How to Mod Your Mechanical Keyboard for Better Sound and Feel

Overview

One of the best parts of using a mechanical keyboard is the customization of each part of the build process. There is a plethora of options to choose from, like switches, stabilizers, keyboard case, etc. In addition to the components needed to build a keyboard, you can further customize your mechanical keyboard build with modifications to each of those components to enhance the feel, sound, or overall experience.

Here are some of the common mods for your mechanical keyboard:

Lubing and Filming Switches

Unless your keyboard isn't hotswap and comes with soldered switches, removing the switches and then applying lubricant and film to switches would be one first suggested mods to do improve the sound and feel of your custom mechanical keyboard. Lubing switches helps to remove any unpleasant sounds and also makes them feel smoother to type on. Adding films to switches can also modify the sound slightly as well as the feel by helping achieve tighter tolerances and reducing stem and housing wobble.

A lot of switches these days come lightly factory lubricated, but hand lubing still provides a more consistent and even feel and sound. 205g0 is commonly used for linear switches, 3203 is commonly used for tactile switches, and GPL105 is commonly used for the springs.

Lubing and Tuning Stabilizers

Applying lubricant to stabilizers and checking the wires is another simple yet effective mod to enhance your keyboard typing experience. Simply apply lubricant to the stem and housings and the wires of the stabilizers goes a long way to reduce rattly sounds from the bigger modifier keys. 205g0 is commonly used for the stabilizer housing while the preference of lubricant for the wires varies which includes 205g0, dielectric grease, permatex, and more.

Another mod, which is still technically just applying more lubricant to the stabilizers, is "plugging the butt" where you would use something like a syringe to add more lubricant inside the hole of the stem where the stabilizer wire rests. This helps to further remove any ticking and creates an even smoother typing experience.

"Holee Mod"

The Holee Mod is an extension of mods to the stabilizers. The Holee Mod is a mod that involves applying a layer of surgical/athletic tape inside the stabilizer stem. This mod is somewhat tedious since the tape needs to be cut thinly to fit inside the stem and also takes a little bit of time and dexterity to properly place inside the stem.

The Holee Mod is used to add a layer of soft dampening between the metal stabilizer wire and the plastic stabilizer stem. The Holee Mod was used to remove any unnecessary ticking or rattling that might have been caused by the stabilizer wire moving around inside of the stabilizer housing stem.

The Holee Mod is an effective way to rid stabilizers of ticking or rattling caused by the stabilizer wire making contact with the stem housing. However, some people have noted that the Holee Mod might feel "mushy" to some people.

"Tempest Mod" / "Tape Mod"

The Tempest Mod (or Tape Mod) is a mod where you apply a layer or so of masking tape (or any similar tape that doesn't have a very strong adhesive). This mod was made to help the keyboard sound more "poppy" or "thocky." Which I imagine as a sound profile that leans more towards a lower pitched tone with a bass-y undertone. It was a wallet friendly way mod to alter the keyboard's sound signature. However, some people have mentioned that the Tempest Mod creates a "tape-y" sound that is noticeable.

It should be emphasized to use tape that does not have a very strong adhesive so it does not damage the hotswap sockets if you were to remove the tape.

"Force Break Mod"

The Force Break Mod is another cost efficient and yet highly effective mod for your mechanical keyboard. The Force Break Mod is a mod where you apply a small piece of tape (like electrical tape or masking tape) near the screw holes where the top case would come in contact with the bottom case in a two-piece case design.

The Force Break Mod is used for when a two-piece case has sound metallic "pinging" sounds that may be caused by the metal-on-metal contact between the two pieces. Although it is mainly used to fix the metallic pinging, the Force Break Mod can also be used when a two-piece keyboard case has some hollowness in its sounds.

O-Ring Mod

The O-Ring Mod is a mod where you use small silicon o-rings on the screw to sandwich the PCB/Plate assembly between for tray mount keyboards. This mod allowed tray mounted keyboards to feel a little less stiff and a little bouncier while also isolating the sound.

Another O-Ring Mod is where you would put a small silicon o-ring on the stem of a switch or around the stem of a keycap. This mod was used as a way to create a silencing mechanism and a softer typing experience. The silicon rings would dampen the sound since the keycaps wouldn't make contact with the switches and the o-rings would also reduce the total stem travel length so there would essentially be no bottom out and therefore no bottom out sounds.

Another reference to the o-ring mod is where you take tray mounted keyboards and instead of screwing them down on the tray mount posts, you would get a gummy o-ring that is used in keyboards like the Unikorn or Bakeneko and turn a tray-mounted keyboard into a gummy o-ring mounted keyboard. The change in mounting styles would offer a more comfortable and better sounding typing experience.

Foams / Sound Dampening Materials

Using foams has become widely popular ever since the rise of the marbly sound profile achieved with PE foam in the Jelly Epoch. Since then, enthusiasts have experimented with different materials for foam and different places to add foam. The most common foams to add to a mechanical keyboard are case foam, plate foam, and PCB foam. The case foam is commonly placed underneath the PCB/plate assembly on the bottom case of the keyboard to help remedy any hollowness. The plate foam is commonly placed in between the plate and PCB to help dampen the openness of the switch sounds and helps to isolate the sound of the switch. The PCB foam, usually always PE foam, is commonly placed on top of the PCB and help to alter the sound signature to create the popular "marbly" or "thocky" sound profile.

Depending on how accessible foams are to you, it would be a good experience to test out different configurations of foams to find the best custom experience for you!

Modding Your Spacebar

Some hobbyists have suggested mods to the spacebar to help achieve a certain sound signature or to remedy any other spacebar issues. Some of the sound modifying adjustments to the spacebar include adding foam or silly putty underneath the spacebar to remedy a hollow or thin spacebar sound. Some remedies for other spacebar related issues include but are not limited to: using tape or saran wrap for loose spacebar stems and heating up the spacebar with a blow drier or hot water bath to straighten out warped spacebars.

Things to Note / Tips and Suggestions

These are not all of the mechanical keyboard mods, but they are some of the common ones and a good place to start for those interesting in enhancing the feel and sound for their keyboard. Some enthusiasts have strong preferences for or against certain mods, but at the end of the day any mods you choose to do to your custom mechanical keyboard is for your personal keyboard and for your preference, hence the "custom" part of the hobby.

On that note, some tips and suggestions would be that less is more. It is easier to add then to remove to if you choose to do any mods to your keyboard then it would be recommended to start small and incrementally add to adjust to your preference.

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