Topre switch / Cherry MX compatible

[TheNacho]

Sorry to revive an old thread like this, but since I now own a Novatouch aswell, I was wondering if anyone tried modding it to 55gr yet? I am quite temped to do that, since I prefer the weight of the 55gr domes, but I dont know if its possible. It should be since they are both ANSI and all that, but if someone has already tried, and shared his/her experience, that would be awesome.

Thanks!

[002]

As long as the key pitch is the same which I am pretty sure it would be, you could do it with any layout Realforce. For the modifiers that don't line up on the main sheet, you would just use a scalpel or something to cut the dome out for repositioning.

[Muirium]

Those domes being the second most sought after component Topre makes but doesn't sell as parts. Number one being Hi-Pro caps! You have to find a keyboard…

[TheNacho]

You mean one like the RF 55gr I already own? At this point I am mentally not quite ready yet to crack these two keyboards open and perform a transplant

[002]

When you find some time, you ought to take both boards apart and have a look to see how well the sheet from the 55g fits in

I suggest you give yourself a lot of time and space and have a clean, well lit work area. Topre are liberal with their use of screws, and you will want to be able to easily keep track of them and also any springs. It is really not difficult to disassemble Topre boards, just time consuming.

[TheNacho]

Maybe this process will finally justify getting some magnetic parts trays, that I didnt get until now . If I finally decide to begin the operation, I will ofc keep you updated with the progress.

[TheNacho]

Okay, short update. I am typing this post from a 55 gram Novatouch now, and it feels quite a lot more crisp than before. The rubber dome sheet from the Topre fit without having to adjust anything, which will not be the case for the other way round. After putting it back together, EK Switch Hitter reported some chatter, but I think that was because I only had 4 screws in, and the center keys were not completely tight.

I took a few pictures while building, which I will upload later, but for now, everything is working perfectly, and I am just waiting to get some nice caps for Nova55.

[002]

Wow that was quick!
Good stuff, looking forward to the pics.

[TheNacho]

And this post is written from my now 45gr RF.Verdict: It was easier than I feared. There had to be some changes made to the old Novatouch rubber dome sheet.'

• The distance between the number row and the F-row is smaller on the Novatouch, so these areas had to be separated
• The distance between the alphas and the function block is smaller on the Nova, so that had to be separated aswell
• The bottom row was a pain, since the NT uses 1,25U all around, and the RF doesn't so the placement is different

Otherwise everything went rather well, and while the difference on the Novatouch is definitely there, the difference on the RF is not that big actually. Its still a really nice board. The Novatouch on the other hand feels quite a lot different. It just feels as it should have in the first place, more crisp and snappier. Now when I get some nice PBT for that, it will be even better. Right now I have an old set of lasered POMs on it, since even those feel better than the stock ABS, but they are ofc NOOOOOO competition at all to the RF caps, which are fantastic.

I will add the gallery here once I finished choosing the images, but while reassembling the RF, I unfortunately didnt think about taking pics of that aswell, so my description of changes to the rubber mat needs to suffice.

EDIT: Added a gallery here

[Muirium]

Intriguing. 55g domes would probably have made the NovaTouch a better keyboard right out of the gate. The rattle is quelled pretty nicely with damping rings on, and I suspect heavier domes would suit it too.

Once you get some nice caps on your NovaTouch, you must tell us how it feels to you compared to your Realforce. I used the stock caps for a few minutes before pulling them off and swapping on various sets from my MX collection. The board improved as soon as I did. Although I am a caps snob and definitely biased!

[Madhias]

Interesting, is the other way round possible too - using the Novatouch sliders on a Realforce board?

[Muirium]

Nah, the NovaTouch sliders are a bit wider than Topre ones. I only have one loose switch housing to test with, but a NovaTouch slider binds quite badly in that Topre shell. And that original Topre slider wiggles all over the place when installed in the NovaTouch. My theory is Topre had to make the NovaTouch sliders a little wider to accommodate MX caps while still being materially strong enough not to fail. That meant they also had to make looser switch housings, and that led to the rattle in the NovaTouch.

But it is a slight increase in width. Perhaps it's all just accidental!

[TheNacho]

As soon as I have some nice keycaps, I will give you the results. But I need to find some first ^^. Finding nice ANSI PBTs in Germany, or Europe in general is harder than I thought... -.-

[Hypersphere]

If you have access to the Leopold PBT sets, these are nice caps at a reasonable price if you don't mind not having dye-sub legends. These sets are available via eBay (in the US at least) through a Korean vendor, "widebasket". I put these on my Novatouch and they work well.

[TheNacho]

I already thought about getting a set of these on ebay, but no shop offers the international customs service thing. And in the next weeks, I wont have the time to go to my customs office to pick them up, since they close ridiculously early -.-

[Nuum]

You don't necessarily need to go to the Zoll in person. If the Zoll gets the package into his hands, they'll send you a message in which they tell you what is missing from the package, usually the invoice. You can then send them the required documents by mail and they'll send you the item, the mail man will then collect the customs fee.
Usually Asian sellers declare the value of packages to 25$ or even less, so it probably will go straight through customs.

[TheNacho]

Oh, see, I didn't know that. I will have to read the next letter more carefully then

Thanks!

[Monkay]

Are there some new information on a way to dampen the sound on the Novatouch? Ordering the landing pads from Elitekeyboards is expensive from germany and I dont like that I have to iron them down after that big price.

[Muirium]

Landing pads are no good. These aren't MX. Youre better off with o-rings for the downstroke. But to really tackle the rattle, you need to damp the sliders internally:


http://deskthority.net/review-f45/a-tal ... t8968.html

[Monkay]

Yeah I already read some stuff on geekhack how someone dampenend the sliders internally just like you did. He just used the Landing pads from ek and ironed them to make them thinner. Any tips how I can do it cheaper and more easy? Your solution looks godd, too, but does it has a big effect?

Somewhere in this thread here is a link deskthority where a sound test was. The results were amazing.

[cookie]

Hey Mu, can I ask you which one you liked better? The foamy dampering ring or the silicone one?

Cheers

[Monkay]

Man I need those cheap dampeneners, too
We already wrote cookie didnt we?

[cookie]

Yes we did I think
I am still in contact with several companys to get high quality foam but verry thin. I could do a batch of those on Mus pictures but I don't think it they will last long. They are basically made of plastic :/

I had problems making the comparison video, I couldn't connect the microphone to the DSLR, so I recorded both simultaneusly but I couldn't get them in sync

[Muirium]

The foam is way, way better than the silicone you sent me. I want MOAR! Haven't tried ironed landing pads. Might have one here somewhere…

[Monkay]

I hope you guys find something that works nice and lasts long. Count me in for any order.
Why would we need a video cookie? The sound is enough for me. Just upload a before and after recording.

[Muirium]

Here you go:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p8xb8sze9a3j6 ... 9.m4a?dl=0

This is my ANSI NovaTouch with tall Round 4 SPH on it. I've only got a handful of Cookie's foam damping rings, so they're installed on the space bar, Shift and a few other mods. The first half is regular typing which doesn't trigger them much. But the second half of the recording you can hear me repeatedly jab keys with and without dampers. It's a good effect.

Once I get some more rings, I can damp the alphas too, which will make a world of difference in regular use.

[cookie]

I like videos more than just sound samples, but Mu demonstrated verry well. As I said, I am quite satisfied with the result but I don't like the material, plus it is a pain in the ass to stamp them out, it takes an unnecessary amount of tries untill you get a good piece though.

[Monkay]

Wow that sound really different Mu, this would be worth some money to me. I hope you will soon find the right material cookie, will you update here?
Now the sound of my Novatouch starts to be unsatisfying

[Muirium]

Yeah, it's a compelling fix to the rattle. Those purple sliders should have been Type-S after all!

Cookie's samples were actually what inspired me to choose a Type-S model as my first HHKB. And this:

[cookie]

I will make an own thread for this, I was busy with a move, holiday and work!
First I need a comparison video/audio, second I need the material (The hardest part) and last I need the tools to produce the kits myself.

I don't think silicone would be an option, I still have them in my Pro2 at home and I notice the difference wen I get back from work, where I use a (cheap ass) foam silenced Pro1.