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Gasket and Sound

Oct 13, 20238823 VIEWS

As cool as sweet colors and designer top cases might be, the long-lasting joy from your board is going to come from the way it feels and sounds. So, here’s a bit on the approach we took with CSTM.

Mounting / Acoustics / Feedback: The CSTM is gasket mounted to optimize for typing feedback, acoustics and ease of customization. Gasket mounting has been all the rage for a while and we’ve all seen different implementations, though not all are equal. In many ways, the drive for customization and options led us to offer a product that can be built out in many ways in order to find an individual’s optimal preferences when they are using their keyboard. Bouncy / Flex Due to the decentralized nature of the keyboard community, as new tech developments come, their names and degree of preference can run the gamut. Naming sometimes doesn't stick or definitions remain somewhat nebulous. For example, bouncy and flexy are often used interchangeably in the community but they actually describe two different things that can be customized to your preference. For our purposes, we define bounce as the ability for the plate + PCB assembly to move up and down in the case. Flex is the interaction of the plate + PCB assembly and how much give that assembly has. Sound How good a keyboard sounds has become a key criterion when users are making their selection. However, while the consensus towards what a “good” sounding keyboard is less nebulous than something like bounce and flex, there is still subjectiveness to it. In addition, trade-offs can happen between the sound and typing feel of a keyboard. For example, if a keyboard is stuffed to the gills, it will generally sound better. However, since all the space inside the keyboard is filled, the ability for the keyboard to bounce will be limited. Customization With all of the above in mind, the CSTM allows a user to fully customize their overall typing experience. By default the keyboard ships with a full array of foam which sits between the plate, underneath the switches, and of course covering the bottom of the PCBA. The CSTM also uses a silicone gasket pad. This piece works in conjunction with the gasket mounting system in the CSTM keyboard while also dampening keyboard acoustics by filling in the space inside the keyboard case.

For the gasket mounting system, we’ve made improvements on the SENSE75 by utilizing a silicone peg that slides onto the plate. We arrived at this solution in order to find a system that allows for quick swapping of plates without having to deal with sticker strips and to make sure everything gets aligned properly.

For those users that prefer a more bouncy keyboard, POM plates are great. For those that prefer something more rigid, the brass plate adds both rigidity and heft to your keyboard. For those that want something more bouncy, they can opt to take out the silicone dampening pad in the keyboard and only utilize the silicone gasket pegs. This will give the keyboard more space to move up and down. With all these options available, we are sure you’ll be able to find your perfect fit. What’s your favorite setup? What plate material + switch type combo do you swear by? Don't forget to hit "Request" to know when CSTM launches!

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Oct 17, 2023

What happened to OrthoLinear keyboards? They are not gathering any steam?

fresh1024

Keyboard Club Member

Oct 17, 2023

Please do a video showcasing the sound of the keyboard in various configurations (including foamless). Anyone can make a board sound good with tons of foam (nothing wrong with that - it's all preference) so the trend currently is to see what a board sounds like with nothing else in it as it showcases the "real" sound of a board. MODE has this down btw. Why don't you guys buy a couple of those boards - namely the Sonnet and Envoy and take notes.

(Edited)

YanboWu

8397

Collaborations

Oct 17, 2023

fresh1024Here you go, BadSeed Tech did sound tests with various foam configurations. I've linked to the foamless one but you can also checkout all the other configurations.

fresh1024

Keyboard Club Member

Oct 18, 2023

YanboWuPerfect, thank you!

Vote

elmur

131

Oct 17, 2023

guess nothing was learned from the sense 75

•

jsayler

Keyboard Club Member

Oct 16, 2023

Will the keycaps shown on this board be available separately? Like as a set with similar key sizes like in the DCX sets?

LukasM

1513

Studio Team

Oct 17, 2023

jsaylerYes, but not on launch day. We're working on making the keycaps available as a standalone product in a TKL kit for those buying barebones but want the stock keycaps, as well as a full base kit with wider coverage.

(Edited)

HarvestDay

115

Keyboard Club Member

Oct 16, 2023

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that despite the focus on customization, there will be a single, set ANSI layout with a 6.25u spacebar, and no other supported configurations from the plates or PCB.

K.Mak

117

Oct 17, 2023

HarvestDayAlways has been what kept me from buying a Drop board. I need my 1.5u Control and Alt! I don't recall what the original reason was for that design choice, maybe they thought Standard would reach the most people in terms of keycap compatibility but basically every keyset they sell covers the other layouts too.

Vote

jdehnert

Oct 16, 2023

Any chance a a full sized version? I prefer the 104 key layouts.

FatalityDiablo

Oct 16, 2023

will there be qwertz layouts too?

Vote

Qwervy

461

Oct 14, 2023

Wireless when?

•

th3doorMATT

Keyboard Club Member

Oct 14, 2023

The sound test is interesting, but in the video, there was nearly every details except...which plate was used. I'm assuming POM since it's a bit thockier and muted, but would love clarification :)

LukasM

1513

Studio Team

Oct 14, 2023

th3doorMATTThe stock configuration (fully-built & barebones) comes with a polycarbonate plate which is what was used in the video.

(Edited)

AtticusVulpes

125

Oct 13, 2023

Do a foamless sound test. I want to know what the board sounds like stock before I even consider it.

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PerSSS

Keyboard Club Member

Oct 14, 2023

I mean I always take out all the foams now even the keyboards have foam in it. Prefer clacky build now, foamy sound are so boring.

•

Diminished-Seventh

Oct 14, 2023

How would that be false advertising? They could just make a video showcasing the sound in multiple configurations so that customers can make a more informed decision on how the board would sound in the type of build they typically prefer or are used to.

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