Office-grade Cap. Buckling Spring (Quiet!)

[caiko]

Hiya,

I'm loving capacitive buckling springs switches - but would need some that are allowed in an office; so quiet(ish).

Doing a quick online check; I see zilents, topre, ...

Anything out there that would last and fit the bill? Keep in mind; my thoughts of contemporary switches is (bought a Leopold MX blue recently) that they're pretty much dogshit..

Cheers,
C

[Wazrach]

Hiya,

I'm loving capacitive buckling springs switches - but would need some that are allowed in an office; so quiet(ish).

Doing a quick online check; I see zilents, topre, ...

Anything out there that would last and fit the bill? Keep in mind; my thoughts of contemporary switches is (bought a Leopold MX blue recently) that they're pretty much dogshit..

Cheers,
C

The "floss mod" is one way you can bring down the volume of your capacitive buckling spring keyboard. Inserting floss into the springs prevents them from reverberating, reducing the metallic ping sound significantly, if not totally removing it. I like my keyboards loud and singing, so this is not great for me, but I would definitely do a floss mod or grease the springs if I needed to quieten the keyboard.

Depending on which Model F you have, you can line the case with foam or rubber to deaden the sound.

The foam spacer mat in these keyboards is also responsible for the sound. Most people would agree that the thicker and firmer, the better the key feel and the quieter the sound. Cutting a new foam mat is not fun, nor is the reassembly process.

Fohat is experienced with Model F keyboards and focuses on attenuating the sound with his modifications, maybe you could ask him for some help.

[caiko]

Hmmz, good suggestion. But I'm not sure if I'd like dental floss all up in my keyboard

Also dampening the sound is one thing but getting it down to acceptable office levels is another.

Guess I'm more looking into an alternative switch with decent quality and similar feel minus the noise

[Wazrach]

Hmmz, good suggestion. But I'm not sure if I'd like dental floss all up in my keyboard

Also dampening the sound is one thing but getting it down to acceptable office levels is another.

Guess I'm more looking into an alternative switch with decent quality and similar feel minus the noise

There isn't anything else that feels nearly as good as capacitive buckling springs, except Beamsprings (apparently), but that doesn't mean you wouldn't enjoy other options. You might like MX Silents if you're looking for something easy to access - I had them in a crap chassis (a Fnatic Rush G1) but really liked the switches. They make a nice sound and feel cushioned and stealthy. Might want to give them a shot, unless you don't like linears.

I'm sure you can get your Model F sounding quiet enough with a bit of work. Flossing the springs isn't a scary thing to do, it's well-documented and most people who hate the sound of the Model F do it.

Lining the bottom case with rubber will stop it pressing against the keyboard assembly and will probably dramatically reduce the sound. I wouldn't know because I haven't tried it, but it's something to consider.

[fohat]

Also dampening the sound is one thing but getting it down to acceptable office levels is another.

The floss mod takes away the high-pitched overtones but the basic core clicks remain. The attenuation is different and the effect in every register is different but I would say that the overall reduction is at least half.