What makes 'silent' topre silent/slightly less noisy?

[Jim66]

A while ago I remember seeing a number of pictures that detailed the different between regular and silent topre switches.

I remember seeing them on GH, but I assume that they were only linked there. Does anyone know where I can find them?

Thanks,

Jim.

[fossala]

It is a foam o-ring. I can take pictures if you need.

[Jim66]

Thanks for the offer fossala, I wouldn't want you taking apart your s-type just for the sake of it though. Isn't it a silicone o-ring? Does it just sit on top of the plunger?

[ripster]

I got the pics.

I'll pm you a link when I get a chance to upload.

Or keep an eye on this:

http://ripster.imgur.com/all/

[Jim66]

Cool, thanks.

[hamza_tm]

not publicly available them images

Okay I found em

[zzuper]

Link pls..
So only the upstroke is dampened?

[002]

So only the upstroke is dampened?

Yep.
I'll be documenting the MCRW-1000 Topre board tomorrow, so I'll grab some pictures of a silent switch too as I'm having trouble finding them myself. Will be good to have them on the DT wiki

[Muirium]

Thanks 002. Long been curious about this myself.

[002]

http://imgur.com/a/8vnHb

[Jmneuv]

Purple!
Thank you, interesting stuff.

The silent hammer seems to fit tighter, that should make keys wobble less.
Is the silent hammer just a little longer to compensate for the ring?

Looks like there's some benefit to those switches after all, but none to justify over a 100 bucks plus, especially since there isn't any extra expense for them beside the rings.

[002]

I think for the most part they are pretty much the same. I don't have any super accurate means for measuring any of the components but from what I can see, the length of the silenced plungers appears to be the same as a standard one; meaning slightly reduced travel I suppose - I'd guess maybe .3 to .4 mm? Some things you might have also noticed:

- The locking tab on the silenced plunger is not as aggressively angled, meaning it's much easier to separate it from the main switch housing.

- The locking tab can exit in two places on the silent switch, but only one on the standard switch I used for this comparison. Most Topre switches have the two exit points for the locking tab so this might be something they changed recently - or maybe it's only for the LED switches?

- There are two locking tabs on the switch housing on the silent switch compared to one for the standard. Once again I think modern Topre switches all use two. I'll admit at this point that I got lazy when I was choosing the standard Topre comparison switch. I took the 3-switch PCB out of the 9400A because it only had two screws

Spoiler:

Anyway, yeah I agree about the pricing difference. They're basically identical to normal Topre switches but with a very thin foam ring, with a plastic coating on one side. Probably why it's a popular DIY mod.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I wonder what the actual cost is of this modification, i.e. how much of a difference would it make to Topre to just make this the standard switch design? It sounds like the price increase may not be justified ;-)

Personally I like the sound of my Realforce as it is.

[002]

Personally I like the sound of my Realforce as it is.

Same here, although I'd like to try a silenced 45g Realforce. The Type-S still had a great sound to me even though it was silenced; just need the metal plate to improve the feel

[take]

yeah i love the sound of my 87U.

that said, if they sold 'official' packs of the foam rings, i'd give them a shot to see how they felt/sounded.