Cherry MX switch noise control

[amleth]

This is bottom view of Cherry MX switch lower housing.

Mine

Bottom 1.jpg (100.99 KiB) Viewed 7862 times

Red dots are the (very) first source of all keyboard noise.
Blue circles are legs of MX switches. Two of them are very short (in the poto upper two) and other two are relatively long (in the poto lower two).
Green squares are little bit higher bottom.
All other areas are real (they say) bottom.



This is side view of Cherry MX switch lower housing.

Mine

Lower Housing Profile 1.jpg (41.73 KiB) Viewed 7862 times

Red line is the (very) first source of all keyboard noise.
Blue area is empty space between PCB. I consider it as a second noise source. It acts as a resonancer and amplifier.
Green area is relatively small. Exactly do the same role as blue one.
There are no other empty area.



This is bottom view of Cherry MX slider.

Mine

Slider Bottom 1.jpg (20.08 KiB) Viewed 7862 times

Red squares are the (very) first source of all keyboard noise.
The other slider bottom areas are not contact with MX swithch lower housing bottom.



So...

If you really want to kill unwanted noise, try to fill the blue gap (and green gap) between PCB first.
I recommend a thin (special shaped) tape/paper/sponge or some kind of composite material bubbles.

I do not mind natural (original/neutral/unmodified/moderate/ or whatever) switch sound (noise).
I heard some arrogant gurus hate that noise (sound). So they tried some pitiful very very expensive efforts to eliminate it.

Oh, one more thing.
Sorry, It is not proved yet. I did not tested it.
It is a very cheap idea of mine though. I hope it works.

(If it is not works. sorry. forget about it. ^^. )



Thanks.

[ripster]

I like sound mods that I have tested and posted sound samples for. Bunch of them at Geekhack.

http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6615

http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:8857.

[sixty]

rubber foam might work. might give it a try later and see what happens... only on a numpad though, before trying a full keyboard.

[amleth]

DeskThority is too too too slow.
It takes almost a minute to see all potos.
(I would rather make only single poto.. next time.)

[ripster]

Sorbathane works pretty good as a dampener. I usually get bored after these sound mods after trying one switch though.

There is a REASON I like Blue Cherries the best - the NOISE!

[ripster]

DeskThority is too too too slow.
It takes almost a minute to see all potos.
(I would rather make only single poto.. next time.)

You should hear me whine about KBDmania.

[amleth]

I like sound mods that I have tested and posted sound samples for. Bunch of them at Geekhack.
I'm pretty sure I've posted other sound mods but since I appear to have been banned there I can't check right now for sure.

Thanks. Nice links Ripster.

Heve you ever tried THIS idea ? (If so.. you are really really the guy who did everything about keyboard. I admit it. Seriously !!).


(Now i saw yours..)

The first link is regarding Model M (If i saw it correctly) not for MX switches.
The second link is (excuse my language) silly ones (because it hurts the Feelings- it should be felt dummy. Am i wrong ? ^^).

Mine (i hate this kind of explicit subject using) is different from yours.
It does not interfere with original Feelings. Just killing secondary/unwanted resonances and shocks.

[sixty]

DeskThority is too too too slow.
It takes almost a minute to see all potos.
(I would rather make only single poto.. next time.)

can you beat this?

[amleth]

First of all. I am not in charge of that stupid website and I am not a member of that narrow minded community.
Do not try to make any kind of relationships with dummies.

As far as I know. You are one of managing guys.
Relax. I do not want you fix this slow problem (I know it is not your fault at all). I just tell you about it. That is all.

[sixty]

First of all. I am not in charge of that stupid website and I am not a member of that narrow minded community.
Do not try to make any kind of relationships with dummies.

As far as I know. You are one of managing guys.
Relax. I do not want you fix this slow problem (I know it is not your fault at all). I just tell you about it. That is all.

I know, wasn't saying that.. infact the video is one month old and I just pasted it as comparison to show that I have the same routing problems to Korea that you have from Korea to us here. Nothing any of us can do about it until Korea manages to get some better tier routing done. Don't feel attacked by every sentence!

[Brian8bit]

How the hell does he manage to sit at a computer with such a massive stick up his ass?

[amleth]

I do not know exactly routing means. But, what I know is, the other area (i mean not this photo/video area) is not that much bad.
And i guess both parties have responsibilites for that. Because it is two-way communications (whatever)...

[webwit]

We're hosted in Texas, which is or should be a good place for a worldwide audience. ISPs buy transit bandwidth and have peering arrangements with other networks for traffic. These have costs. So popular destinations will have better connectivity than unpopular ones. So, for example, if I would host it in the Netherlands, it might be slower for Americans and Asians to reach, because they don't tend to visit Dutch sites, and stuff in our direction (German, French). However, most transit to the US is at max speed, because many popular sites are hosted there. In Asia this might be to a much lesser degree, I don't really know. In any case, if you have bad connectivity to desktority or kbdmania it is because of your ISP.

[webwit]

So...

If you really want to kill unwanted noise, try to fill the blue gap (and green gap) between PCB first.
I recommend a thin (special shaped) tape/paper/sponge or some kind of composite material bubbles.

Interesting post, thanks. Good choice of colors too

[amleth]

There is a REASON I like Blue Cherries the best - the NOISE!

Agree.

We have three sounds.
One that you are loving blue sound.
Second is a REAL bottoming (and returning) clear sound.
Last, secondary DiRTY noise.

[ripster]

Ask an American I would like to pause and take this opportunity to thank Deskthority for bringing jobs to the United States of America.

Bandwidth Tester.

That is if you consider Texas American.

[amleth]

Interesting post, thanks. Good choice of colors too

Thanks.

-I saw troll in Harry Potter once. Big silly monster from nothern Europe myth. Not my taste.

[ripster]

What a coincidence! Not my favorite of the movies or Legos either.

[IanM]

Has anyone managed to entirely eliminate the MX noise? or reduce it to barely audible levels?

And if you use these mods, does it necessarily mess up the travel and feel of the switch?

http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:8857

I was thinking about something like this before, except I had considered using a mat to cover he whole mounting plate, with cut-outs for each switch. I hadn't figured out what material to use though, initially I thought some kind of foam in order to cushion the final part of the travel and eliminate the impact sound. However, I expected that the material would too quickly become permanently deformed and ineffective, nor would it easy to create a smooth rise of resistance.

-I saw troll in Harry Potter once. Big silly monster from nothern Europe myth. Not my taste.

What a coincidence! Not my favorite of the movies or Legos either

pfft, rubbish Trolls. Pratchett's are much better, and with a bit more originality:

• DIscworld wiki - Trolls
• Wikipedia - Discworld Trolls

Also, this forum is sorely in need of multi-quote buttons!

[amleth]

cover he whole mounting plate,

Covering whole PCB surface is a good idea though, if you cover switch feets too, it could be problem.

Because, the main idea of the damping is moving a little bit more for some time. This kind of moving must cause some bad influence on PCB slodering. If you had soldered part which seperated from main PCB, it means that the switch is dead or chattering. Switches must have solid bottoms (i mean not-moving legs).

Solution is easy. Just make 4 holes for every switche leg positions. That makes all 4 legs in contact with PCB. That is basically my idea.

And if you use these mods, does it necessarily mess up the travel and feel of the switch?

Do not worry about switch's original clear sounds OR full travels. It reamins intact.

[calavera]

Did you just call KBDmania a narrow minded community? Are you Korean?

[amleth]

Did you just call KBDmania a narrow minded community? Are you Korean?

Who the hell are you ? IRS ?
What the f*** do you care about my nationality ?
Mind you own biz.

[calavera]

I just asked a simple question and you become super defensive. You're weird.

[keyboardlover]

Hey HEY! This is Deskthority!

It's important that we respect each other's cultural differences.

[daedalus]

The problem with foam is that you'll probably feel it if you bottom out (depending on how well you do the mod), making the keyboard feel somewhat like a foam'n'foil switch keyboard, which is never a good thing.

[nanu]

Has the following been done?
Douse a PCB-mounted board with something (like glue) that when cured becomes like rubber. Well, only fill the spaces in between switches up to where a plate would be so that you can still dissemble each switch, and you might have to make some perimeter fence to contain it...

[amleth]

The problem with foam is that you'll probably feel it if you bottom out (depending on how well you do the mod), making the keyboard feel somewhat like a foam'n'foil switch keyboard, which is never a good thing.

Please consider my explanation "Switches must have solid bottoms" again.

[amleth]

Has the following been done?
Douse a PCB-mounted board with something (like glue) that when cured becomes like rubber. Well, only fill the spaces in between switches up to where a plate would be so that you can still dissemble each switch, and you might have to make some perimeter fence to contain it...

Above mentioned tip was regarding between the switch lower housing and PCB. Not between PCB and steel-plating.

Yes, Once I drilled PCB several holes (if you drill steel-plate, residues cause short-circuit problem) and injected plenty of glue-guns. It worked fine. Much of unpleasant noise has gone.
And caused little bit of problem too. Glue gun is not a real-glue. But, if you have to change the switch, it acts just like a real glue. It is very hard to seperate the lower switch housing from glue gun gummy. Would not recommend.

Instead of glue-gun (or something), My boards, now, have regular sponge between PCB and steel-plate. It is just fine. (Caution: Try not to be stuffed, just arrang it. That is good enough).

[nanu]

Haha, I expect that with glue. I assume that latex rubber would also work.

Sorry to have gone on a tangent, as I haven't yet soldered MX switches onto PCBs..

[ripster]

This might solve the Cherry MX ping problem.

Actually I found this while searching for that weird KBDmania/OTD mod where they put red cutout pieces in between the top and bottom half of a Cherry MX switch.

Anybody have a link?