Article
How to Make Your Mechanical Keyboard Thocky
Ismar Hrnjicevic
- If you clicked on this article just to find out what thock means, I don’t blame you. The term gets thrown around a lot in the world of mechanical keyboards, sometimes even being used synonymously with “good.” Essentially, thock refers to the deep, muted sound a mechanical keyboard makes when you type. It’s the opposite of clacky and marbly keyboards, which produce more of a high-pitched, sharp sound, kind of like blue switches. You can think of it as a scale, with thocky on one end and clacky on the other. Most keyboards tend to fall somewhere in between. However, there are many nuances and additional terms that can describe a keyboard’s sound profile, such as creamy, hollow, poppy, pingy, and so on.
- One of the cheapest yet most effective ways to make any keyboard thock is to add damping materials to your keyboard. There are several types of foam you can use, each with its own densities and sound-absorbing properties. For instance, poron foam mutes more than PE and EVA, and each material affects different sound frequencies. Thickness also plays a role, as thicker foam can fill more of the keyboard and absorb more sound.
- Where you install the foam also matters. You can place it at the bottom of the keyboard case, on the back or top of the PCB, or, in the case of switch pads, between the PCB and each individual switch (for hot-swappable models). Polyfill at the bottom of the case is also a good option, as it’s easy to add or remove as needed. You can obtain polyfill by tearing open a teddy bear that you no longer love.
- Just keep in mind that adding too much material will make it harder to close the keyboard, so avoid overdoing it with foam, and never try to force it shut.
- Switch lubing is one of the most important upgrades you can do to instantly improve both the feel and thockiness of any mechanical keyboard. While you can lube switches manually using Krytox 205G0 and a switch opener, it’s a tedious process and hardly an option if your switches aren’t hot-swappable.
- The solution? Pre-lubed switches. Enthusiast-grade keyboards like the Keychron Q5 QMK come with pre-lubed switches, but you can easily upgrade the switches on any hot-swappable board to a factory-lubed variant, such as the GATERON Milky Yellow Pro. There are lots of great pre-lubed switches on the market, so have fun exploring! Lubing your keyboard stabilizers can also improve the sound and feel of the larger keys.
- The Tempest tape mod, aka painter’s tape mod, has garnered a ton of popularity among keyboard enthusiasts for three key reasons: it’s cheap, easy, and effective. All you really need to do is add (usually blue) painter’s tape to the back of your PCB. This simple mod enhances the sound of your keyboard, making it lower in pitch (thocky) and poppy. You can try different types of tape and experiment with multiple layers to fine-tune the sound of your keyboard.
- To achieve maximum thock, you should look for taller, thicker keycaps. Thick keycaps have more mass, meaning they can produce a deeper sound when you bottom out the key.
- The Press ‘N Seal mod was invented by YouTuber Hipyo Tech. The mod involves sandwiching your PCB between two layers of Press ‘N Seal, so it’s only really viable for certain hot-swappable keyboards. It adds some thockiness and pop to your keyboard while potentially improving the feel slightly, as the switches will be locked in place by the Press ‘N Seal. Although the mod is dirt cheap, it requires a lot of care and patience to execute properly. If you don’t make holes in the Press ‘N Seal before installing the switches, you can easily end up with lots of bent pins and potentially a damaged PCB, especially when trying removing the switches after installation.