Niz MX Compatable Topre Sliders

Learning and discussion
72

Well this took the better part of my two days off, but maybe I’m just really slow. I did find that there was quite a bit of movement with the Niz housings in my plate before full assembly so I went ahead and applied the electrical tape as hi-xxi suggested, just in case. Unfortunately while assembling the costar stabs I realized that I don’t have any spare keycap sets. :sweat_smile: I have a couple sets on order (MT3 Serika for this board), but I might have to grab another set in the meantime.

The combination of Des rings with the Niz switches has no squeaking like there was with the Silence-X rings in the stock topre switches. I’d definitely recommend generous amounts of lube for the costar stab as mine was still fairly rattly with a small amount of dielectric grease.

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IMAG0091.jpg3264×1840 2.78 MB

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73

I can’t wait until someone figures out how to put Costar stabs on 2u+ keys so that we can have an MX conversion that’s actually good again.

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74

Thank you, I updated my post earlier to include a wobble comparison video.

My impression is that Niz sliders in their own housings have equal or even a little less wobble than stock Topre.

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75

if anyone wants to check out the niz housings and sliders in person, i packed up my converted 23u and will be bringing it to the NorCal meetup this Saturday

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76

Awesome ! Well done !

77

Hello.
I have done the same mod with the 6u costar for my heavy6.
Regarding the rattly costar stab, the below mod makes it dead silent.

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image5504×3096 1.38 MB

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78

I have been following along on this thread and others and have ordered some parts to try and convert one of my topre boards to MX. The last detail I’m stuck on is the stabilizers; specifically for the spacebar. Everyone seems to recommend a 6U Costar stabilizer but I do not see those for sale anywhere. There are plenty of 6.25 and 2U costar sets available but it appears most ship from overseas.

Will a 6.25 work? Can I just use a 6.25 Cherry? Cherrys are readily available from many vendors in the US. I have all the other parts (NIZ and KBDfans sliders, BKE domes, MX keycaps) en route but am stuck on the stabilizers. Anyone able to shed some light on what options exist?

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Cherry stabilizers will not work they have to be mounted in the PCB or plate, and would not fit without extensive modification for mounting and clearance. The spacebars on most topre boards is 6u, and I think only the newer R2 Realforce boards uses the more standard 6.25

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So the plate mount costar stabilizers are different (they fit with hot glue etc)? I don’t see 6U costar stabilizers for sale anywhere. Without that option how can I convert the spacebar?

EDIT: It sounds like there are 2 issues - 1) 6U stabilizers are hard to find and 2) many MX sets do not come with a 6U spacebar anyway. I ordered a DEV/TTY keycap set thinking it would work but now I am not so sure.

81

You can use 6.25 costar stabs.
It’s tight but it works.

https://imgur.com/a/bmHaisI

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82

Thanks! So is that a 6U cherry spacebar pictured? It looks like I can order costar stabilizer parts from WASD but it does not specify the spacebar wire size in U units only inches.

83

Costar stabs at WASD are meant to be used with standard 6.25U spacebars like used on their keyboard.
Already bought some on their site and they fit my 6.25U space bar nicely.
Those are genuine Costar stabilizers also, very nice ones.

84

Yes, it’s a 6U GMK spacebar.

Seems like the stabs from WASD wouldn’t be a good choice.
I the following picture you can see a the wire of my WASD v2 (top) and
the wire I’ve got from aliexpress (bottom).
The part of the wire which goes into the inserts is shorter.
I did a short test with the WASD wire. When i pressed the spacebar on the left side sometimes
the wire on the right did not stay in the insert.

I got my stabs form here.

https://imgur.com/a/uDDo6Yx

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85

I don’t have the problem on both my Filco and my custom keyboard using these stabs.
But I agree that if the Costar stabs that clips onto the plate have a little play, this problem could happen.

On the other side having the little legs a little bit shorter should makes removal of the keycaps easier: stabilized keys are always a pain to remove with this system.
So pick your poison I would say … or buy both and pick the ones that fits best your needs, these are not very expensive :wink:

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Thx, good call. I ordered some from aliexpress and I’ll try the WASD ones as well. This is a lot of R&D to fit a spacebar haha

87

That is not a GMK stabilizer pictured.

88

It probably refers to the spacebar in an earlier reply.

89

6.25u wire from aliexpress should work. There is enough room on each side to accommodate 0.125u (1/2 of .25u). I reckon placing 2 stabs on each side is essential for this reason, and I would position the inner pair for the 6u spacing.

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I got my NIZ sliders and costar stabilizers from WASD in the mail yesterday. I also have some KBDfans sliders on the way and some BKE domes and a dev/tty keycap set ready to go. As soon as the kbdfans parts arrive I am planning on making the full conversion to a Realforce 87U. Seems there are differing opinions on whether or not to lube the sliders. What do you all recommend for stabilizers and sliders? Lube/not lube? If yes what lube?

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Lubing helps provide a little bit of smoothness and helps reduce some of the rattle and nose. You don’t really lube the sliders though, you lube the housings where the two legs of the sliders go. I would suggest using a light to medium weight grease like 3203 or 3204, applied lightly.