deskthority

Hello, im looking for a silent board, im currently sporting a 550 Yama and my plan is to change the keys for either Mx silents or Mx zilents (Mx silents in Aliaz housing) and add either oil or Krytox 205g0.

Considering my current board has "floating" keys with a metal structure and i would like to keep and ISO (spanish) structure with volume control. Would i get much more silence by changing other parts ?

So, part, or its more cost-efficient, a board that is silent by itself (with said characteristics).

Silent reds are pretty good, damping wise. But the sliders are still scratchier than I’d like. That shuffle shuffle sound is much more apparent when the topping and bottoming out is fully damped. My silent red Filco is still louder than my NovaTouch, besides the spacebar, where they did an excellent job. Apparently Costar stabs are great when it comes to quiet.

As for the rest of the board? People swear by foam in the bottom shell for reducing case reverb. Caps will alter the sound, as well. Thick PBT caps sound better to me than thick ABS, even on quiet switches. Depends on taste.

Kakalxlax wrote: 18 Feb 2019, 22:46 ...Would i get much more silence by changing other parts ?
...
...a board that is silent by itself (with said characteristics).

I also want to know:
MX silent switches + zealencios or qmx clips + o-rings for bottoming out, on top of that foam under the PCB (or even between plate and Pcb in case of plate-mount)
Will all these add up to a really more quiet board?

If you have some spare money, this board can probably please you:
https://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard/swe ... yboard.asp

Or type with this on, if keeping quiet is totally your #1 concern

Kakalxlax wrote: 18 Feb 2019, 22:46 Hello, im looking for a silent board, im currently sporting a 550 Yama and my plan is to change the keys for either Mx silents or Mx zilents (Mx silents in Aliaz housing) and add either oil or Krytox 205g0.

Considering my current board has "floating" keys with a metal structure and i would like to keep and ISO (spanish) structure with volume control. Would i get much more silence by changing other parts ?

So, part, or its more cost-efficient, a board that is silent by itself (with said characteristics).

My quietest boards:

Topre-switch boards with added lube and "Hypersphere Silencing Rings":

HHKB Pro 2 45g
HHKB Pro 2 with custom 55g
RF87UB 45g
RF87UB 55g

Topre-switch boards purchased with built-in silencing:

HHKB Pro 2 45g Type-S
RF R2 PFU Edition TKL 45g

Matias Quiet Click:

KBP V60 with Matias Quiet Click switches

Zilent v1 67g:

Tokyo60 DIY kit with hot-swap PCB

These boards are all very quiet. In my opinion, the best typing experience is with the Topre-switch boards. The Zilent switches are my favorite among mx-type switches -- very quiet and decently tactile. I bought a few v2 Zilents for testing. They are noticeably more tactile than v1. I am not sure which version I prefer -- it is difficult to tell without actually installing them in a keyboard and typing on them for a while.

I haven't tried Cherry silent red or black. These are linear switches, and I prefer tactile or tactile/clicky switches. From what I've read, if I were to go with Cherry silent switches, I would opt for the heavier silent black switches.

I have tried various foam treatments inside keyboard cases, with mixed and uncertain results. I do get some additional silencing by using an extra-large rubberized desk mat that serves as both a mouse pad and keyboard pad. I like these mats for several reasons -- they keep the keyboard from sliding, they provide some sound reduction, and they keep the keyboard and mouse on the same level.

The Aliaz and Zilents switches are made by Gateron, which also makes Silent Red, Silent Black and Silent Brown. I find Gateron's switches to be smoother than Cherry's overall.
The Aliaz is like a lubricated version of Silent Brown, but there is no non-premium counterpart to the Zilents. The springs inside Aliaz and Zeal's switches are also supposed to be smoother and quieter, but I dunno.
A silent type of switch is more silent than any O-ring, "landing pad" or silencing clip. The latter reduce key travel (more) and I would hypothesise that if you would you put one of them on a silent switch you would negate the silencing aspect of the switch itself. (but I have yet to try and verify this)

Swedish modder Felion1337 uses bitumen sheets instead of foam inside cavities. (In Swedish but many pictures)
He also puts electrical tape on touching surfaces inside, and on the PCB under Cherry-style stabilisers.

Some keyboards have come with rattling stabilisers, and in those cases changing them to another brand but same style could help. Lube could also help with sound: Thicker lubes are used for stabilisers than for switches.

Good rubber feet are important for sound. Almost all keyboards have rubber pads, but many keyboards miss them on the tip of their flip-out feet.

Of course, for many of us keyboard enthusiasts, total silence is not the goal. Instead, we strive to suppress unwanted sound and accentuate or enable the desired sound.

Muirium wrote: 19 Feb 2019, 21:19 Silent reds are pretty good, damping wise. But the sliders are still scratchier than I’d like. That shuffle shuffle sound is much more apparent when the topping and bottoming out is fully damped. My silent red Filco is still louder than my NovaTouch, besides the spacebar, where they did an excellent job. Apparently Costar stabs are great when it comes to quiet.

As for the rest of the board? People swear by foam in the bottom shell for reducing case reverb. Caps will alter the sound, as well. Thick PBT caps sound better to me than thick ABS, even on quiet switches. Depends on taste.

I ordered Mx silent and Aliaz to make Mx Zilents (mx silent in aliaz housing) and ill lube them with Krytox 205g0. So if for some reason i can't fit them in my Redragon Yama (stock outemu purple), or if that case makes them noisier, then ill have to get parts.