Mechanical keyboards have risen into colossal popularity. They are enjoyable and faster than the non-mechanical keyboards. However, as every rose has its thorn, mechanical keyboards have one drawback too, excessive noise. Some people enjoy this clicking sound, but for some, it is unbearable. If you are also one of those who get bugged by the excessive clicking noise coming out of your keyboard and getting in the way of your work or gaming, you are on the right page. Here we will provide you with all kinds of information you need to know about your mechanical keyboards and some easy tricks to eliminate the annoying noise, in case you’ve not been able to decide which one to get, here are the top wireless mechanical keyboards available in market.
Why Are Mechanical Keyboards Noisy?
What makes the mechanical keyboards noisy are the switches used in the keyboards. There are different types of them, and the sound level varies from loud to moderate depending on the type of switch. It makes noise when you type and bottom out a key, the plastic keycap touching the plastic body of the switch making a sound. And what further amplifies the sound is the solid backplate of the keyboard. All in all, the interaction of the keycap and switch make all these noises.
Now let’s look into what kind of switches we have and the sound level they give out. So basically, the ones which make a lot of noise are the clicky and tactile switches. The Cherry MX Blue, Cherry MX Brown, and Cherry MX Red are considered noisy switches. Out of these three, Blue switches are clicky; that’s why they are the loudest and give out the most tactile and audible feedback. These are considered the best for typing purposes. Brown switches are the one which has a tactile bump and are midway between Blue and Red producing moderate sound. Meanwhile, Red is a linear switch, more smooth, and is perfect for gaming. It is comparatively quiet to both Blue and Brown switches. Now that we know about the types of switches let’s realize how to lessen the noise of these keyboards.
How To Make Mechanical Keyboard Quieter
Mechanical keyboard O-rings
The first and every effective method to damp the noise of the keyboard clicking is physical damping. You have to prevent the keycap from slamming the keyboard”s metal backplate. And you can prevent that by physically separating them with rubber or silicon dampers. You have to put this damper between the key and the surface, which causes the noise. O-rings dampers are the best practical solution for this. These are round thick rubber rings that act as shock absorbers; you can easily find them on Amazon. It has a keycap puller tool as well, which makes the process very easy.
You have to pull the keycap out of the keyboard with the keycap puller. Put the O-rings in the center of the keycap and put it back in its place. Placing the O-rings in larger keys like backspace and space keys is similar to other keys, except it has three columns. The O- rings will become a shield between the keycap and the backplate and help impressively reduce the noise by preventing the switch from bottoming out.
A keyboard has a total of 104 keys, so the whole process takes few minutes to finish up. And you will notice the results are totally worth it. An extra tip for you is that never make the mistake of taking out all the keys simultaneously; if you forget the correct key position, it will become troublesome. So have patience and go accordingly.
Changing To Silent Switches
The mechanical keyboards are loved primarily because of their sound, but users like us get irritated by the noise. Keeping this in mind, the manufacturers have designed the silent switches version of the very switches. What you can do is simply change to the silent switch. The silent switches are designed to have tiny pieces of rubber inside at the end of the spring, so they prevent noise. These switches are linear and have no bumps or audible, tactile output; that is why silent switches are comparatively quieter than the actual cherry MX switches. So it is like if you have Cherry MX Red switch, then there is an alternate Cherry MX silent Red switch too.
Silencing Clips
The other alternative method to reduce the sound of the keyboard is using silencing caps. These are mini caps that work as sound-dampening bracelets and helps a lot. The clips are made up of plastic with a rubber on the top. You place the caps on the top of the switches so when the key is stroked, the rubber prevents making sound and dampens the strokes’ noise. You can quickly put these clips on top of the switches with your hand or use a tweezer or other tool to prevent breaking the clip as the clips are very thin and delicate and break with little pressure.
Keyboard Silicone Covers
The easiest and cheapest method is to buy a silicone keyboard cover. There are no complex steps to follow; place the cover directly over the keyboard, and it helps to reduce the noise. Make sure that you buy a cover that matches your keyboard style, and bam! Your work’s done. It might look a bit unclassy but if you are looking for an easy option, go for this one.
Do These Tricks Completely Eliminate The Sound?
One thing to clear out that none of the tricks can completely abolish the sound out of your mechanical keyboard. These hacks will undoubtedly help you to reduce them to an adequate level. However, the dampening of sound will vary in the various keyboards. It will be according to the material of the plate, the keycaps, and the case.
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Summing It Up
After some research and trying out the methods, we listed some of the possible and practical tricks for you. We assure you that after trying these hacks, your keyboard will make less noise, and you will be able to enjoy your work or gaming. So what are you waiting for? Go and try them out.