Are you addicted to the clicking sounds of your beautiful and impressive mechanical keyboard?
If so, this community is for you!
Here you can discuss everything about mechanical keyboards (and only mechanical keyboards).
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YMMV, but in my experience silent switch and o-rings are the biggest contributesrs to reducing noise. Films also help to a smaller degree. Stabilizers are also a big source of noise, as I understand, but I don't have anything to advise there since none of my boards have had stabilizers.
Of course, changing your typing habits will have a larger impact than hardware changes though.
Are there boards that come with o-rings? I don’t know anything about them. Does each switch need an o-ring between the keycap and the switch or does it go somewhere else?
I have tried to type quieter, to little avail.
There are probably boards that come with them but it's not typical. You can buy a pack of 250 for probably $10 online, they are easy to come by.
you put one o-ring around every key stem. The o-ring hits the edge of the switch after it actuates but before the key bottoms out, so you hear rubber on plastic rather than plastic on plastic
I saw some images online with people using two o-rings, but i'm not sure if there is any point to doing so. Perhaps for very tall key caps.
Does each switch need an o-ring between the keycap
Yup. It's very tedious to install on a full sized keyboard. I've done actual O rings and those rubber bands for bracers. Honestly sometimes the bracer bands are easier.
But learning to not bottom out will be the biggest way to quiet your keyboard after you get non clicky switches. O rings don't magically make your keyboard silent, they just make bottoming out less loud.
For my in-office keyboard I have Gazzew Boba U4 silent tactile switches. I'm very happy with them. I saw some advice that said not to lube them, which I gladly took to save myself the effort lol. I've been using them at work for 2.5 years now. And my coworker who (politely) complained about my keyboard being too loud before has not complained about this one 🙂
I use them on a Keychron K-series keyboard that originally came with brown switches. I did also upgrade the stabilizers on this one, my space bar was too loud.
I will say that I prefer my Keychron Q5 that I have at home. It was more expensive than the K-series, but it has better build quality. I haven't had to do any mods (the stabilizers it shipped with haven't bothered me) and I prefer the metal body of the keyboard.
I started with Zeal Zilent V2s and then went to the Boba U4s. Both are fantastic but the U4 steps it up a notch. Incredibly silent with a bump immediately first thing.
I'm watching your post with great interest, fellow computer-against-bedroom-wall person.
I built a board with Kailh speed coppers and orings for a similar issue... My daughter would get up early, like 7am and want to play various games while one of us were trying to sleep. And we also shared a wall. Even the gateron browns were louder.
Another thing to consider is the keycaps. I found PBT cherry was louder and resonated more than SA ABS on the board she was using. YMMV. I hear foam/rubber sheets under the PCB and if you can afford it, a thick aluminum or brass shell.
Not sure on specific boards. I tend to stick with TKL for the family PC and split boards for my wrist health.
A brass shell sounds pretty dope. I definitely hadn’t thought at all about the keycap material and resonance.
Are there manufacturers that have an existing foam under the PCB solution? I think I remember seeing something like that on sonnet keyboards.
Keychron has a few with foam in solid aluminum shells. A few people At my office have and really like them.
One Has the Keychron with Hall effect switched and likes it except that it's reactive to the magnets in his laptop (used for the lid sensing and closure) so that's something to look out for.
I have a Gammakay tk75 with their silent magnetic switches (I think they're called Phoenix) and they're at least more silent than the cherry red silent switches I had before. And obviously a lot less noisy than the brown switches keyboard I've got lying around.
A set of o-rings is $10 plus shipping.
https://www.gloriousgaming.com/products/glorious-mx-o-ring-switch-dampeners?variant=43698879168687
I recommend Hardness: 70A (Hard) and Thickness: Thin for the least difference in feel while still making typing quieter. The o-ring both cushions the landing of your keys and dampens the vibration of the keycap itself.
Glorious also sells an overpriced keycap puller: https://www.gloriousgaming.com/products/glorious-keycap-puller
Nothing to add to the other comments except to say that if you're thinking of silent switches, test them first!
When I was looking for a silent keyboard, I went to a store and tried some silent switches, and the typing experience really wasn't for me.