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Keyboard: FBTKL by keebsforall
Board insulation: none, rubber dampener, force break
Plate: Pom plate
Keycaps: xmi rainbow Chinese, dcs spacebar
Switches: gateron ink v2 broken in
Stabilizers: tx stabilizers lubed with 205g0
Mat: Keebmat keebmat.com/discount/ANDY "ANDY" 5% off
Force break mod is the truth
Let me know what you think of the review in the comment section below!
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Sound recorded via Oktava MK012 Hypercardiod - www.frontendaudio.com/oktava-...
This is a MUST for the Keychron Q series boards. I am building a couple of boards for coworkers and this drastically changes the board from sounding like a metal baseball bat hitting a ball, to a light pop of the ball from a wooden bat
I love keyboard sound analogies
@@AndyVNguyen permission granted to use for any review of a pingy cased board in the future 😹
Even for later Q series? My understanding is the Q1 knob version as well as Q2 and Q3 uses another silicone gasket to separate the top and bottom case.
@@blacksterangel yeah I recently built a newer Q1 with the silicone but the silicone sits in little grooves in the board and basically lay flush with the metal, thus not solving the problem of pinging. Just use tape around those silicone points and adjust accordingly :)
I just did this mod with a v2 of the Q1. Two layers of masking tape on the bottom half that didn’t have the silicone. I also took out one of the two foam pieces. It was so easy and it made a massive difference. No metal, more flex, more open sound. Yeah there is silicone but tbh it’s too thin and it really needs that masking tape. Rice cloud did a video on this recently as well.
05:16 It wasn't Keybored who first discovered the force break mod. I believe :3ildcat was the first big creator who put masking tape to reduce ping in the AR87, but there could be earlier examples. Regardless, it's still a fantastic mod for any two-piece keyboard, especially for older KR top mounts!
wildcat is goat in terms of mods, he found a lot of cool things
@@--.-- I agree. 3ildcat pioneered keyboard modding and rhinofeed pioneered keyboard typing sound test.
@@joshthian and now we got Keybored who helps us understand even more in depth what certain mods do by using science. I love how these guys make such great content for us to learn and understand the mods we may or may not want to use.
I was coming into this vid with april fools expectations but left satisied. Thank you for this. (Also, great light bar lightsaber skills)
This was good video summarizing the list of keyboard mods and the effects they have - thanks for the content!
Always great content coming from you Andy. Thank you for the informative video once again! Keep em coming our way 🤙🏽🤙🏽
I have to agree. I put some electrical tape on my Keychron Q3 by the screw holes and all the case ping went away. Also worked well on my KBDfans D65. No need to add foam or poly fill.
Everytime I watch one of your videos I'm like, he fucking gets it! Joined the hobby about the same time you did, and even bought that durgod hades based on your video. Had a tofu for a while and went through the same thoughts you had about all the mods that have come about in the past 2~ years. Thanks for showing off this mod! Can't wait to try it once my boards ship from their GBs
Damn you’re an OG subscriber! The Durgod was a great option at the time for sure.
I know there's a comment below mentioning keychron Q series keyboard but I cannot emphasize that enough. I myself have Q3 and finally was able to fix the pinging noise after using this mod along with tape mod. Thanks for making this vid!
This improved my QMK Q65 sound considerably. Better thock than ever! Thanks for the video.
Brilliantly explained all the mainstream sound mods! Can't wait to get my FBTKL.
you're gonna love it. I do want to solder it in (using hot swap right now) because of some of the odd switch orientations. but other than that, it's killer
This is a really nice idea, instead of tape I used the sticky pad stuff that the KBD pad feet came in and made little dampeners. I put them around the screw points on my mode65 and it works really well. Really cleans up the sound and gets rid of a lot of the desk rumble that the mode65 is known for too
Nice. I heard you could try removing the screw from spacebar to make that sound cleaner too
@@AndyVNguyen ah ok thanks, I’ll try it
New to this hobby I've tried both force break and tape mod on my keeb (Monsgeek M1) and indeed this is really magic! Suppressed the metallic echo on my space bar. Oh god I love the new sound. Thanks for the video!
I did this mod without knowing that it's an actual mod people do. My reason for doing it is so for the gaskets to not get too compressed when the case is screwed back in. However, instead of using layers of tape near the screw holes, I used the spare washers from screw-in stabilizers (much easier if the washers you have are adhesive). Did this mod on a D65 and KBD67 Lite.
how well did it work on your d65? I have one and I'm thinking of doing this mod
I've been wanting to try this out for quite some time, but so far I love the sound of my boards as they are. I want to keep this in mind for the future, though. Thank you for the thorough explanation of everything all in one place!
It’s pretty easy and doesn’t change the sound IMO. Just kind of “fixes” it. If you don’t think your board is hollow - no need to do it
KFA is definitely poggers, and ty for the in-depth explanation of the force break mod, Andy! Great video :)
Thank you for watching!
I found that Transparent Sticker film (used to print out stickers with transparent background) -- is the best force break mod material so far. -- It is sticky enough to stay in place where you put them... but does not spread out adhesive like an Electrical Tape. In terms of thickness, it's somewhere between Masking Tape and Electrical Tape (in fact, you can choose the thickness of your liking too -- it varies per GSM). Therefore, 1 layer is all you need... The material is great because its "grippy" and has the ability to absorb force -- which is the main goal. In addition, it's more aesthetically pleasing compared to other tapes, because it's transparent - so it's like not there :) hth
Can confirm for the Keychron Q1 the force break mod is enough to kill the ping on the case. No need to mess with the internal foam if all you care is killing the bell ring. After this mod all ring is gone when tapping!
seeing andy wield a florescent light tube as a lightsaber is peak keeb content
Pretty much an essential mod for the Keychron Q# boards.
Not sure if anyone tried long tape strips along the entire contact point of the case pieces, as in theory that should also help block the resonances that goes through air, rather than just around the screws/contact points.
i think the slight air gap that the tape is creating is allowing sound to escape through. when it is air tight, an echo is created which is what we associate as hollowness.
Yes
i liked the explanation of what each mod achieves.
I'm gonna try this on one of those pin-mount keyboards
Quality video, I learned quite a bit about mods and their application scenarios. I personally would have to agree with you that I like the idea of having that original unique sound that my keys/switches make and I love that the break mod preserves those qualities while alleviating the distracting sounds of the case. However, I'm still learning so ill be testing all the mods for myself when my kq6 comes in the mail - will let you know how it goes. Do you have any recommendations on some high-quality linears that I wouldn't have to lube up myself? I'm looking for a nice clean sound and stable keys to preserve that premium feel, I was thinking maybe box ink pinks, but I'm unsure how ill feel about their lower profile.
Durock piano, so smooth stock lmao
Force break goes crazy, might have to try on some of my boards :)
Best thing that came out of 2021
When I did the tape mod the ping disappeared, but it made my Q3 Pro loud and poppy. After adding a thicker foam case dampener, it took away the flex of the keyboard. I settled for the force break mod. It worked well minimizing the ping (about 95%) of the Q3 Pro without altering its characteristics. I used 2 layers of masking tape as the material. Hoping to remove the remaining 5% ping, I'm waiting for a set of heavy linear switch (KiiBoom Topaz) that will be replacing the Keychron Pro Banana that the keyboard came with. Thank you for this great mod tip!
Long pole will help reduce that last 5%!
@@AndyVNguyen Not sure if what I bought has long pole (KiiBoom Topaz), but it has a total travel of 3.20 ± 0.2mm in the specs. I also added a band-aid mod and lubed my stabilizers. So far, I don't hear any pings 🤓. Thank you much and keep up the great work!
yeah 4mm is full travel so that's long pole for sure
I did this with my GMMK Pro, but instead of using tape, I cut up some of the included super thin poron gaskets.
brow it actually helped i didn't know anth about it really thx
yw
on my q3 i put electrical tape on the bottom of the pcb in addition to putting tape in the contact area of the gasket mount. There is literally no ping and my alphas sound heavenly
I've noticed because of the air gap created by the forcebreak mod, there's been a noticeable gap within the seam between the top & bottom case.
Yeah that happens. Test with thinner tape and maybe just keeping screw less tight. If you ever ship the keyboard though always fully tighten it up
I wonder if can do this mod to the Mode65. Wonderful video showcasing and explaining what the force-break mod does! On a sidenote, interesting thing KeebsForAll is doing. I hope their Marketplace really pops off.
I do with my Mode65, but need to cut very little piece.
I dont really hear the difference. My goal here is to mute my old k70 board as much as possible with what i have on hand. Wondering if maybe clear silicone might work better just to reduce vibrations. Or if id wanna consider trying to fill that air gap with paper tape or foam potentially. Might even wanna just try it as is since i havent seen all my screw locations where this is viable yet if at all. If i do i might wanna try a couple or a few layers of the electrical tape so i can still screw it in snug tho. I dont trust loose screws to do anything right.
The way i explain tempest tape mod is like u are tapping on paper. It has a similar sound signature. Also basically that's what it really does. The force of the switch bottom housing hitting the paper. More apparent on pole bottom out switches.
Great way to explain it
I just get into the hobbies...and The force break really make the sound more solid, thanks!
Do you think future keyboards that have metal cases should have a strip of force break mod tape pre applied?
I have only found that it helps. Some boards don’t need it. But most could benefit from it
Nice video! It defiantly sounds better, but I don't hear much change lol
My friend got his first keyboard a couple of weeks ago, and the first thing that I did was to take out the case foam, and then I did force break mod with 2 layers of masking tape. Needless to say….. I’m surprised.
so simple and cheap
man with the glarses manual zoom haha
I'm his #1 fan and he gave me kebob free
Is this only effective for boards using metal cases? What about plastic boards?
I use the .2mm stab pads from Upgraded Keyboard. It works great with one layer
Perfect. Cuz those things suck for holee mod lol. I have a ton of extras
@@AndyVNguyen lol, yeah I was happy to find a use for them
I love the intro
So is this something you would do instead of the tape mod, or using foam, or pouring silicone? Or would you do this in addition to some or all of those things?
i would try this first, if it works you're golden. no other mods needed. then do foam. this + foam is way easier than silicone pour IMO. silicone pour is when something REALLY needs help
I always worry about the tape mod just for the future where the tape disintegrates and i have a sticky gross mess on my pcb. And with my 0 electronics knowledge, for some reason I worry its going to cause some sort of static issue.
that's why its masking tape though....low adhesion...less worry for sticky glue
I think the only keyboard kit that actually utilizes this mod straight out of the box (at least from what I've seen) is the Sun68. It's a bit different though because it includes poron for the screw holes but the concept seems to be the same.
Yeah the sun68 had it with poron. Pretty interesting. Thought it was a meme but it’s effective.
q2 also had a stock silicone force break
I heard polyfill or cotton mod reduces hollowness and keeps the keyboard sound signature and it works out for me! Didnt want to buy foam cuz I dont want that foamy sound, and this works for boards that cant use the forcebreak mods
It didn’t work for me . Changed the sound signature slightly but didn’t reduce hollowness by a significant amount
@@AndyVNguyen rlly? Damn I guess it doesnt work for all
ive been holding off buying a brutalist board cuz of the hollowness but the force break mod is lookin like it could definitely keep the brutalist boards relevant
I heard good things about using it on the brutalist boards
pe foam and tempest on stacked acrylic boards does wonders
That would be a good application! But damn those boards are deep sounding already
@@AndyVNguyen Yeah usually they are but my basketweave sounded really thin and shallow(?) for some reason so the mods helped a ton
Andy you would be the coolest fucking uncle imaginable
alternate title: how to make gasket mounts with cases from shitty allu sound great
Are we calling tape gasket now? The bar gets lower
This is going to be the stupidest question asked here for sure. But I just got a Keychron Q3. And I definitly want to try the force break mod. But I'm not sure whether you have to pull keycaps/switches before you open the board? If it's just to remove the base plate, add the tape and screw it back in?
I do it in this stream so you can follow along www.twitch.tv/videos/1446670288
@@AndyVNguyen THANK YOU! I just did it. And it's definitely worth it! It's unbelievable that 2 tiny layers of masking tape manage to do this!? The board no longer rings like a bell! Amazing! Can't thank you enough!
Brilliant! I like how you think. A purist of sorts. I believe hunting down these resonances if the fun part. You are not putting a band aid (no pun intended) on a broken arm 👍🏻.. You have removed the aluminum resonance sound from the desirable aluminum case. After that the other components and their engineering can shine through. Kudos.
Literally magic.
So I guess if you have an alluminium top case, and polycarb bottom, this mod wouldn't be needed?
Nice light-pole skills Andy, I see you are a master of your craft. Did you know that the largest s’more weighs 121.11 kg? That’s sure is a lot of marshmallows and chocolate… How large of a s’more could you make? I know mine would be pretty large!
Keyboards forced me to break my bank account
In my case, I used left over poron film from Deskey 0.3mm switch film, the result was amazing too
Are those adhesive
@@AndyVNguyen yeah it is. I wonder how will the merisi will react to this mod
Does the force break modd make the keyboard sound more muted? I tried doing it on my sangeo65, not sure if the board is muted itself or if its because I did force break modd
It does not
@@AndyVNguyen Thanks! Probably going to try out other switches to make it more clacky & poppy!
2:40 I personally think PE foam doesn't make a keyboard sounds better, it makes a keyboard sounds different.
主持人近來的影片都顯得有點發福~~~ 真好
what an underated youtuber
That's my PE foamed/taped Idobao in the janky picture, lol. I had to do a double take because I thought it looked familiar 😂
For the freebird tkl, would this work for the gummy oring mount? Or top mount only?
Yes
wouldn't a .1mm oring or felt or silicon washer around the screw holes also do the same thing?
You can stick whatever you want in there. It’s easier to find tape in your house though lol . I’ve found better luck going the full length between screw points as well. Some boards need more help than others.. some can do ok just loosely screwing it together than fully hand tight
Would you say this would be good for a frog TKL? I ordered it and might do the force break just cuz
That board just had an issue w spacebar imo. Sound was fine. But couldn’t hurt since a lot of ppl did use case foam. Just make sure you try using snap in stabs or something.. since i think the low front height of the board is causing issues w the screw of screw in stabs
So not screw in stabs? And thanks for responding
Either use snap in stabs or use screw in w case foam
Alright. Thanks
need recommendation for foam combo for my new keychron q8 with lubed alpacas on brass plate . i was thinking remove tape mod , cut custom pe foam between pcb and plate and case foam aswell
Basically as much foam as possible would be my rec lol
The mods have the audible characteristics you describe, but for _completely_ different reasons. Tape does not "stop" the sound and turn it back around. Foam does not "bring frequencies to the middle" and you are definitely still affected by the case either way. If any of this was the case, recording studios would be incredibly cheap to build and they would look completely different.
Thank you!
I cried when he transitioned to the zoom65 after saying cheap keyboards
It's surprising this mod is quite new considering that it makes a lot of sense.
so straightforward too..
hey andy are you getting a qk65? i think you can do this mod on it but im not sure
No, but yes you can
i just did this mod on my sange60 any it got rid of basically all of the case hollowness
What are those keycaps ? I have been trying to find some that are similar
Added to description
@@AndyVNguyen thank you!
Top few mods - PE Foam, Tempest Tape Mod, Kilmat, Force Break
not pe
sound effect 10/10. Disney should hire this guy
i wish!
Do thesee only helpp for alu or metal boards or does this have any effects for plastic oness
Haven’t tried on plastic
Hopefully this will bring an end to the Age of Foam.
to pave the way for the Rise of Tape?
@@AndyVNguyen at least this type of mod would be cheaper require a lot less material than the 3+ layers of foam some boards come with.
Pe foam on a jane is like putting a1 sauce on wagyu
What about case foam on a Jane tho. Or a matrix
I think that keybored as not the first one to do it because :3ildcat did it on the Abko AR87 first
i like pressing a key and then the letter appears on my screen.
I do too
Is the Polaris your favorite board before the unikorn?
It’s nice
0:11 would be a great thumbnail
What keycaps were those on the freebird?
Added to description
So basicallyyyyyy its like a 'gasket mount' with tape
Gasket mount is for the plate not the case
I feel like this mod should be the industry standard for all custom mechanical keyboards going forward.
Do "OGs" not like the pe foam in the owlabs boards?
They do not
Will this mod make my rk61 thock like your unikorn?
Yes, but this is not financial advice
This video is why Andy is the goat.
hahaha thank you
so would this be enough for the original q1? just got one for pretty cheap as a first keyboard.
the original q1 would benefit from it and maybe an extra layer of thicker foam
@@AndyVNguyen thanks! for in the bottom of the case?
yeah the bottom of the case. if i recall correctly i had to silicone pour mine for it to sound decent. force break would do a lot for that board though so you may not need to go as far as silicone pouring
@@AndyVNguyen great thanks alot bro! look forward to messing around with it
pretty fun board to mod
me: uses all mods also me: hehe muted keyboard go tiktiktik
as long as you're happy lol
can you use band aids for this mod
i love your intro
haha ty!
does punching a tiny hole has the same effect?
…. In the aluminum case? I don’t think so
soooo, sat75 and force-break mod good?
I was wondering this as well. I currently have shelf liner in mine but thinking about taking it out and trying this instead. Did you end up trying it? Edit: In case anyone is curious, I ended up trying it and it definitely improved the sound
@@ptitty703 I will try it when I receive mine next week.
Is force break mod safe with conductive tape?
Yes
So does that make the Jelly on the same level as your gk's and tofus because it has pe foam? Never really understood how people on the "high-end" spectrum of the community turned on the pe foam mod so quickly.
I explained it. The sound is mostly the same across different boards that use PE foam. So if you care about sound and sound only then yes.
PE foam drastically changes the sound of a board, and can make them seem more 'lifeless' in a sense that they have no personality or uniquenes; they are just PE foam. of course, as with all things, some people prefer the pe foam sounds, others dont. i also think a big part of the pushback was that previous boards didnt need pe foam to sound good. perhaps as the community has grown the definition of 'good' has changed. personally, stuffing a board with foam is an extreme waste of material and is not helping to reduce packaging or unrecyclable polymer usage in the hobby, but this forcebreak mod is definitely looking to a very promising alternative if you want to hear some boards which sounds great without any foam, check out any tgr jane sound test. a cheaper board to check out would be ncr80, which has a large and open chassis which sounds great without foam, and adding foam would ruin it
@@oatmilk9918 It's just funny how the hobby has gone full circle on foam ever since the pe foam mod got popular. When the Jelly released it seemed like everyone was in love with that type of sound. 90% of high end boards still come with foam. I feel like people felt like they got, for lack of a better word, attacked when pe foam made a bunch of budget boards sound above their price range, and now people don't like foam to be "cool." I know it's all preference, but I'm pretty sure there are people out there that conditioned themselves to not like the "foam sound" because their favorite youtubers said that "foam=ruined sound."
guy who tries to force break his bakeneko
What if you do the tempest mod and the force break mod at the same time?
that's definitely something you can do to change the sound if you want
K thanks man
Lmao with a membrane that never breaks
Surprised no-one makes a gasket for alu cases. Not a gummy o-ring gasket, more like an engines rocker cover gasket.
A hwat
force break mod GOAT'd, up there with tape mod and idk... uh... lubing switches?
I don't love tape mod but I will admit it's crazy for saving horrible keyboards I use factory lubed switches wherever I can these days because I'm lazy lol
@@AndyVNguyen agree. really want some matcha lattes, ive heard the factory lube is actually solid haha
God is good thank you for this turorial