g-85g to start and then super quickly becomes about 50g and lands with a hard clack...but you only hear that...not the upswing.  I can't tell if I hate the feel or like it, as I lean towards a medium linear feel.  I love how silent the upswing is now, though.  If you like tactility and a good force-feedback, this is a great mod.

With O-rings, it's just about dead silent, due to the cushion between the bottoming-out and the upswing, but the loss in travel distance and stiffness was killing it for me.  I tried Zealencio Silencing clips and this mod and it's not as silent as I preferred on the downstroke (the O-rings worked better).  I tried a couple of different keycaps (both PBT and I liked them, but the result was basically a slightly higher/lower thud).  In the end, what I'm left with is no O-rings or dampening for the bottoming out, until I can get QMX clips to try.

The good news is that the other keys, which I did keep O-rings on are so dead silent and the clack doesn't really come through...not sure why, but they feel great.

[zslane]

I admire the effort you're putting into this psiclone, I really do. But honestly I think it is an exercise in futility. The only real solution is internal dampening, i.e., built right into the switch design. All these hacks are poor substitutes for a properly (internally) dampened switch.

[psiclone]

I don't disagree, but until we have that option, this is what I came up with.  I didn't mind, because it gave me a project to work on, which only took a couple of hours to do.  The good news is I can simply knock the sealant right off the switches if I want and get them back to the way they were, but I love the other keys as they are.  The spacebar is very quiet and not rattly at all.