Will the stiff spring/ping noise on my keyboard go away overtime?

[John55]

I just bought a MK730 Keyboard. I love the look of it, I love the fact it is TKL. However, I notice that in some keys, the springs feel "stiff" or "scratchy" and I believe that this is causing this insane ping noise in my board. It is SO LOUD! Like, I have had a keyboard before where there was ping but it was slight so my headset could usually drown it out but I hear every single click. I heard online that the ping noise can go away on its own after a few weeks of use due to the friction smoothing it out. I just want to ask: Will the ping/stiffness of the spring noise smooth out over time and do you guys have personal experience with ping noise reducing after weeks of use? Just to let you know, this keyboard has a metal plate, I am not sure if the sound will go away on its own due to the keys hitting the metal plate because most people that said their ping noise went away over time had a plastic keyboard so IDK!

[John55]

Mostly pay attention to the bolded parts if you don't feel like reading the entire thing. 

[TrigrH]

did you buy blue switches lol?

[Arika]

if you got blue switches it will not go away.

if you got browns, the tactile bump might need to wear in

if you got red, return it, there is nothing in a red switch that would make it "ping" as you put it

[John55]

@Arika S My switches are red. So what people say online that the keys will wear down over time and stuff is false then? Should I record how my keys sound so you can have a better understanding of my situation because I can hear it with my headset on but that might just be my head.

[John55]

19 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

did you buy blue switches lol?

LMAO Hell na. Blue switches are soo annoying. They are cherry mx reds. Should I get a plastic keyboard so the ping noise is not as observant because I believe when I used a plastic keyboard I didn't hear it. Just not a lot of TKL boards out there for some reason that have a plastic cover. Most of them that have plastic and cherry mx reds are like 130 dollars or more.

[John55]

13 minutes ago, Arika S said:

if you got blue switches it will not go away.

if you got browns, the tactile bump might need to wear in

if you got red, return it, there is nothing in a red switch that would make it "ping" as you put it

Should I get a plastic keyboard then @Arika S to dampen the noise?

[TrigrH]

8 minutes ago, John55 said:

Should I get a plastic keyboard then @Arika S to dampen the noise?

record a quick clip so we know whats its like?

[seon123]

The common thing to do to get rid of spring noise is lubing the switches. The switches feeling scratchy might just be because they're Cherry switches, which are known to not be very smooth. 

[John55]

10 minutes ago, seon123 said:

The common thing to do to get rid of spring noise is lubing the switches. The switches feeling scratchy might just be because they're Cherry switches, which are known to not be very smooth. 

Will this annoying ping noise go away/wear out overtime?

 

[John55]

How do I record a clip and post it on this forums? I do not want to have to record it and post it on youtube then post the link of youtube on here.

[John55]

Ok, so after I did some more research, apparently this ping noise I get from the keyboard is the spring twisting or moving in the wrong way when I press the key. It is said that you can fix it by moving the spring and reshaping it. Can the spring go to its normal shape by itself over time or do I have to take off everything just to reach the keys to redo the springs?

 

[b emoji]

1 hour ago, John55 said:

Will this annoying ping noise go away/wear out overtime?

 

Sometimes it does, for example, matias switches apply a generous amount of lube in their springs to reduce the ping sound that is common in simplified alps switches. In addition to lubing the switch maybe swap out the springs as well. 

[geo3]

7 hours ago, John55 said:

Will this annoying ping noise go away/wear out overtime?

 

If the sound you are referring to is really spring ping then that does not normally just go away.  I have lubed all my switches to eliminate that on my keyboards. See the link in my signature.  Adding some kind of dampening material (foam pad, a sheet of felt, ect) inside the case under the PCB can help to make the ping less noticeable by eliminating the natural reverb of the case and plate. 

 

If you are referring to the bottom out noise (switch stem hitting the bottom of the housing when fully pressed) then that also will never go away unless you dampen it some how. Either by getting a silenced switch(MX silent red, MX silent black, Zilents or Orange Healios), or adding O-rings. Or you can adjust your typing style to not bottom out.

[John55]

48 minutes ago, geo3 said:

If the sound you are referring to is really spring ping then that does not normally just go away.  I have lubed all my switches to eliminate that on my keyboards. See the link in my signature.  Adding some kind of dampening material (foam pad, a sheet of felt, ect) inside the case under the PCB can help to make the ping less noticeable by eliminating the natural reverb of the case and plate. 

 

If you are referring to the bottom out noise (switch stem hitting the bottom of the housing when fully pressed) then that also will never go away unless you dampen it some how. Either by getting a silenced switch(MX silent red, MX silent black, Zilents or Orange Healios), or adding O-rings. Or you can adjust your typing style to not bottom out.

@geo3 Where can I buy the dampener for a keyboard to put under and what lube should I buy? Is there a way for me to lube without opening up the entire keyboard because I do not trust myself to take the entire thing apart.

[b emoji]

4 minutes ago, John55 said:

@geo3 Where can I buy the dampener for a keyboard to put under and what lube should I buy? Is there a way for me to lube without opening up the entire keyboard because I do not trust myself to take the entire thing apart.

I would recommend KRYTOX GPL 205 GRADE 0, and TRIBOSYS 3204. Unless your board supports switch top removal then no, I woulden't lube the switches without taking them apart. Please don't do what some people online do and just soak the switch in dielectric grease.

[John55]

3 minutes ago, b emoji said:

I would recommend KRYTOX GPL 205 GRADE 0, and TRIBOSYS 3204. Unless your board supports switch top removal then no, I woulden't lube the switches without taking them apart. Please don't do what some people online do and just soak the switch in dielectric grease.

Last question then I am done. Here it goes @b emoji . I really like this board, should I return it and get the exact one or will it have the exact same issue? Are there companies that put a little lube on their boards before they hit the shelves? Should I avoid metal plated keyboards and just go for the plastic?

[b emoji]

Just now, John55 said:

Last question then I am done. Here it goes @b emoji . I really like this board, should I return it and get the exact one or will it have the exact same issue? Are there companies that put a little lube on their boards before they hit the shelves? Should I avoid metal plated keyboards and just go for the plastic?

1 - If you like the board then keep it, boards that have cherry switches are usually the same, cherry switches are usually quite consistent among different boards so changing a board might not help, also some people say that cherry switches and others have a break in period where the switch will feel rough and scratchy and it will get better overtime.  

 

2 - Not really, unless you want to go the boutique or custom route. Gateron switches and some Kailh switches are smoother than Cherry switches, if you want smooth linear switches take a look at tealios, healios, kailh creams, and box reds, but those switches are not seen often on consumer boards (notably due to the lack of support for wave soldering for the zeal switches)

 

3 - No I wouldn't get all plastic keyboards, they're flimsy and cheap feeling. Get something with a thicker plate and one that is an enclosed design, I have a brass plate in my m65 and it sounds pretty good. 

[geo3]

2 hours ago, John55 said:

@geo3 Where can I buy the dampener for a keyboard to put under and what lube should I buy? Is there a way for me to lube without opening up the entire keyboard because I do not trust myself to take the entire thing apart.

There's no specific dampener that you buy. I have used an old mouse mat and cut it to the right shape, you can also buy a piece of felt from a hobby store and cut that up as well.  

 

As for opening it depends. Some boards support opening the switches with out disassembling the whole keyboard. This depends on the type of LEDs used and the shape of the hole in the top plate. I'm not familiar your specific keyboard so I can't say for sure. If you take a photo close up of one of the switches I might be able to tell from that. 

[b emoji]

14 hours ago, geo3 said:

There's no specific dampener that you buy. I have used an old mouse mat and cut it to the right shape, you can also buy a piece of felt from a hobby store and cut that up as well.  

 

As for opening it depends. Some boards support opening the switches with out disassembling the whole keyboard. This depends on the type of LEDs used and the shape of the hole in the top plate. I'm not familiar your specific keyboard so I can't say for sure. If you take a photo close up of one of the switches I might be able to tell from that. 

I've heard that sorbothane makes a great dampening material, but some people say that they get decent results using craft foam