Hello everyone Nessa here and welcome to our second ever blog post! In today’s post we’ll be discussing one of the core pillars of the custom keyboard hobby: modding.
I started offering commission services not long after I began my content creation journey over two years ago, and since then I’ve built and modded over 100 keyboards! I think the beautiful thing about this hobby is that it truly is a custom experience and you can pretty much alter the sound profile of any keyboard to your liking as long as you know what you’re doing. Modding can be a very extensive and detailed rabbit hole, so I’ll just be going over some of the most common ones that people perform; perhaps I can do a deep-dive, tutorial-like post in the future if you guys are interested!
Before we get into the juicy stuff, I just want to preface this by saying that in this hobby, sound is completely subjective! Everybody has different preferences; some like clacky boards, some like really thocky boards, some people love stuffing their boards with foam (me!), and others prefer not to use any. There’s no right or wrong here as long as YOU like it!
Anyways, without further ado, let’s dive in!
General rule of thumb: the more space you have in between each keyboard part within the case, the clackier and more hollow it will sound. In order to make it sound more full-bodied and thocky, you need to add stuff to fill in those hollow spaces. This can include various kinds of foams, tape, polyfill, even coins or toilet paper. You essentially just need something to absorb the sound, though some materials will do it better than others. If you prefer a clackier, more high-pitched board, you can keep the foams to a minimum or remove them completely if they came with the board.
1. Lubing switches
If you don’t want to take apart your board, lubing your switches is an easy way to make an improvement to your build. It can often make your switches sound and feel smoother and sometimes creamier/thockier as well depending on the switch. Just make sure that your keyboard is hotswap, which allows you to easily pull the switches out from the PCB. We won’t go over each step-by-step here as it can be a bit tedious, but you can find all the supplies you’ll need for lubing here; if you’re a bit hesitant about lubing your own switches or simply just don’t have the time, Thock King offers an amazing-quality lube and film service for switches!
2. Tape mod
This mod requires you to take apart the board and stick layers of tape to the back of the PCB in order to make your board sound poppier and sometimes thockier. This is a mod that I generally try to do on pretty much all my boards if there’s enough space. There are some boards that already come packed with super plush foam (such as the Leobog Hi75) so adding in layers of tape will make it really difficult–and sometimes dangerous–to close the case. Three layers of masking tape is my preferred way to go but you can also use washi tape or even special tape made specifically for this mod, which comes a bit thicker. You can also add on a few more layers if there’s room or you can reduce the amount if you think you’re tight on space. The adhesive on these tapes don’t normally affect the integrity of the PCB but if you’re concerned it will you can always stick and unstick it onto a clean surface a few times to make it not-so-sticky.
3. Foams
There are so many different kinds of foam and foam materials you can use in a keyboard build, but they usually consist of the switch pad, plate foam, and case foam. Many of the barebones kits (and now prebuilts!) you come across will include a full foam kit with all the above with the keyboard and if they don’t they will often times give you the option to add it on separately. As someone who loves foamy builds, I always strive to use all the foam I’m given and if I come across a board that doesn’t offer any or all of the ones I typically use, I’ll whip something up myself.
Switch pad: this is the thinnest piece out of all the foams which sits directly on top of your PCB and underneath your stabilizers. It usually has lots of holes and cutouts for your switches and it acts as a dampener of sorts when you press on your keys. If you find that your board does not have a switch pad, you can use individual stick-on switch pads, a thin piece of PE foam, or even a few layers of toilet paper. PE foam is a bit harder to come across but they are often used in a lot of keyboard packaging; most of my personal stash has come from Monsgeek keyboard wrapping.
Plate foam: this foam has multiple square cutouts that are meant to surround and cushion your switches. You situate this foam on your PCB after you’ve put down your switch pad and installed your stabilizers; it also sits directly underneath the plate, hence the name. If you have plate-mounted stabilizers though, those can go on after you put down this foam and the plate. Most foam kits or boards come with poron plate foam but silicone is another material that can be used as well. If by chance your board does not have plate foam, there are individual stick-on foams that can be used.
Case foam: This foam goes on the very bottom of your case. Often times, boards will come with multiple layers of this kind of foam and can be made from a variety of materials. Poron is probably the most common one you’ll see but you can also use EVA, IXPE, and silicone. My personal favorite is 3mm poron case foam; it’s super plush and thick and absorbs sound really nicely. If I find that a board doesn’t have it or uses thinner/more porous foam, I purchase my own separately from Thock King! I might be a bit biased here when I say that our 3mm poron case foam is my favorite product from the store but no other vendor I know of (or even Amazon) stocks any of this kind of quality. If you’re keen to explore other materials, EVA foam or DIY-ing your own silicone dampener might be cool options to explore. I’ve also seen a mod where you put down a layer of coins on the bottom of the case as well. Another material I would highly recommend (if your board has the space for it) is polyfill, which I’ll explain in further detail in the next section.
4. Polyfill
Polyfill, in layman’s terms, is essentially just pillow stuffing. You can purchase a big bag of them online or really any large retail store. I mainly like using this material when I’m modding plastic boards as most aluminum boards already come with super plush foam and not enough space inside the case to begin with. It’s also fairly common to put down a layer of polyfill at the very bottom of your case and then stack another layer of case foam on top for extra dampening. Be careful not to use too much polyfill though, otherwise you won’t be able to close your case.
5. Force break mod
The force break mod refers to sticking small pieces of tape or foam along the sides of the top and bottom of your case. This effectively closes any gaps or spaces you might have between the top and bottom case after you close it up. You typically only perform this mod on aluminum boards as they can have ping (a subtle but often noticeable ringing sound produced when you hit objects against metal). You also won’t be able to perform this mod if your board does not have a top case to begin with, such as a Tofu65 or Neo65.
There are a lot more specifics with modding to be explored, but we’ll stop here for now. Hopefully this overview of some of the most common mods out there can help you fine-tine your own build! If you have any questions about modding or just want to connect with other hobbyists/enthusiasts in the community, we highly recommend joining our Discord server so we can all geek out!