Poured a custom silicone dampener for my Freebird 60 case tonight. Needed exactly 70g of silicone to fill the case bottom up to the top of the mounting posts. The trickiest part of this is always to get the case level, because nothing–and I do mean nothing–in our 95-year-old house is level (nor plumb, nor square).
The case came with a decent but thin silicone dampener sheet that didn’t quite fill the entire bottom of the case, so there was still some annoying case ping even with O-rings on the case PCB screws.
I’ll need to wait until tomorrow to see if it solves the problem, but I have high hopes.
Update: mission was a success! I was eager to get the board back together for testing so I neglected to take a photo, but the new silicone dampener is more than double the thickness of the one that came with the case and is a very snug fit with the PCB.
The board sounds like a much denser/heavier/more expensive case now with no case ping. This is probably my favorite mod. It’s fun to do, very cheap, and elevates even the cheapest boards.
The only downside with this mod is that in order to get it to work well, the silicone needs to be in firm contact with the PCB, so if you’re a fan of a bouncy typing feel, this mod is definitely not one you’d enjoy.
I would be terrified to change out switches in this board without taking it apart! I’m assuming all of those cuts on the PCB not only change the feel but also the sound of the board. What is your opinion of the product?
Tonight I did a test build to see if I wanted to change the springs or not. Also had to make up my mind for the stabs. I thought it would be a better color match before I put them next to each other but it’s good enough.
Again, not my “work bench” …but switched out the stock keycaps on my Loga Yaksa Pro: Printstream Editor TKL. The keycaps of choice are GMK Red Samurai.
I’ve found the 12 oz mason jar size will reliably hold about 90 switches, with some brands having a little room at the top and some having the jar as full as it can be.
For a full set of 110, 16 oz is probably the move, though depending on the brand you might be able to get them all into a 14 oz if you settle the switches by shaking the jar a bit - though I do think 104 would reliably fit in the 14 oz jars regardless of brand.
I change to hot swap only on Keychron.
And on other keyboards (QK65 and tiger80) always only when completely disassembled.
Only this is not because the switches, but because the stabilizers.
If you often change keycaps, and I often change keycaps on the same keyboard. That stabilizer starts to fight. A little bit but the wire bends or something. Therefore, in order to pull it out as carefully as possible, I disassemble))
On the board itself, I’ve only noticed two things so far.
First, it is much more flex. And the corner places along the edges are more stable than those of the native. At the default Tiger80 board, the edges bend very strongly, it is problematic to insert or remove switches. It’s possible, but problematic.
The second is some layouts. Like mine with a 7th space. Makes some places with north diode switch location. And I got an interference effect here.
It is especially sad that this effect on keycap enter.((((((((((
The Aerospace Heavy Grail is here! Sadly, the stabilized keys are making me scratch my head. Depending on the keycaps used and position, they can fail to return. That’s even true of the space bar if I add the stock spring under the cap. But with others, they work just fine. So to me, that rules out:
Slider tolerance issues
Stab interference on the spacebar.
MX stabilizer holes being too small/off center
The domes are BKE Ultralights, which worked wonderfully in a Hybrid with CRP keycaps. However, they’re one of the bad ones here along with DCX. Some ePBT sets work fine, though. Even with the CRP set, the left shift will return but the space bar and enter do not.
The only other time I’ve had this happen was on an MX board and the culprit was a warped space bar. But I know that’s not the issue here since it’s multiple keys and the CRP set worked just fine in the previous setup in the Hybrid. The only variable between those two was going from Novatouch to Des sliders.
Given that the sliders are the only variable, that seems to be the culprit but I can’t make sense as to why. I’ll probably end up having to take it back apart but I’m baffled at the moment.
Reading the old Geekhack and Deskthority threads about the OTD series had some pretty interesting insights into old design. The 356N in particular was a top mounted design that used an o-ring in between the plate and PCB, much like how o-rings are currently used in gummy o-ring mounting. However it seems to be only used for sound purposes since the 356N didn’t have any posts in the bottom case and nowadays no one seems to use the o-ring in conjuction with top mount, its used as an o-ring exclusive mount. Since my FBTKL has the Jane V2 CE mounting for top/o-ring mount, I figured I’d give it a shot and see if I could notice any difference with my top mounted POM plate.
I grabbed the softest o-ring I had which was a 50A durometer one and put it into the assembly like normal:
Build was POM plate, Durock Medium Tactiles (PC top/Nylon bottom) lubed with 3204 and Deskeys films, TX Stabs and no plate foam or case foam. Keycaps were PBTFans Deep Sea Predator.
I think I typed slightly harder on the one with the o-ring because it seems slightly louder but in all honestly I don’t notice that much of a difference in sound. If I had to pick I think it sounds slightly cleaner but that could just as well be placebo. I’ll be leaving it in because I don’t really see a negative to this but maybe this is one of the reasons why mounting the o-ring with a top-mount board fell out of favor.
I finally built a board in my blue TEX case. I got it about 8 years ago. I had a zeal60 rev2 PCB for it, but I just never felt like putting in the time.
Spent so many years trying to find the right plate, switch, keycap combo that I just gave up.
Well, today I milmaxed the zeal60 PCB!
These old TEX cases have ridges that run across the PCB. So not only is it tray mount, but even firmer than most tray mounts. Also rules out mounting a hotswap PCB in it due to case/socket collision. Hence the milmax board.
The good thing is that the supports give the board very even acoustics.
I found a decent solution for dampening with foam strips and vinyl tape.
Using a 4mm brass plate gives it heft.
Now I just need to get clear caps to show off those LED diffusers. It looks so hot with the LEDs on
A blast from the past on my bench today. Very happy I finally put it to use.
Even is the paraffin oil evaporates, it will still leave behind the PTFE powder and is a possibility another option to something like RO-59’s cure time. This is a great option for combating stick-slip on switches that you may have or Frankenswitches that employ the same materials.
Initially application was smooth with a little scratch, until the PTFE found a home, but then smoothed right out. I will allow it to evaporate for about a week and revisit it, but I am thinking the results will be just as nice if not better.
There are multiple options for both ingredients, but I went with these:
I got tired of brushing RO-59 on stems so poured out a vial into a small pan to let the stems just soak in the pan and stir casually a few times a day to re-coat. RO-59’s key feature is that its water-based so I’m going to drip some water into the pan as needed and keep re-coating as long as my patience/laziness lasts.
If the result is anything worthwhile, I’m going to try the PTFE powder solution above because RO-59 looks like milk, making me wonder if I got scammed.
UPDATE: The idea of dripping water didn’t pan out. No big deal. RO-59 is on sale now $6.50 (but expiration date for this batch is November) so I was able to order enough to fill my need. I’m looking forward to using RO-59 on EC kit for Class60.
Nope, not scammed. That’s what my RO-59 looks like as well.
It works, it’s just a pain doing switches in batches and losing one of my lubing stations for hours on end while the housings and stems dry.
The water-based solution is a bit of a PITA to get evenly spread on plastic parts, so thats kind of what led me to looking at something like paraffin oil. It plays nice with plastics and is a pretty decent lubricant as well.
I’ve been using ChatGPT to formulate some prompts an app so I asked it some questions about this.
When asked “Which oil is best for diluting PTFE powder?”, ChatGPT wrote:
Mineral oil: This is a commonly used oil for diluting PTFE powder as it has good chemical stability and low volatility. It is also odorless and colorless, making it suitable for use in a wide range of applications.
Silicone oil: Silicone oil is another option that can be used for diluting PTFE powder. It has good lubricating properties, high thermal stability, and good chemical resistance. However, it can be more expensive than mineral oil.
Polyalphaolefin (PAO) oil: PAO oil is a synthetic oil that has excellent thermal stability, low volatility, and good lubricating properties. It is also less likely to react with other chemicals, making it a good choice for use in industrial applications.
Fluorinated oil: Fluorinated oils are specially designed for use with PTFE and other fluoropolymers. They have excellent chemical resistance and can withstand high temperatures. However, they can be expensive and may not be suitable for all applications.
Ultimately, the choice of oil will depend on the specific properties required for the final product. It is important to consult with a supplier or manufacturer to determine the best oil for your particular application.
When asked “Best diluent for PTFE powder?”:
Isoparaffin oil: Isoparaffin oils are highly refined petroleum-based solvents that are often used as a diluent for PTFE powder. Isoparaffin oil has a low viscosity, low surface tension, and is compatible with a wide range of materials.
Aliphatic hydrocarbons: Aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as n-hexane or n-heptane, can also be used as diluents for PTFE powder. These solvents have low surface tension and high volatility, which can help to reduce clumping and improve flowability.
Fluorinated liquids: Fluorinated liquids, such as perfluorocarbons or perfluoropolyethers, are highly compatible with PTFE and can be used as diluents for PTFE powder. These solvents have low surface tension, high thermal stability, and are non-reactive with PTFE.
Water: In some applications, water can be used as a diluent for PTFE powder. Water can help to reduce clumping and improve flowability, but it is not compatible with all types of PTFE.
When asked “PTFE powder diluent that leaves no residue”:
Isoparaffin oil: Isoparaffin oil is a highly refined petroleum-based solvent that is often used as a diluent for PTFE powder. Isoparaffin oil is known for leaving little to no residue after processing, making it a popular choice for many applications.
Fluorinated liquids: Fluorinated liquids, such as perfluorocarbons or perfluoropolyethers, are highly compatible with PTFE and can be used as diluents for PTFE powder. These solvents are known for leaving little to no residue after processing.
Alcohols: Alcohols, such as isopropanol or ethanol, can also be used as diluents for PTFE powder. These solvents are known for leaving little to no residue after processing.
Water: In some applications, water can be used as a diluent for PTFE powder. Water is known for leaving little to no residue after processing, but it is not compatible with all types of PTFE.
Answers haven’t been verified but isoparaffin, a derivative of paraffin which is a mineral oil, looks interesting although they’re not readily available like regular paraffin oil.
Going to tub lube and stem swap Kailh red and Gateron silent yellow. I dislike both of these switches. But the red stem in the Gateron housing is really nice. More stable and clack is nice from the longer stem. Not sure about the silent yellow in the Kailh housing. Initial impression is a bit of wobble but otherwise superb. I’ll report back if they’re worth it.
…but switched out the stock keycaps on my Loga Yaksa Pro: Printstream Editor TKL. The keycaps of choice are GMK Red Samurai.
