deskthority

I have both, the white and black versions of the HHKB Pro 2. I replaced the black keycaps on the black version with a new set of printed white/light gray keycaps. I have noticed that the white version of the keyboard feels smoother when typing than the black version does. The key presses on the black version feel a bit "scratchy", as if there is more friction. In addition, some of the keys on the black version are a bit noisier than those on the white version.

Has anyone else noticed this slight functional difference between the two versions? It has occurred to me that this perceived difference in typing feel could be due to the fact that I have replaced the keycaps on the black version. Is it possible that "factory" keycap installations are different from user-installed keycaps? For example, perhaps in a "factory install" the keycap stems are lubricated, or in a user install, I might have stressed the stems by removing and replacing keycaps.

I am considering lubricating the switch stems on the black keyboard using something like "Mech Lube 2" from EK.

Thoughts and observations welcome. Thanks.

Sounds like the slight, random, differences you can expect between mass manufactured items to me. I doubt it's anything you did in swapping caps. Instead, one of them is just a slightly nicer board. Nothing a little lube couldn't fix, perhaps.

At this rate, I expect you'll have an HHKB S or two by the end of the year. Steady now! Don't want to get all caught up in the dizzyingly expensive extremes that Japan can sell you. There's practically no end to it…

Muirium wrote:Sounds like the slight, random, differences you can expect between mass manufactured items to me. I doubt it's anything you did in swapping caps. Instead, one of them is just a slightly nicer board. Nothing a little lube couldn't fix, perhaps.

At this rate, I expect you'll have an HHKB S or two by the end of the year. Steady now! Don't want to get all caught up in the dizzyingly expensive extremes that Japan can sell you. There's practically no end to it…

Thanks. You have a soothing keyboard-side manner that helps put my keyboard hypochondria at ease.

Thus far, I am planning to resist any temptation to acquire Type-S HHKB Pro 2 keyboards or anniversary editions that can set one back by thousands, but thanks for the additional warning!

Any tips on how to lube a HHKB Pro 2 without doing anything more major than removing the keycaps? I have heard that it is fine to apply a modest amount (no more than the volume occupied by "half a grain of rice") of "Mechlube 2" (silicone with teflon, I believe) to the slider that is visible after removing the keycap. Thanks again.

Good question. I've never lubed a Topre, but surely someone has. I presume you pop off the caps and apply a tiny amount at the seam where the slider enters the switch body, and press it a few times. Namely: the usual.

If anyone has experience lubing Honeywells, I'm also all ears. Every Hall Effect keyboard deserves to be silky smooth to the point of slippery, surely!

Muirium wrote:Good question. I've never lubed a Topre, but surely someone has. I presume you pop off the caps and apply a tiny amount at the seam where the slider enters the switch body, and press it a few times. Namely: the usual.

If anyone has experience lubing Honeywells, I'm also all ears. Every Hall Effect keyboard deserves to be silky smooth to the point of slippery, surely!

So, you own this Honeywell Hall Effect keyboard? Are those spherical keycaps on it?

In any event, if anyone watching this thread has a manual on lubing Topre switches, I hope to see the reply.

No. The Honeywell isn't mine, but belongs to a small museum. They're interested in seeing if I can revive it. Every keyboard is much better to show if you can actually hook it up to something.

But yes, those are most definitely sphericals. They even beat tall SA profile caps:

rjrich wrote:

Muirium wrote:Good question. I've never lubed a Topre, but surely someone has. I presume you pop off the caps and apply a tiny amount at the seam where the slider enters the switch body, and press it a few times. Namely: the usual.

If anyone has experience lubing Honeywells, I'm also all ears. Every Hall Effect keyboard deserves to be silky smooth to the point of slippery, surely!

So, you own this Honeywell Hall Effect keyboard? Are those spherical keycaps on it?

In any event, if anyone watching this thread has a manual on lubing Topre switches, I hope to see the reply.

The best way to lube Topre switches (Realforce or HHKB) is from inside the switch. The pcb has to be separated from the housing on the HHKB or plate on Realforce's. The plungers have ears that ride in the housing that's the lube points. There has been discussion on the subject on GeeHack threads.

Muirium wrote:Good question. I've never lubed a Topre, but surely someone has. I presume you pop off the caps and apply a tiny amount at the seam where the slider enters the switch body, and press it a few times. Namely: the usual.

If anyone has experience lubing Honeywells, I'm also all ears. Every Hall Effect keyboard deserves to be silky smooth to the point of slippery, surely!

I will be lubing one of my honeywell / microswitch hall effect keyboards when I convert it to USB, but I'm going to wait on it a while before I do (I have other projects to complete) and I need some teensy++ 2.0's I think for the larger key matrix. We'll see.

Anyway, I suspect you can just apply most lubricants directly to the sliders.

Of course, this only applies to the "vintage" hall effect switches from microswitch, as the "modern" ones are different, and I will have to examine them more before I figure out the best way to lube them.

The only thing cooler than hall effect spherical keycaps are tripleshot hall effect spherical keycaps.

Note to self: someone always has fancier caps.

I'd love to see those tripleshots with white or black base plastic instead of beige. That would be sharp! I'm just old enough to remember the beige era and the sudden literal awesomeness of the new technology known as "black" that displaced it starting in the early 90s. (Well, it was grey "charcoal" for a while first.) There's a lot I like about 80s tech, including IBMs shades of white PBT, but the yellowed browns are seldom among them.

Keen to see your progress on the USB Honeywell project, Dorkvader. They're a switch with a chance to outlive USB itself, let alone their own era!

Wow this is interesting to hear.. Since im switching the white keys to my black case. ill see what it feels like.

Muirium wrote:I'm just old enough to remember the beige era and the sudden literal awesomeness of the new technology known as "black" that displaced it starting in the early 90s.

I started out with a BBC Micro, with black doubleshots with colour accents from army green and flame red keys. There was no standard colour in the past — for example, my friend (also a Daniel) had a CPC464, which had a grey case and mostly grey keys, except for a blue enter, green backspace and modifiers, and a red escape key! (A few other keys were blue and green.)

Computers were all styled in original and attractive ways in the 70s and 80s before the descent into a beige hell — think Space Cadet, Oric Atmos, Commodore 64, all totally different. Even Star Trek: TNG, which had a very professional looking beige scheme for the Enterprise decor, had those wonderful touch screen designs with striking contrast. (Sadly they just rehashed that basic idea for every other race forever afterwards.)

We've got away from beige, but computer designers have never returned to the playful charm of the 70s and 80s. You either get utilitarian, or plain tacky.

I noticed the same thing between my black HHKB Pro 2 compared to my gf's white one. The keys seemed lighter to press, and smoother, and the space bar felt more solid. I got mine a couple years before she got hers.

Look at the back of each of your HHKBs and note the Rev and Date:

My black one: Rev A0, Date 2010-12

Her white one: Rev A2, Date 2012-08

So it may not actually be a difference between colors but just different revisions of the board.

I'm pretty jealous of my gf's board tbh, haha.

Mine is Rev A2, date 2013-07. It is black, but I put a set of white keycaps on it. Seems solid. However, after using it for some months, I now wish I had a silent version. I like the downstroke "thock", but I dislike the upstroke "clack". Unfortunately, the black model is not available in a silent version and I am reluctant to undertake the rather involved silencing process myself.

I've considered getting a RF 87u, but I would want a black body with white keycaps, 55-g weight, and silenced. They do not make one with these characteristics. Moreover, after quickly adapting to the HHKB layout, I would find it difficult to go back to a standard layout.

Mine is a Rev A2 - 2013-09

I took the switches out of my Realforce 87U Silent and put them in the HHKB, should have just bought some dental bands really but I wanted it to be silent right now because after using the RF the HHKB seemed really loud.

It feels solid as ever and I prefer the compact layout to other keyboards.

rjrich wrote:Mine is Rev A2, date 2013-07. It is black, but I put a set of white keycaps on it. Seems solid. However, after using it for some months, I now wish I had a silent version. I like the downstroke "thock", but I dislike the upstroke "clack". Unfortunately, the black model is not available in a silent version and I am reluctant to undertake the rather involved silencing process myself.

it took me the idle time during 2 hours of work to do. once you get in a rhythm it gets pretty easy to go fast.