deskthority

After having purchased and used my Unicomp New Model M for a good few weeks, I couldn't help but notice the sharp pinging resonance left from the springs and it's almost uncomfortably loud typing sound, which I'm sure some fans of Model M's enjoy. So I thought I'd share my experience with trying out a modification in which involves silicone loom bands.

Initially, I had a quick sniff around for some modifications for the noise, the obvious option for most keyboards users would be installation of dampening foam inside the case. But after looking around for specifically Model M modifications, the internet provided solutions such as the floss mod; which involves inserting a small rod of dental floss inside the buckling spring to abosorb the ping. However, you could theoretically use any thread-like material thin enough and flexible enough to allow the spring to still buckle, some likely baring varying results.

This is where I looked to a method which involved using loom bands, which I found on a thread by njbair: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=71208.0 They state that they just use your run-of-the-mill silicone loom bands to remedy the sharp noise, and that the "rubber bands provide a deeper sound than the others, like a THUNK". So I thought 'why the hell not?' And got myself a pack from Amazon


Apparently to get a good result, the user stated that they "cut these tiny little bands into quarters, with each quarter being about 1cm or so." So, to begin with, I cut some bands in half with scissors where the seams join and then used a precision knife to cut the bands as close to 1cm (because the bands have a natural curve, which requires you to keep them still).




And this left me with a good amount of small rods of silicone to insert into the springs. However, before investing the time any further, I did a test run to see if I'd actually like the feel. So I pulled a cap off and used a pair of tweezers to guide the rod into the spring (which can be hard than you think). This takes a lot of trial and error because the silicone rods need to be in deep enough to allow the spring to buckle properly, so I pushed them in a bit further will half a bobby pin.

I made sure to test it a couple of times to make sure it registered any clicks and made a small sound comparison to a normal buckling spring. https://voca.ro/1aQdAyDBiNfN The first being the modded one, the second normal.

After I was satisfied with this result, I then proceeded to invest 4 hours of my life to inserting these tiny silicone bands into the springs, which at times became a bit of a chore due to some getting stuck halfway on the coils. Although if you buy round profile loom bands then your experience may be less painful and demanding. But in the end I managed to successfully mod the entire keyboard without too many inconsistencies between switches. What resulted was a good "thocky" sound like the author of the original thread mentioned but also a bit of a heavier typing feel (which, during typing this, did tend to tire my hands out a little bit). I don't mind this too much, but if you're someone who likes lighter switches, then perhaps avoid this method and go for the floss mod instead.

Overall, this was a success and the edge of the noise has been reduced considerably.
Here's a short typing test
https://i.imgur.com/pNYRB6p.mp4

Sounds great! Do you have any experience with the floss mod and how this compares to that one?

TNT wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 13:00 Sounds great! Do you have any experience with the floss mod and how this compares to that one?

I don't, no. I did consider it but I heard that you need a specific kind of floss for that mod and by that time I'd already had my loom bands. If I get another Model M in future, I'll definitely consider it.

Agreed, good sound on the Imgur clip, though I didn't notice a difference on the voca.ro clip - maybe too much background noise. How did you remove pieces that were wrongly positioned? If I can be sure of being able to reverse it, I might try this on my Model F.

If anyone can compare it to a floss mod, I'd be interested (I don't think these bands are available for me, locally, whereas the super/ultra floss is available at pharmacies here).

Do you find that it substantially quietens the click (which would be nice - albeit sacrilege to some) or just the ping?

Palatino wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 14:35 Agreed, good sound on the Imgur clip, though I didn't notice a difference on the voca.ro clip - maybe too much background noise. How did you remove pieces that were wrongly positioned? If I can be sure of being able to reverse it, I might try this on my Model F.

The first one is a little lower pitched and the second is higher with a slight ping (my mic probably wasn't able to pick up on it that well).
And I used some very fine tipped tweazers to reach in and pull them out. Sometimes I'd have to pull the spring off and get them out that way.

That is interesting, but I wouldn't want to make the key stiffer.

I have always used the floss, but Melvang suggested a strand from the inside of paracord, and I will probably try that next time I do one. It seems like it might be the best choice.

fohat wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 17:10 That is interesting, but I wouldn't want to make the key stiffer

Ach, I missed that part when reading the post.
No, membrane buckling springs are already plenty stiff, to be honest. And the floss mod works very well indeed. But it's good to see that new things are still being tried out!