r/HHKB

Saw a post about the key caps a couple weeks ago on here and immediately went to buy it. Only took about 8 days shipping from China to LA. The pro hybrid has been my daily for 5 years so it's nice to change it up a tiny bit

My current opinion is probably to pass on lubing unless you’re trying to silence some rattle on the spacebar. The cost and time for what you get out of it is probably the most marginal gains/side-grade thing I’ve done.

 

I recently got my first HHKB, a Professional Classic Type-S, after using a MacBook Air keyboard for years. Out of the box, I was very pleased with the feel. It is better than the Realforce boards I have owned, at least to me, and the layout took no time to get used to.

Not wanting to leave good enough alone, I decided to lube it. My spacebar had a small amount of rattle, and I figured I could improve it. I opened it up to lube it, and now I have some takeaways: several HHKB lube guides repeat the same advice without always explaining why, and the process is much more time-consuming than it needs to be. To be fair, most of them at least provide clear pictures or videos to follow.

First, most guides seem to recommend painting the thinnest possible coat of grease onto each side of the slider rails. I tried that, and it sucked. I then tried applying grease more freely and wiping away the excess. The second method was much faster and gave me more consistent results. I was surprised by how consistent it was, since that was one of my biggest concerns going into this.

Same deal with bag-lubing springs. If you enjoy separating and shaking a pile of tiny springs, go for it. Otherwise, wear gloves, put a small amount of oil on your thumb and forefinger, and pinch each spring as you go. It is faster and does the job.

 

What I found lubing the stabilizers

A heavier application of tacky grease can remove existing rattle. The sound change outside of that is a side-grade, but removing the rattle was welcomed and was the most significant change from stock.

For grease choice, I spent too much time reading data sheets and trying to understand the choices mentioned in the guides. I went with Krytox GPL 207 because I have used several Krytox GPL variants on O-rings, gaskets, and weather stripping for years without them becoming dry paste. 207 is the thickest, tackiest version of what I am already used to.

GPL 206 comes up frequently for stabilizers, and I do not really understand why. This honestly made me second-guess myself. I assume 206 is more available through keyboard vendors, because I do not see a performance reason to choose it over 207 for stabilizers. Most of my grease comes from McMaster, Zoro, and Grainger, so that may be part of why I see the options differently.

I think 205g0 would work well too. In retrospect, if I wanted a one-grease solution, I would probably use 205g0 all around. I’m in agreement with the guides that recommend one grease. Or just use Haynes silicone grease on the stabilizer and skip the sliders.

 

What I found lubing the sliders

This was the biggest letdown of the whole process. Based on how people talk about slider lubing, I expected it to change the board much more than it did. Maybe my HHKB is a unicorn in the QC department, but for me it was a side-grade.

I used 205g0, which I had to get from a specialist keyboard vendor. It worked well for removing the small amount of scratchiness my HHKB had; do not expect a dramatic transformation. I don't think I'll do this again.

It will not make the key press lighter. A correctly functioning slider should already fall under gravity in the rails. It also will not substantially dampen the key press unless you use a much heavier application, and that is where it goes wrong. Go heavy on the grease and Topre turns into mush or some weird linear sponge. I strongly dislike the feel of an over-lubed Topre slider.

The guides I used generally did not recommend lubing the Shift, Return, and spacebar sliders, but I did. I do not understand the advice to avoid them. They are still sliders. You are not going to match their feel to the other sliders anyway, because even stock, they feel different. Mine had similar results to the other sliders.

 

What I found lubing the springs

To be blunt, this was pretty worthless. I used GPL 105. I read some recommendations to lube the PCB, which I found funny. Skip this.

I am thinking is that a good time to rejoin 🤔 I have used hhkb bt for a year but finally exit because of the limitations.

I’m giving away my HHKB Professional Classic because the key layout isn’t configurable, and unfortunately I just can’t make proper use of it with my setup.

If you want it, tell me why you deserve to get it. Most convincing answer wins.

(Preferably european shipping but US would also work)

HHKB Hybrid Type-S 30th Anniversary

I’ve been working on this for awhile. Shared the keyboard a few months ago but finally found time to finish the companion trackball.

It’s based on the ploopy adept. It’s also Bluetooth and I might tweak the firmware so it pairs to whatever the keyboard is paired to. Buttons need a little more refinement but I’d say it’s 98% finished.

I've had this keyboard for about 5 years now and I just now noticed that the serial number is "F". There's supposed to be a string of numbers/letters after this. Is this an engineering sample?

Finally completed the family photo! Just picked up my HHKB Professional HYBRID Type-S (Sumi), and I couldn't resist lining it up next to the board that started the itch and the build that tried to mimic the layout along the way.

From top to bottom:

The OG Cousin: HHKB lite v1 - the non-EC ancestor. Definitely not your average membrane board—that snappy dome tactility was the exact gateway drug that made me want to buy the real deal. Yellowing nicely with age, but it paved the way for the obsession.

The Wannabe: DZ60 v2 - Custom MX build running a simulated HHKB layout (split backspace, split right shift, blocker vibe). Served me well as a gateway drug, but custom MX switches just aren't Topre.

The Boi: HHKB Professional HYBRID Type-S - The real end-game. Smooth 45g Topre silence straight out of the box, Bluetooth, and that classic layout in its truest form.

The difference in typing feel between the wannabe MX build and authentic Topre on the Hybrid Type-S is night and day. Safe to say the journey was worth it, but the Type-S isn't leaving my desk anytime soon.

Anyone else transition from custom MX HHKB clones back to authentic Topre? What was your gateway board?

I would like to introduce the HHKBs I own.
They are as follows, in order.
- 30th anniversary
- Hybrid type-s
- Hybrid snow white
- (30th...)
- Studio
- Classic

Thx

Wandering in Den Den Town in Osaka, I've looked into several second hand electronics stores. Plenty of Realforce for half of the price; and one had white HHKB priced only 130$ (tax-free).

Sorted out the firmware porting, and finished soldering assembling.

feels great under hand, and the terminal vibes are just great.

The case i quite tall to be ones, and tall non sculpted keys are something else, but I think I will swap them at some point to something a bit lower profile.