Niz MX Compatable Topre Sliders

You can do it! I don’t have a NIz board, but I’ve replaced domes in several topre boards. You can’t really mess them up. You can have a dome not seated properly, but that just means you’ll have to open it back up and try again. Go for it!

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It’s super easy with Niz domes since they are just one sheet. The hardest part is remembering to keep the assembly upside down when you remove the PCB, so the springs that sit behind the domes don’t go everywhere (it’s also a little tedious to put them all back in the domes when done). Other wise it’s just a bunch of screws. If you wanted to lube the sliders/housings, now is the time. Pretty much any photo/video resource that you would find on doing this on Topre boards should broadly apply here. Have fun!

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Okay, this is great. Thanks for the advice, ppl, I will give it a try.

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I have this board. The standoffs were plastic in mine and broke off inside the original dome sheet. I was still able to screw everything back together, but do know that the uneven tightness across the sheet may affect key registration. Otherwise I hope all goes well with your reinstall. It’s just keeping the springs and screws nice and tidy and you’ll be well on your way.

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R2 RGB sliders are up there with Novatouch from what I’ve gathered. The only issue with Topre to MX sliders are the stabs. These sound horrible, be it NT, be it R2 RGB, be it Deskeys.

Edit: I didn’t realize this post was 10 months ago. :man_facepalming:

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One day, humankind will solve that problem. One day.

yep still bad, the 2u stabs are fine, but my space bar still worse than it was before

I ordered Class60 with EC kit but need a backup plan in case sliders/housing it comes with don’t pan out.

AFAIK they’re Niz sliders so two questions I have are:

  1. Is the Niz housing compatible with DES sliders?
  2. Does Niz housing have same dimensions as DES housing?

If answer to 1 is yes then I just need to get DES sliders unless Niz housing is also crap.

If answer to 1 is no but answer to 2 is yes then I also need to get DES housings.

If answer to 1 and 2 are both no then a custom plate is needed as well.

tbh, I’ll most likely just opt to drop the EC kit into a box and forget about it if the bleeding can’t be stopped at getting DES sliders.

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I believe the answer to 1 is yes and the answer to 2 is definitely no.

Your standard Realforce housing has a slightly different size than Niz housings. Des housings are slightly larger than stock housings - you can make them work in the same stock-size cutout but Des housings benefit from an additional .1mm of added tolerance. I’ve never made a plate for Niz so I can’t comment on specifics but I know the sizing is different from stock/Des.

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Maybe to me the most important thing would be: are Niz housings compatible with DES domes ?
Looks like domes can allow you to change the tactility dramatically.

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Thanks! That puts my concerns to rest. :relieved:

Not speaking from personal experience here but to my understanding yes, you can use the domes. However, you lose the functionality of the alignment notches. So doable, but tedious.

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I’ve used OEM and Des domes on Niz keyboards before. It works, but it was not fun. As leemu mentioned, Niz housing lack the guiding/alignment tabs that OEM housing has, so you must do all the alignment yourself - very carefully. Meanwhile, the dome sheets that Niz provides is super easy-peasy and basically formfitted to the PCB.

I would not recommend using a Niz keyboard as a means to test domes, but once you know what domes you love, it might be worth the effort.

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tbh, I’ll most likely just opt to drop the EC kit into a box and forget about it if the bleeding can’t be stopped at getting DES sliders.

could you link where the Class60 mentions the plate is specifically cut for Niz parts? that’s a data point that is pretty important, and it would make me nervous if I were recommending this keyboard on the basis of Niz construction for the EC portion.

nothing wrong with Niz as a whole, and I’ve enjoyed their Hansung/Abko offerings…but having done an R2 Realforce TKL with Niz 1u in OEM–it’s not preferred. Des 1u > JTK/KBD 1u > Niz 1u sliders in OEM Topre housing. Now Niz 1u in Niz 1u housing is okay, or at least it was ok in their boards.

No mention of using Niz parts let alone plate cut but they sure look like Niz sliders to me.

You can see their sliders, housings, PCB and plate in this video:

Beside the look, its sound reminds me of Niz’s signature wet sound. Best way I can describe it is that it’s like the sound dog makes while lapping water after a run. Chop chop chop.

I guess some people like that. I don’t.

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