My girlfriend and I are making matching HHKB Tofu builds, and I’m wanting to get some foams from mkultra.click. Does anyone have one, and if so, will it fit 4mm foam on both the case and the plate? Should I go for 2mm instead?
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The problem with the HHKB (and regular) Tofu is that there is a recessed shelf at the back of the case. When I first built mine, I used 0.188" (~4.7mm) Sorbothane to “fill in” the recessed area, but that didn’t make any contact with the PCB, so I then tried stacking two pieces to form a ~9.4mm slab, which was a little tight, but it fit. Hopefully this old photo gives you the idea:
With the mkultra foam, I think 4mm will work between the PCB and case, but if you want the foam to make contact with the entire PCB, you’ll need to put something in that recessed area to press the foam upward, something around 5mm thick.
Between the plate and PCB, I was using 4mm thick pieces of Sorbothane, so I would imagine a 4mm foam would be fine for that application (assuming it has some give, because at 4mm, you will definitely be making firm contact between the plate and PCB).
I’ll be curious to hear how the foams work for you - I haven’t written a build log for this board yet because I don’t consider it finished, primarily because I haven’t managed to get the sound where I’d like it. Foams were on my list of things to try…
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Hmm… I might be able to cut some packing foam to fit there. That’s certainly a bit of an odd design choice, and having a hotswap PCB… I think I want some full foam contact. Once my board ships and I get to actually mess around with it, I think I’ll make a you-style build log, even if it’s a little looser.
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I believe the cutout is for a battery if you want to put a bluetooth pcb in there
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I’ve used tire weights in the recessed area of my regular Tofu and extra weight makes an amazing difference in feel.
2mm case padding went on top because 4mm was too thick for hot-swappable PCB. HHKB Tofu may be different but, for regular Tofu, 4mm should be OK for non-swappable PCB since, unlike Kailh sockets, pins can punch holes into the padding.
When none of the padding options work, stuffing a bunch of soft tissues helps.
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I’ve had a lot of fun with my Tofu. Must have taken it apart 15-20 times. Learning how to lube stabs and switches, slowly adding personal mods etc.
My personal solutions (hack and slash so not pretty but, got the job done) was looking for bottom out comfort and silence.
Put some towel in the case, and some double sided sticky foam between PCB and integrated plate. Also only using the 4 corner screws to hold the PCB to the top, instead of the suggested 8. And Aliaz, so silents.
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I love the tire weights idea. I’m a little surprised it makes that much difference, though. Do you attach them to the case with adhesive backing, or some other approach?
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I love the tire weights idea. I’m a little surprised it makes that much difference, though. Do you attach them to the case with adhesive backing, or some other approach?
I liked it so much that I ordered a B-stock Tofu with intention to do the same. It’s really the cheapest way to get even close to the expensive case feel IMO.
I used the adhesive backing tire weights comes with. It’s really strong so the extra weight really becomes part of the case. While it’s not impossible to remove, it’ll take time and plenty of grunting to leave the mess of glue it’ll leave behind. Just so you know. You should consider using some double-side tape instead if you’re not sure. I was just being lazy and I’m really bad at selling anything I buy so I went with easiest option. 
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Tire weights… huh. Not exactly my first idea, but that’s certainly an idea… I’ll have to think about it. I want to start getting a board together for portability, so I’m not sure if I want to add weights to the Tofu, but I might end up getting a bona fide HHKB (since my HHKB BT now will unceremoniously not turn on. >:/ )
I’m wanting to add some pressure to the hot swap sockets because in my other KBD6x build, it’s kept sockets from going on the fritz. Does the 2mm foam compress, or should I go with 4mm?
Send an email to MK Ultra, I believe if you send him in your case so he can get all the dimensions he will cut you a case foam for free. Also the Tofu 60% case will get added to his selection of pre cut foams. At the very least he’ll work with you to get the proper foam needed to fill the battery cutout & case. IME with him so far he was very helpful & even made sure my order got cut the way I wanted just from me asking him on reddit. I highly recommend MK Ultra’s services for sure!
Rob is correct - if you want perfect, send your case and I will get it exact and then offer it to others. I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a regular Tofu as well as an HHKB/WKL one just because i know they are oddballs.
I recently did foam for the Tofu65 and made a piece to fit in that recessed well out of some super dense foam that takes about the same power to cut as acrylic. It is surprisingly heavy for being foam and feels very much like it could be a lightweight tire tread. I’d love to get this into the other Tofu cases as well.
If you don’t want to send one in, I’ve had people say the 4mm plate foam is a little too thick because it causes the USB socket to be out of alignment with the case, so I’ve been sending 3mm. Also, for the case foam, when people let me know it is for HHKB or WKL, I cut for the 2nd USB as well since it needs that.
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Since this is part of a matching project, I might be able to send the case in before we get building. I’ll be happy to pay full price + commission to help drive things forward for MKUltra! I’m really excited to figure out how this dense foam feels, and end up with the first Tofus that actually sound good.
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I know I’ve had some really excellent feedback on the ones I’ve sent out for the Tofu65 cases so I’m just as excited to start offering it for the 60% Tofu! I am working hard to get as many cases as I can supported, especially these ones that people say really need the help. I think the HHKB Tofu is a great case for the price and with a little help, can be a great case to compete at any price.
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I might be able to also toss a beat-up G80-1800 your way to make case foams for. My TKC 1800 build in that case is definitely not happening for a while, but it’d certainly be nice - and might make TKC happy for their next round.
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That would be great! TKC1800 is another board people have been asking about and I know it has standoffs and such inside the case so it would absolutely need some hand measurements on that one.
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