Drevo Gramr with MX Brown switches makes a pinging sound

[OrionShadowX]

Hello all,

 

I wanted to know if anyone out there has experienced any pinging sounds when typing.

 

After some testing, I noticed that the pinging sound is very audible when the keyboard is raised on its stands and is significantly reduced when placed last down.

 

I tried opening up the keyboard but can't seem to find any place to apply sound dampening/rubber sheets to reduce the resonation caused by the metal back plate.

 

Looking forward to your responses. Cheers

[OrionShadowX]

Any responses?

[geo3]

It's not caused by the plate. Pinging comes from the switch springs, and the only way to really eliminate it to lube them. A foam or felt sheet under the PCB can help reduce it somewhat but it doesn't make it go away like lubing will. 

[Dr0y]

I had a really bad case of pinging with my redragon k552 with outemu blue.  I confirm that the sound comes from the spring but I can also tell you that the case can influence how much the ping/reverb is audible.  I got a barebones and put those outemu blue in it and that pinging noise was still present but way less audible and I noticed it only when it was really quiet in the room.  Maybe you could open up the keyboard and try some noise insulation too ... but of course lubing the spring is the best way to do it. 

[OrionShadowX]

Thank you all for your replies.

So the issue seems to be spring related. Any idea how I can access them as the switches seem to be soldered to the PCB and I don't know if I can access them without de-soldering all the switches. Would it be a bad idea to try and get some lube from the top and let it flow down to the springs?

[Dr0y]

no idea if it would be good or damage the switches doing it from the top ... there's switch opener that exist tho so maybe you could try those.

 

https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1363

 

[geo3]

7 hours ago, OrionShadowX said:

Thank you all for your replies.

So the issue seems to be spring related. Any idea how I can access them as the switches seem to be soldered to the PCB and I don't know if I can access them without de-soldering all the switches. Would it be a bad idea to try and get some lube from the top and let it flow down to the springs?

You will need to open the switches. On some keyboards you can do this while they are still in (see the guide in my sig to see how) but a lot will require you to remove them from the top plate to open them. There is no way to lube the spring without opening the switch. You could lube the slider and make the switch smoother without opening, but this will do nothing for reducing ping.  

[OrionShadowX]

On 6/22/2020 at 2:49 PM, Dr0y said:

no idea if it would be good or damage the switches doing it from the top ... there's switch opener that exist tho so maybe you could try those.

 

https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1363

 

So just to be clear, the switch opener can be used for any keyboard, right?

As I tried opening it with some other tools but stopped as I did not want to risk damaging it. 

 

I am only confirming to make sure it applies to my keyboard as there would be no point buying the switch opener if my keyboard switches are built differently.

[OrionShadowX]

On 6/22/2020 at 3:52 PM, geo3 said:

You will need to open the switches. On some keyboards you can do this while they are still in (see the guide in my sig to see how) but a lot will require you to remove them from the top plate to open them. There is no way to lube the spring without opening the switch. You could lube the slider and make the switch smoother without opening, but this will do nothing for reducing ping.  

You have a really useful guide. Thanks!

 

I actually opened up my keyboard and lubed them from the top just like you mentioned. After that the pinging sound was probably reduced between 50 to 75% for some and completely eliminated for others. Moreover, the key when pressed feels very smooth and i didn't experience any friction like earlier.