A noisy mechanical keyboard will bother you and others. Using it to type can distract you and others in the office or public places like libraries. To make a mechanical keyboard quieter, add foam to the case, O-Rings to the keycaps, a desk mat, or modify the stabilizer. Is it true? Silent switches are the best way to quiet a mechanical keyboard.
If you have a question, why to silent Mechanical keyboard, here is the most usual reason: using a quiet mechanical keyboard can boost your productivity. Typing noises can distract you from your work. This is a list of 7 keyboard mods to make keyboard quieter, from cheapest to most expensive.
1. Rubber O-Ring keycaps
Rubber O-rings are the cheapest and easiest way to quiet a mechanical keyboard. Rubber O-rings reduce the impact between mechanical keyboard keycaps and plates. Mechanical keyboards with aluminum or iron plates make loud noise when keycaps collide. When typing on a mechanical keyboard with a rubber plate, the keycaps won’t make a lot of noise.
Installing Rubber O-rings on all keycaps takes 10 to 20 minutes and is easy. You just need to open each keycap and install the rubber O-ring on the rod inserted into the switch head. Rubber O-rings can reduce sound resonance on keycaps because thin keycaps produce louder sound reflections than thick ones. Rubber O-rings are easily available in white, blue, yellow, pink, and other colors. This can be used to fill a hidden mechanical keyboard.
Rubber O-rings don’t affect RGB or LED keyboard lighting. They’ll still shine without the Rubber O-ring. Rubber O-rings can make your mechanical keyboard feel like a membrane keyboard because they stick at any time. Sticky Rubber O-rings affect typing feel, so replace them regularly.
2. Desk Mat or Mousepad
After using rubber O-Rings on keycaps, using a Desk Mat or Thick Mousepad as a mechanical keyboard base is the cheapest option. Using a Desk Mat or Thick Mousepad can reduce keyboard noise when typing. Why?
A Desk Mat or Thick Mousepad can dampen typing-related vibrations. Using a Desk Mat or Thick Mousepad can dampen keyboard vibrations. By using a Desk Mat or Thick Mousepad on wood or aluminum tables, you can reduce vibrations and sound.
Desk Mats and thick mousepads reduce noise. You need a well-known Desk Mat or Thick Mousepad.
We recommend buying a desk pad or mousepad with a rubber base for traction. The desk pad’s thickness affects the mechanical keyboard’s soundproofing. Thicker damping. Your keyboard and mouse fit on a wide desk pad. No mousepad needed.
3. Dampening the keyboard with rubber or foam
Adding foam or rubber to the keyboard case is another cheap solution. Rubber or foam mounted as PCB tools and other components can reduce noise and sound reflections.
To perform this installation, remove the keyboard’s PCB and Plate with a screwdriver. Here’s how:
- Remove keyboard keycaps.
- Not the PCB switch.
- Remove PCB casing screws.
- Foam or rubber base on keyboard case.
- As shown, drill a hole in the PCB for the casing rod.
- Reinstall your PCB.
- Install screws
- Replace keycaps.
Adding foam or rubber to the mechanical keyboard case reduces noise and vibrations. If you only use regular foam, you’re wasting your time.
Before buying rubber or foam, know your keyboard’s mechanical size. Foam or rubber won’t fit in this low-profile mechanical keyboard’s case. Only a normal-sized, high-profile mechanical keyboard can have rubber or foam installed. Because keyboard casing size affects foam or rubber installation.
Installing foam or rubber dampers in the mechanical keyboard casing reduces vibrations and dampens typing sound by reducing the sound reflection gap.
4. Modify and lube stabilizers
Stabilizer is a keyboard component that reduces vibrations and eliminates collisions to make keystrokes smoother. Stabilizer only works on larger keys like the Space bar, Shift keys, Capslock, Enter, and Backspace.
Modifying and lubricating your keyboard’s stabilizer is cheap but difficult. Lubricating the stabilizer is easy; we’ve written a guide on how to do it with a toothpick. Changing the stabilizer? This is a modification for the cherry style stabilizer.
This method attaches band-aids to the stabilizer’s PCB. Band-aid is used to coat the stabilizer footing to dampen vibration when pressing the button. Cutting the stabilizer’s rectangular parts on both steps strengthens the grip and reduces vibrations. As was said, lubricate the stabilizer. Applying lubricant to the iron rod and stabilizer housing reduces friction, smoothing the stabilizer’s movement.
If you want to do all three, we have articles on modifying stabilizer with Band-Aid, Clip, and a small brush or toothpick.
The stabilizer modification takes time. Using a toothpick or small brush to lubricate the stabilizer is easier.
5. Lubricate switches
By lubricating your keyboard’s mechanical switches, you can reduce keystroke noise. You can lubricate your keyboard’s mechanical switch two ways:
1. Lubricate all keyboard mechanical switches.
This method takes hours to lubricate. Open every PCB switch. If you have a Hot Swappable mechanical keyboard, no desoldering is required.
2. Lubricate the switch on the PCB:
This is the easiest switch-lubrication method. Open your mechanical keyboard’s keycaps and lubricate the stem switch gaps. You only need Amazon’s Super Lube and a screwdriver to press the stem switch while draining it into the switch housing.
6. Buy better keycaps
Thin ABS keycaps can increase keyboard typing noise. Thin keycap sets with quality sticks offer more resonant sound space. By using a keycap set made of thick plastic, you can reduce the sound of typing because the resonance space is less. We recommend a PBT keycap set because it’s high-quality, durable, and thicker than ABS keycaps. If you choose this solution, we have an article with the 20 best keycaps from most expensive to cheapest prices.
7. Change to silent switches
If you have a mechanical keyboard, the best way to get rid of the noise is to buy a noise-cancelling keyboard. Switching to a silent type switch is the best option.
Unlike other switches, the siwtch silent has a unique mechanism for working. Providing a significant distance between internal components reduces friction or touch between them. With the addition of bearings on the stem and top housing switches, the silent switch’s design has also been slightly altered. Applying lubricant will help you get the most silent switch damping.
However, if you use the silent switch, typing feedback can be reduced to a bare minimum. Linear and tactile switches are an alternative if you don’t want that. This keyboard is also very quiet when typing.
Meanwhile that is all, so hopefully that one of this ideas will help you to concentrate better while working on your m mechanical keyboard!
