IBM Model F typing sound comparison (capacitive buckling springs) (F XT, F AT, F122, F107...)

[Chyros]

A typing comparison of differens Models F for your viewing pleasure!

[depletedvespene]

What, no F62?

[shine]

hahaha, nice one!!

[Chyros]

What, no F62?

I don't have one! xD

I'll be comparing the F77 I ordered when it comes in, but not in this video format. 7 doesn't fit in a frame anyway xD .

[ZedTheMan]

The biggest seems the quietest, which appears consistent with my experience. F122 is always a good keyboard.

[zippolupan]

Hey Chyros, as an Alps fan, what's your opinion on floss modding? The ping on the bigfoot is incredible!

[Invisius]

It's interesting how the F107 and bigfoot have such lower pitched pinging than the massive F122. Makes me wonder how much the case material actually affects this.

[John Doe]

Nice video.

Wondering how different will be for different beamsprings now, lots of them use plastic or metal top cases also.

[Chyros]

Hey Chyros, as an Alps fan, what's your opinion on floss modding? The ping on the bigfoot is incredible!

It's not really something I'm looking into tbh. Not really my kind of thing.

[fohat]

Hey Chyros, as an Alps fan, what's your opinion on floss modding?

Obviously, not everyone wants or can use a loud keyboard. In my opinion, floss modding is a process that "civilizes" a Model F keyboard by knocking off some of the overtones (aka "pinging" or "singing") that some people love but others don't.

With the very light and wispy Oral B "Superfloss" product the effect on the feel is minimal while taming the reverberations, and particularly the ringing that carries down the hallway to annoy people in another room.

Some people have used other filaments, such as a single strand from inside paracord or a section cut from a rubber band, and these have greater effect on the feel but greater attenuation of the sound.

[zippolupan]

With the very light and wispy Oral B "Superfloss" product the effect on the feel is minimal while taming the reverberations, and particularly the ringing that carries down the hallway to annoy people in another room.

I did exactly that to mine. I must say I'm really happy with the final result. I even did some measurements (using my mobile phone's mic, so bear with me).

Unmodded: 68.3dB average over 20 seconds
15-20mm Superfloss mod: 61.9dB average over 20 seconds

I even played around and decided to stuff 3x the amount of floss in a single spring just to test extreme dampening and it went down to 59.5dB. It was very quiet, but the feel was also changed significantly.

I would say that my F122 is quieter than my M now, but I haven't measured it as well.

[Fkazim]

I have also floss modded my Model F AT with OralB Super Floss and it is a dream to use as a daily driver.

[fohat]

to stuff 3x the amount of floss in a single spring

Did you accomplish this by literally "stuffing" a 3x long piece and compressing it longitudinally, or did you thread in 3 pieces side-by-side?

[zippolupan]

I stuffed and compressed it longitudinally. Might be a good idea to try to stick them in laterally, but I think I'll end up compressing them regardless in the process of fitting them in.

[mode1ace]

Loud and proud is the way! My wife uses her model F at work unmodified, just a clean restoration.


Nobody complains

[kmnov2017]

The Bigfoot sounds like shit !!!!

Obnoxious!

[funkmon]

The more obnoxious, the better, IMO.

Though I do tend to use the slightly less than obnoxious ALPS clicky switches.

[SneakyRobb]

The Bigfoot sounds like shit !!!!

Obnoxious!

The bigfoot actually has a somewhat different case! It gives it a really neat sound.

It's plastic case is extremely thick vs the case of the 122/AT and even the thicker XT case. It is much heavier than those cases and it gives it a different tone.

It both has less reverberation vs plastic ones but also not the metalic tones of the heavier metal ones.

Its basically in its own category.

[Chyros]

The Bigfoot sounds like shit !!!!

Obnoxious!

The bigfoot actually has a somewhat different case! It gives it a really neat sound.

It's plastic case is extremely thick vs the case of the 122/AT and even the thicker XT case. It is much heavier than those cases and it gives it a different tone.

It both has less reverberation vs plastic ones but also not the metalic tones of the heavier metal ones.

Its basically in its own category.

I've done loads of sound comparisons for keyboards, and have found the following rules to hold true for all keyboards I looked at:

* Keyboards with hollow or flexible cases and/or soft chassis amplify external switch noise (clack).
* Keyboards with tough, dense cases and/or taut chassis attenuate external switch noise, allowing for more internal switch noise (click and ping).

This is why the XT and especially the F107 have very loud ping; they are too rigid to allow for much clack, which allows the ping to come through the most, while the all-plastic models (particularly the AT) are much clackier, which drowns out the ping. This is also why you shouldn't put Alps in a custom chassis :p .

[kmnov2017]

I was hoping for the F107 to be my endgame board. But after your comparison video, purely sound-wise the F107 sounded equally bad as the bigfoot. Thanks to your video, I have now officially ended my vintage hunts...

I'd be curious to see your review on the F62/F77 - when do you get yours ?

[Chyros]

I was hoping for the F107 to be my endgame board. But after your comparison video, purely sound-wise the F107 sounded equally bad as the bigfoot. Thanks to your video, I have now officially ended my vintage hunts...

I'd be curious to see your review on the F62/F77 - when do you get yours ?

Whe Joe sends it xD . Mine is printed ISO though, so I guess I'll be one of the last batches xD . Can't wait though!