I just noticed a new “Accessories” section on SwitchCaptain today.
6 Likes
Jailhouse question;
It seems like most times I’ve seen the mod done, the jacket is fixed in the down position - but that would change where in the travel the bump happens, right? Are there any versions of the mod that involve fixing the jacket in the up position? I’d be interested to compare those.
Come to think of it that is why I ordered Testor’s plastic adhesive…
2 Likes
Jailhouse mod has been done with superglue before, so you could have each jacket be fixed in the “up” position if you’d like 
I made some jailhouse gateron blues with these a few years back. I wasn’t ever able to fully cure them of the little ticking noise they sometimes develop. I’ve never soldered them in a board. stuck in the “up” position is going to be pretty funky. That’s a lot of pre travel.
2 Likes
When you did your jailhouse mod, did you lube the switches? I just ordered these JSpacers and I don’t have any jailhoused switches on hand yet, but I do have some outemu blues that I lubed the stems with 205g0 (lightly, everywhere but the legs) and they sound about the same as the browns that are in the same keyboard. I think 3 or 4 out of the 20 that I did still have a bit of the tick you’re talking about though.
From what I understand it makes it somewhat like a speed switch, in that there is very little pre-travel. Locking the click jacket up would make the pre-travel longer. I think the bump is the same either way, though I haven’t tested it yet. I’m wondering if something like this new stab mod method could be useful? Like melting the blue tabs that the click jacket is held to the rest of the stem with? I’m just speculating though as I’m not sure how the plastic the stems are made of will react to a soldering iron.
1 Like
I didn’t lube them. When they started ticking, I took a few apart and lubed everything and it did remove the tick. I even suggested lubing to evangs, who also is annoyed by the ticking. However, in just a few days it came back on those that I lubed.
What springs did you use?
The mod makes them very heavy at the top since the spring is preloaded now. I ended up using something crazy light like 40g springs.
3 Likes
Same here. I abandoned my jailhouse plans because I couldn’t find a way to make the sound go away, or even just be consistent, in about half the switches I modded. Switching from jspacers to the O ring method didn’t work either (and overall made everything less consistent which I guess is to be expected).
2 Likes
I definitely wouldn’t use o-rings. I tried and it just isn’t worth the pain of application and inconsistency. I actually don’t dislike the feel tho and would probably recommend it for those who want something between membrane and mechanical for very cheap. Eventually it might be fun to test with some of the super-tactile click jackets (phoenix stems, etc.) but there are so few out there and none are cheap. I tried a few jailhoused phoenix stems in boba housings and those were absurd
I haven’t jailhouse modded any yet, but I think when my JSpacers arrive I’ll probably try them with stock springs. I kind of like heavy switches so I’m hoping they’ll work for me. As for the lubed blues I have, I kind of suspected the lube might wear off like you mentioned but I just have them on the F keys so they don’t get much use. I’m currently using Speed Navy thick clicks and I’m hoping jailhouse modding the 100+ blues I have will make them into something of a quiet alternative, as opposed to just being noisy garbage.
I was hoping to avoid the o-ring approach as it does look rather tedious, then the JSpacers popped up for sale and I figured I would give them a try. If it doesn’t work, I would like to try Phoenix stems or for lack of those maybe Gazzew silent linear stems. Both of which seem to be a bit difficult to find and/or cost prohibitive.
I think j-spacers will be a much better experience (and less work than o-rings). If you’re looking for a silent tactile that’s pretty snappy, the gazzew silent tactile stem (in silent sky/forest switches) is pretty good. I really don’t like the gazzew silent linears because they don’t work with some other housings and didn’t feel consistent for me, though ymmv
I appreciate the insights, I’m still kind of feeling out what I want in a switch. The housings I have are Outemu, which are compatible with Gazzew stems from what I understand? Thats why I mentioned the Gazzew silent linear stems, because one of the things I noticed using red switches in my RK71 is how much sound they make. Mostly on top-out from what I can tell, hence my interest in silent linears, though I imagine lube would make a difference as well. I’m going to look into the Gazzew silent tactile stems as well, I remember there being something about silent sky switches that interested me.
I believe they should be compatible based on what I’ve read and tried (I won’t pretend to know that much about non-gazzew outemus though). But that makes sense and seems like a good way to try things out whether you decide to go tactile or linear
1 Like