Make Choc Switches Sound Better

[@kobibr9362]

I already hate myself for knowing that I will put myself through this process.

[@Iisakki3000]

I'm glad I'm doing these for a guitar hero guitar so I only have 5 switches 😅

[@Binkyton]

@@Iisakki3000 that's awesome, you should post a video of it!

[@georgedoubleyou4098]

Thank you! The idea to cut these very long and in bulk is very good! Was struggling before with cutting every strip by itself and too short :D This now looks manageable.

[@user-nd7rg5er5g]

Thanks for creating this video and showing how to work with choc switches!

[@phiasch]

That's a really trippy opening graphic, I like it

[@basic867]

What case did you go choose for Technik? How does it compare with BM40?

[@Signynt]

I got the PC smoke case, and I'm very happy with it. I mean the BM40 and the Technik are pretty similar design wise, one is just low profile, and the other isn't. Both great 40% ortho boards. I personally prefer having the split keys on the center rather than the 2u key, and you can't change that on the BM40 unfortuantly

[@basic867]

@@Signynt Thanks!

[@ChrisWhoLikesGrapes]

This is great advice, but I HIGHLY recommend lubing/greasing the stabilizers as well. When you shake the switches, the stabilizers cause a very annoying rattle, but it can be completely silent if lubed. Makes the sound profile sound slightly better too in my opinion.

[@Signynt]

The purpz, shown in the video, don't actually have any stabs! I definitely agree with this advice though for switches with stabs

[@Iisakki3000]

​@@SignyntI just got rid of the stabilizers in my reds. Sounds much better and I don't really notice any difference in the feel.

[@AbwasserAbdul]

Hi is the purple part (where the Keycap goes into) sealed at the bottom and the sides? Im thinking about lubing without desoldering, just to get away the plastic sound when pressing a key. But i dont want to mess up my keyboard by getting lube inside the switch where it doesnt belong. So when the purple part is sealed from the rest of the switch it shouldnt be a problem to lube it inside from above without desoldering. Would be nice if you can answer this question :)

[@Signynt]

Can you clarify what part you mean? I'm assuming you mean the keycap stem, but am confused as to what you mean with it being sealed on the bottom and the sides. Does your board have a plate? If it does it'll probably be challenging to remove the tops of the switches, and cut off the tape at the end, but if your board is plateless it should work just fine without removing the switches.

[@nomasprime]

Can't use MX films?

[@orin8575]

why do i prefer the unlubed

[@toski00]

did you find that the travel distance of the stem is ever so slightly decreased after tape modding? I used generic 3M packing tape and found the resulting tape-modded switches a little mushy feeling.

[@Signynt]

I haven't noticed a difference, but I barely used the switches before tape modding, so I might not notice the most subtle differences. That's strange, maybe you applied just slightly too much lube? Feel wise I find it very hard to distinguish between the tape modded and the stock switches, I just did a blind test.

[@dhepermana]

Tbh they sound a little mushy even from the video.

[@anonlegion9096]

Does it make sense to do this with Choc Robins? (clicky)

[@pfuispinne]

Lubing will probably make a big difference, but I guess that the tape mod won't do much, since it's mostly about acoustics from my experience

[@Kunsteak]

What keyboard is that?

[@Signynt]

It's the Technik by Boardsource

[@Binkyton]

love the satechi stuff lol

[@francescodesantis1997]

Thanks for the video! I just bought Pro Reds and noticed they feel kinda scratchy when I press them, while Gateron Reds don't feel like this. Unfortunately, I forgot to buy Krytox; do you think that adding the tape and lubing the springs will solve this problem? Thanks again

[@Signynt]

I would argue that lubing is the most important step to reducing the scratchiness, so if you're going to go through the effort, definitely also lube the switches. It's worth the extra few Euros to buy some proper lube for the switches.

[@Max02c]

What lube did you use?

[@Signynt]

I used Krytox 205g0 for the switches. For the springs I used some multi tool oil, any lubing oil should work well for these.

[@francescodesantis1997]

@@Signynt so a Singer sewing machine oil could work for the springs?

[@giuliano.]

@@francescodesantis1997 No, don’t use sewing machine oil, spend an extra dollar or two and get Krytox. Any other oil will end up degrading the plastic.

[@Suavissimo]

Why would you want to make mechanical switches quieter, though? I thought the sounds were as big a deal about them as how they felt. I sure like how they sound, at least... Maybe it's just me, but do you really want mechanical switches that sound like membrane switches? 🤷‍♂

[@Signynt]

The min reason, for me at least, is that I mainly use this board in lectures, where I don't want to distract other people with my typing, or make the lecturer hard to understand.

[@ProjectExMachina]

I like the feel and sound is nice but it starts to irritate me after few minutes + even if I liked it, often I need to type while my wife sleeps in the same room