Topre Silencing 2.0 Looking for very thin foam sheet

[Stabilized]

Whoop! Can't wait to see the comparison

Did you have problems with the size of hole punch, you mentioned you had to stretch them a little bit?

I couldn't find a source for foam like yours and used some 0.5mm o-rings I had laying around. They are good for noise dampening but I really dislike the reduced travel, makes them feel less snappy imo.

[Muirium]

Interested in trying this out on my NovaTouch, actually!

[cookie]

@Stabilized: This weekend I will record the comparison on my HHKB Pro2. With the silicone Rings, with the Foam Rings and without dampering.

@Mu I am glad you like the Mod

I can send you guys a sample of the different rings so you can try it yourself. I think I will open my eyes for better material, the foam I am using right now is good but there must be better out there. This stuff is fluffy but in a plastic and cheap way, I need a soft and fluffy 0,5mm foam sheet. Anyway, if you are interested, just PM me.

[Eszett]

@Stabilized You feel a much reduced key travel with 0,5 mm rings? I thought 0,5 mm should be near to no reduction.

[Muirium]

Hey ß, I think you're confusing these dampers with O-rings for Cherry MX. They don't work the same way. The geometry is quite different. What's going on here is more like the internal dampers on some Alps switches and Matias tactile / quiet click.

[Eszett]

Sorry, I did confuse it.

[Medowy]

Really nice stuff cookie! Looking forward to seeing (hearing) the end result.

I need to get some of that foam...

[Hypersphere]

I've posted this comment in another thread, but I thought I would post here as well, because this entire thread is focused on very thin foam for silencing Topre switches in the HHKB Pro 2 and other Topre-switch keyboards.

There is a company (Rogers) that produces thin foam (0.15 mm) for use in electronics products for shock absorption:

https://www.rogerscorp.com/documents/22 ... -Sheet.pdf

In addition, 3M makes thin foam tapes for electronics applications. It has pressure-sensitive adhesive, but if this was not wanted, perhaps they have non-adhesive varieties:

http://www.3mconvertersolutions.com/ser ... -VHB-Tapes

It would be ideal if we could find a company that not only produced thin foam, but that could do the cutting as well (e.g., a ring or square with the correct inner and outer dimensions).

Edit: According to their web site, Rogers will send you free samples.

[cookie]

Thanks mate!

[Hypersphere]

Stockwell will do things like custom gaskets from a CAD file. Here is an information page:

http://www.stockwell.com/custom-gaskets.php

BTW, I am assuming that if one were doing a slider transplant using "Type-S" sliders from an RF or HHKB, then the foam could be around 0.5 mm thick. However, if you are putting rings onto normal sliders, the foam would need to be thin (around 0.10 to 0.15 mm) to avoid noticeably affecting key travel. Are these correct assumptions?

Per an offline discussion I've had recently with Muirium, he suggested that someone should ascertain the dimensions and material composition of the silencing pads used in silent RF and Type-S HH keyboards and then try to reproduce these characteristics. However, here again, the thickness of these pads or rings presumably would be suitable for the slightly longer sliders in the silent models of these keyboards.

[Muirium]

An experiment someone (who is not me) can try is to put Type-S rings on normal Topre stems and see if there's any appreciable difference. Topre altered the Type-S slider because they could, as the manufacturer. We might not need to be quite so picky.

The whole point of making our own silencing rings to to avoid having to buy Type-S donor boards after all!

[Hypersphere]

Does anyone here know if the silencing rings for the Type-S HHKB are the same as those used in the silent model of the Topre Realforce keyboards? In addition, are the silent-type sliders the same in the Type-S HHKB and the silent RF boards (apart from the color difference -- black in the HHKB and purple in the RF)?

[Hypersphere]

Update: Recently, I converted a black 45g HHKB Pro 2 to a black 55g Type-S by moving Type-S sliders with their silencing rings to the black HHKB and installing 55g domes from a 55g RF. I've posted the procedure:

http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/conv ... t9933.html

In addition, I had previously purchased a set of RF silencing rings from a GH member. These rings appeared identical to the silencing rings in the HHKB Pro Type-S. They are quite thin (less than about 0.2 mm) and glossy black in color. The surfaces look shiny and smooth, not like open-cell foam material. Although they don't seem compressible, they work very well to dampen the return-stroke clack of Topre switches. The sliders from the Type-S appeared identical to those in a standard HHKB Pro 2.

Today, I slipped the RF silencing rings onto the standard HHKB Pro 2 sliders and installed these into another black HHKB Pro 2 case. I am typing on it now, and it sounds and feels like a Type-S, but a bit better. It is somewhat quieter than a stock Type-S, presumably because I lubed the stabilizers, installed additional rubber pads under the spacebar, and put a layer of 1/8-inch silicone sponge between the PCB and bottom of the case. There is no detectable change in the key travel.

This result indicates to me that in order to carry out a DIY Type-S HHKB Pro 2, all that is needed is a set of silencing rings that are used in the silenced RF or Type-S HHKB Pro 2. I think it is possible that at one time there might have been some thicker silencing rings in use on RF keyboards, and in order to use these, it would be necessary to use special sliders that have a shorter base to compensate for the thickness of the silencing rings. However, if you have the very thin rings (according to my cheap micrometer they are less than about 0.2 mm thick), you could use these on standard sliders.

I have a couple extra rings if someone would like to analyze them and/or send them to a commercial outfit that will make things like custom washers and gaskets to see if we could get duplicates made.

One more thing -- Does anyone here know if the silencing rings and/or sliders in the Japanese layout silent RF keyboard, RF 91UBK-S , are the same as those in the US/ANSI layout silent RF 87u?

[cookie]

Sounds awesome! I'd love to know where you get these dampers from? Does he still sell them?

[Hypersphere]

Sounds awesome! I'd love to know where you get these dampers from? Does he still sell them?

I got them from a GH member. It was just a one-off thing. He had apparently done some sort of mod, and for some reason he didn't need to keep the silencing rings.

He sent the rings to me some time ago, but I didn't have time to use them until recently. I just checked the messages he had sent, and I discovered a couple of things:

1. There were a few somewhat thicker rings. Apparently, these were intended for the stabilized keys, at least in the RF. I used the thin rings on my HHKB Pro 2 and they seem to have worked.

2. There are two sides to the rings. One side has a dull or matte finish; the other side is shiny. He said that the shiny side should be up when the ring is put onto the slider. Unfortunately, I did not realize this when I put the rings into a second HHKB. However, I am not sure if it makes a practical difference. Although my installed rings might be oriented randomly, I cannot detect any differences in sound or feel between any of the keys on the board.

The ring orientation should be fine on my first HHKB mod, because I transferred the sliders with their rings from a Type-S into a black HHKB.

When I can find the time, I will get in touch with some companies that make things like custom gaskets and washers to see if these rings might be replicated. I'll post the results.

I'm typing on my 55g HHKB with Type-S sliders and rings, and it sounds and feels great!