IBM Model F typing sound comparison (capacitive buckling springs) (F XT, F AT, F122, F107...)
- depletedvespene
- Location: Chile
- Main keyboard: IBM Model F122
- Main mouse: Logitech G700s
- Favorite switch: buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: 0224
- Contact:
What, no F62?
- shine
- Location: EU - Spain
- Main keyboard: F122
- Main mouse: Deathadder Elite
- Favorite switch: Beamspring
- Contact:
hahaha, nice one!!
- Chyros
- Location: The Netherlands
- Main keyboard: whatever I'm reviewing next :p
- Main mouse: a cheap Logitech
- Favorite switch: Alps SKCM Blue
- DT Pro Member: -
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
- Location: Central US
- Main keyboard: IModel F77/IBM 3101/Omnikey 102/96Kee
- Main mouse: Logitech G430/Logitech M570/Kensington Expert
- Favorite switch: Beamsprings. Alps SKCM Blue, Capacitive Buckling S
- DT Pro Member: 0219
The biggest seems the quietest, which appears consistent with my experience. F122 is always a good keyboard.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: IBM F122 (home) and 1401 89 (work) ANSI
- Main mouse: MX Master 2S
- Favorite switch: Buckling Springs
Hey Chyros, as an Alps fan, what's your opinion on floss modding? The ping on the bigfoot is incredible!
- Invisius
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: IBM 3278
- Main mouse: Microsoft Trackball Explorer
- Favorite switch: Beamspring/Fujitsu Magnetic Reed
- DT Pro Member: 0249
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.
- Chyros
- Location: The Netherlands
- Main keyboard: whatever I'm reviewing next :p
- Main mouse: a cheap Logitech
- Favorite switch: Alps SKCM Blue
- DT Pro Member: -
It's not really something I'm looking into tbh. Not really my kind of thing.zippolupan wrote: ↑21 Apr 2020, 22:10Hey Chyros, as an Alps fan, what's your opinion on floss modding? The ping on the bigfoot is incredible!
- fohat
- Elder Messenger
- Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Main keyboard: Model F 122-key terminal
- Main mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse
- Favorite switch: Model F Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0158
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.zippolupan wrote: ↑21 Apr 2020, 22:10
Hey Chyros, as an Alps fan, what's your opinion on floss modding?
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.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: IBM F122 (home) and 1401 89 (work) ANSI
- Main mouse: MX Master 2S
- Favorite switch: Buckling Springs
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.
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: Modded IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Mionix Naos 8200
- Favorite switch: Capacitive Buckling Springs
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
I have also floss modded my Model F AT with OralB Super Floss and it is a dream to use as a daily driver.
Last edited by Fkazim on 23 Apr 2020, 04:45, edited 1 time in total.
- fohat
- Elder Messenger
- Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Main keyboard: Model F 122-key terminal
- Main mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse
- Favorite switch: Model F Buckling Spring
- DT Pro Member: 0158
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?
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Main keyboard: IBM F122 (home) and 1401 89 (work) ANSI
- Main mouse: MX Master 2S
- Favorite switch: Buckling Springs
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.
- SneakyRobb
- THINK
- Location: Canada
- Main keyboard: KB-5161A, F122, Dc2014, Typeheaven, Beamspring FXT
- Main mouse: MX518 Legendary
- DT Pro Member: 0242
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
- Location: The Netherlands
- Main keyboard: whatever I'm reviewing next :p
- Main mouse: a cheap Logitech
- Favorite switch: Alps SKCM Blue
- DT Pro Member: -
I've done loads of sound comparisons for keyboards, and have found the following rules to hold true for all keyboards I looked at:SneakyRobb wrote: ↑27 Apr 2020, 19:14The 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.
* 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 .
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- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: Model F77
- Main mouse: Logitech MX Master 3S
- Favorite switch: Alpaca V2
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 ?
I'd be curious to see your review on the F62/F77 - when do you get yours ?
- Chyros
- Location: The Netherlands
- Main keyboard: whatever I'm reviewing next :p
- Main mouse: a cheap Logitech
- Favorite switch: Alps SKCM Blue
- DT Pro Member: -
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!kmnov2017 wrote: ↑28 Apr 2020, 10:14I 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 ?