Happy Hacking Silencing aka Ghetto-S

[cookie]

Hey everybody,

As you may know I recently got a HHKB Pro 1 in rather dirty condition (Look here for details: Whoops I did it again...)

I got inspired by some people who did the O Ring mod on their HHKBs but for my taste, such a dental band would reduce the travel too much. So I got a 0,5mm thick silicone sheet and hollow punches to make my own kind of O Rings.

I tried to punch those out with a rubber hammer but the result wasn't satisfying to me. I used my drill machine as a press!

I LOVE the result so far! Bottoming out and up sound is almost identical, verry smooth and dampered. It's a joy to type on this little baby! It is now my daily driver at work and this weekend I will perform the same mod on my Pro2

Here are the pictures:

The silicone sheet, same thickness as the Topre domes:


The punches:


First attempt to make the O Rings:


Glued the punch to the drill and made a underground to stay centered:


I like:


Punched out a good amount of O Rings:




Put the O Rings on the stems:



Almost done:



Done.. OMG DAT SPACEBAR!


I hope you like it

[Findecanor]

Nice! Smart idea with the "underground" to get the second punch centred. I wish I had a drill press ...

[matt3o]

thanks for sharing... and you said you were lazy!

now, retr0bright that case!

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@Findecanor: you can use hammer and punches but it will take a bit longer.

@matt3o: Hehe, actually I am verry lazy! This is one of the next things on the list but I honestly have to admit that I somehow like the yellowed case. But first I need a bit knowledge and the ingredients for that.

[sean4star]

Does the spacebar have a divot worn out of it? That's amazing! I wonder how the thumb looks?

[cookie]

Jeah the dent is huge on the pro1, EK will sell replacement spacebars soon and I will get a few I think.

Well I did another silencing mod on my Pro2 and what can I say, the result is killer!!!! I have plenty of silicone left over if someone needs a piece just PM me

My girlfriend helped me with this... took me about an hour with her help!

[Shinryuu]

I'm quite interested in this mod but I don't have necessary tools in my house. Also I've been thinking for a while how dental bands affects the key travel etc. but this seems to be more "reliable" silencing option to make. Good Job

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It was quite difficult to get a propper sheet of silicone, I bought a 0,5 mm rubber sheet but the thickness wasn't even
this one i got is almost perfect, foam would be even better I believe but I simply can't find a 0,5 mm thick foam sheet so I went with silicone.

You need 2 punches a hammer and the material to do this, the "drillpress" was just a bonus.
I tryed dental bands on a few switches but they affected the travel to much for my taste so I sticked with this.

[fireglow]

I like this idea! Did you get the silicone sheet locally?

[cookie]

I got the sheet from ebay and the seller was located in germany.

[Shinryuu]

Thanks for the info. That might make things a bit more easier for me because I live in Finland