Silencing stabilisers

Stabilisers can be loud, rattly and off putting. Here are some tips and tricks to reduce the sound that is produced from a stabiliser!

For this guide, you’ll need silicone grease. To further reduce sound you’ll need need some extra items.

Commonly used Silicone Grease for Stabilisers:

  • RS PRO Silicone Grease. RS Part No: 494-124

  • Super Lube 21030 Synthetic Grease

  • Krytox GPL 205 Grease

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Clipping stabiliser legs

Clipping the stabiliser legs can help reduce the sound of the stabiliser hitting the PCB. Remove the two with the protruding nubs. On the left is what the final result should look like. For this step you’ll need cutting pliers or scalpel.

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Applying silicone grease

Silicone grease will create a buffer between the stem and the outer casing which will reduce rattle and plastic-on-plastic contact.

Place grease around each face of the stem (do this when inside the outer casing). Also apply grease to where the wire connects to the stabiliser housing or dip the wire ends in grease before re-assembling.

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Add heat shrink to the stabiliser wire (optional)

Cut 6mm length of 1.6mm diameter heatshrink and place down the end of the wire as pictured below. You can use a hairdryer or the heat emitting from the end of a soldering iron (by hovering the tip close) to shrink the plastic tubing.

This can help reduce the sound of the wire hitting surfaces.

Heatshrink used with testing: RS 113-2344

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Silencing the keycap itself (optional)

The keycaps which require stabilisers are bigger than keycaps which do not require them, this means there’s a lot more empty space which allows sound to bounce around more and amplify the sound which is produced by it. Foam can be cut and placed inside to reduce this space and further silence your keyboard.

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Video

Overview of modding a stabiliser to reduce sound.

Further guides

This great video by Nathan Kim shows how to lube, clip and further mod stabilisers to reduce sound: