Build #22: Klippe+ Black/Blue (Laser Trio 2/3)
In the previous build log, we introduced the first member of the Laser Trio, a black Klippe+ with a red weight, red plate, and splashes of red from GMK Laser kits. With this build, I wanted to try out a slightly more visually subdued version of the same build, using a blue weight, blue plate, and the GMK Laser Kobe kit, and in keeping with that more subdued theme, I opted for 62g V2 Zilents. As with the previous build, the first task is switch lubing, and what can I say at this point that I haven’t already said? It’s switch lubing.
Waiting for the resolution to the Rama heatshrink mod cliffhanger? Let’s jump right in. In order to diagnose the problem, I repeated the heatshrink mod on this build, installed the stabs, soldered in switches, installed the PCB/plate sandwich into the case, and tested.
Sure enough, the same sluggish, sticky behavior. Why? And why did I build the entire board to test this problem, when I could have just installed the stabs on an empty PCB and tested right then? Sometimes a time machine would be handy.
I have no answer to the latter question, but at least I have one for the former. Zeal stab wires are gold plated, and aside from the bling factor, another attribute of that plating is that it is smooth, noticeably more so than GMK stab wires. While you can apply heatshrink to these gold plated stab wires, eventually the heatshrink tube will loosen, and begin to move back and forth along the end of those smooth stab wires (the green arrows below illustrate the direction of movement). At some point, when the tube slides to the end of the wire, the tolerances inside the housing are tight enough that the tubing catches on the housing when the stabilizer stem moves, creating the sticky behavior.
I can imagine several potential solutions to this problem (use different wires or stabilizers, try tighter heatshrink, use epoxy to bond the tubing into place), but given that Zeal stabs are generally high quality stabs, I felt the best approach was a retreat from the Rama mod: desolder the board, unscrew and remove the stabs, remove the heatshrink from the stabs, relube, and try again. This did the trick. Thank goodness for desoldering guns.
With that solution in place, the build went quickly from there, perhaps my fastest build up to that point (ignoring, of course, the entire desoldering that just took place, for this build AND for the previous build, to fix the stab problem. Sigh). Here, I’ve installed a few switches to get the plate and PCB lined up.
This was also one of my earliest attempts using the @donpark Sorbothane strut mod, in which small Sorbothane pieces are inserted into the gaps between switches through plate cutouts, before all of the switches have been installed. Here’s a side view of one such Sorbothane piece.
YMMV, but I think the blue plate and light blue Zilent stems work well here. As with the previous build, to facilitate direct comparison of sound and feel, I used a Sorbothane sheet between the PCB and case.
So, what do I think of this second member of the Laser Trio? It’s a fun board. In terms of sound, the Zilents have a bit of a “scratchy” sound that may not be to everyone’s taste, but there’s no question this board’s acoustics would be acceptable in a shared office environment. As far as switch feel goes, the 62g Zilents are a bit on the light side for me, but much more workable than the V1 Zilents with the same weight, where at times I felt that breathing on the keys was going to result in actuation. Exaggeration, of course, but yeah. Subjectively, the 62g V2 feels like something between a 65g and 67g V1.
Full disclosure: out of curiosity, I tried this build with and without the Sorbothane layer between the case and PCB, with and without a deskmat. While the best sound came from the combination of the Sorbothane case treatment and the use of a deskmat, the deskmat alone got 90% of the way there, eliminating the bulk of the metallic ping that resulted from using the untreated board on a hard wooden desk without the deskpad.
Lessons learned
- The Rama shrink-wrap mod doesn’t mix well with Zeal stabs - the tolerances are too tight and the wires are too smooth to prevent the shrink wrap from sliding and catching on the housing.
- Don’t try a new mod on two boards at the same time - if the mod proves unsuccessful, you’ll be undoing it twice.
- Don’t forget that the surface underneath the keyboard is part of the sonic equation - the presence or absence of a deskmat contributes significantly to the sound of a board.
- This was the first build in which I tried @donpark’s Sorbothane strut approach, and I’ve been using it since; it’s easier to get good plate/switch/PCB fit first, before installing Sorbothane.
- Take your time seating the PCB/plate sandwich in the Klippe+; it may initially look like you have it seated properly, but you’ll be able to tell otherwise since the screw holes won’t line up well with the PCB.
Specifications
case: Klippe+ (black case, blue weight)
case dampening: 0.1" 40 Duro Sorbothane sheet with cutouts
PCB: Zeal60 R4
plate: blue anodized aluminum
plate/PCB dampening: 0.25" 50 Duro Sorbothane, small squares
stabilizers: Zeal R2 transparent (1x6.25u, 4x2u)
stabilizer mods: lubed with SuperLube
switches: 62g V2 Zilents
switch mods:
- springs tub-lubed with Krytox GPL 104
- housings and stems hand-lubed with Tribosys 3204
keycaps: GMK Laser
- Kobe, Blocknet
HxWxD (without caps): 1.38" x 11.18" x 4.25"
HxWxD: 1.75" x 11.18" x 4.25"
assembled weight: 3.17 lb
