I hope this gets wrapped up soon as I am very much looking forward to participating in R3 for a beige case.
Whew this sounds and looks good. Love the spacebar
This is just a shot in the dark, for anyone to answer: Iām thinking of a platform for a silent build.
And itās between an NCR-80, the new Keychron Q3, and an HMKB.
All 3 have been used for silent builds [Iāll be using something like a U4 Boba].
Could a tack-dampened NCR-80 hold up against those, or what would be anyoneās choice from those 3 for a silent TKL?
I blue/sticky tacked the crap put of the top shell on my NCR-80, and put Eva foam in the bottom which helped a lot with the sound. I still donāt find it too quiet however though Iām not using silent switches so itās not a good comparison. I think if you tacked the bottom too with polyfill on top, it would be pretty silent with the right switch.
The Q3 would probably be quieter with less modding due to the density of the case. You could always try the NCR-80 mod first of you donāt already own the Q3.
I havenāt built my HMKB yet, but there is a lot of space to fill and that plate seems like a sounding board.
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If it it not too much trouble, I would love to see some photos if you find the time 
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Iāll try to take a snap of the tack-job today if I remember.
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Cool, I got one of these second hand and just received it today. That is why I am curious.
The carbon fiber plate is nice, but I think I am going to go plateless. I might have to buy some more pourable silicone and put that in the bottom. The ridges in the plastic are perfect for containing the silicone while it cures.
It looks like in theory you could probably do pourable silicone in the top too, but I am think gravity would probably cause it to fall out over time.
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Adding some things here since I know other people have NCRs coming or in their backlog.
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Anyoneās else NCR has the plastic smell like a mixture of factory plastic and skunk?
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This is the best VIA instructions and hex files I have found - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FMbVakHGMp4_OxZcxU9GbDsXOOZ0ike5/view
Sourced from a comment by ā/u/mustcodeā here - https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/p9hiol/anyone_got_the_qmkvia_firmware_for_the_ncr80/hb8gqfv/
This one actually has a soldered file that supports ISO, split RShift, and split Backspace.
I will add more updates as I have. Cheers!
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Hmm. My interest in NCR 80 suddenly dropped.
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To be fair, I only pick up the scent when I hold the case close to my face. I was examining some of the mold marks.
I also bought it second hand, so the previous owner could have been a skunk lover. Either the animal, or the smokable plant that smells similar.
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Thatās interesting. I have no experience with the plate model. It might be necessary were I to use Silent Lemons or something in it [3-pin].
If you get a chance, please let us know how plate compares with plateless.
I didnāt notice any unusual scents emanating from the case. It did smell more plasticy than usual up-close. I never took it for being expensive plastic, rather the opposite. Not a problem for me. The plastic smell is baked-in, youād have to go up close now.
hehe the cool gray looked like the original NCR80 R1 colour
I donāt have a hotswap version to be able to test that well. However the carbon fiber plate seems to be of nice quality. In hand it seems sturdy, which is kind of the reason I donāt think I want to use it. Seems rather rigid.
My memory of what carbon fiber plates are supposed to feel like is a little rusty, but I thought that people like them for the sound, but that they are quite firm.
I think some of what you and others have posted about the classic Cherry boards being plateless and my love a soft bottom out leads to think that is what I would prefer.
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Was that issue ever resolved?
I have R1, and the gray is a darker one that is more greenish in tint. It definitely goes with a specific type of keyset [classic beige + cream as in CRP].
The cool gray, as depicted in the R2 promotional images, is indeed lighter and cooler [more silvery] than R1 gray. It would look nice with something like Royal Alpha, IHMO.
But they didnāt produce the colour in R2 that they said they would. I donāt know if this was ever rectified.
Found out about this today - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256803997162099.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.442c1802WdUf0m&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt
Might have to give it a try. I think I am gonna desolder the Mallo switches I put and and do something a little more tactile.
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That looks like a good deal! Says they had to hand trim for stabilizer wires so theyāre discounting them. Seems like a win.
I was looking into getting a āsilentā NCR-80 for a relative [they requested one], and hereās what I ended up with:
Thatās a standard dark gray case. Carbon Fibre plate. OUTEMU Silent Lemon/Lime switches (lubed). TX stabilizers.
Itās a soldered build, because I didnāt want those switches getting away.
Itās actually very quiet, mainly thanks to the switches. These are the best silent light tactiles you can get right now, although they may have minor QC issues.
NCR-80 is still a hollow build, but this one has the optional NCR-80 foam [all types]. The CF plate isnāt that loud, although I think aluminium is better for silent switches. Itās very light, hardly adds any weight to the case. Nor does the dampening material. Itās almost as light as a standard NCR-80.
I used Shenpo PBT beige + cream keycaps and some lavender accents in order to save money. But they seem kind of crooked to me. Do they let down the build? Honestly, the stabilizers promote a little more N/S/E/W wobble than expected, but I think itās mainly the keycap stems.
A finishing touch: the LED indicators are purple:
Overall, it is a successful silent build. Although I donāt think NCR-80 is inherently quiet. Aurora with dampening is quieter. And from user accounts, HMKB TKL may be quieter as well.
Maybe Cannonkeys Earl Grey Lavender could achieve the same effect, with more consistency?
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Badass build. Good job
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I have to confess: the soldering part was done by an assembly service. I needed a known talent for the job.
In the end, Iām sure the ācustomerā will be happy.
