From my experience, around 1.5cm of tape gives me a little bit more than 2 wraps. This fixes the ticking I get even with the inside of the stem filled with lube. Minimizing the number of wraps/ the thickness of the wrap makes the bottom out less mushy, but I think the minimal of two wraps for this mod is necessary in order to make sure the wraps stays on. After the first wrap you can really tighten the tape without getting it to go loose when putting force on it. I think this is better than the holee mod for a few reasons. The duration should be better base on MechTech's videos. It is easier to do than holee once you get the techniques down (for me i cut the tape first so it doesnt get attracted by anything to fold it up, press the wire on the tape to make it stick, wrap it with the thumb relatively loosely on the first wrap since it can fall out easily, then tighten it on the second wrap then its done). It can be thinner meaning less mushy compare to the holee mod. BUT with A GOOD SET OF WIRES like the ones from owlab, you DONT NEED the plumber's mod. If the wire is balanced to begin with, the ptfe tape is only going to make it mushy. This is the ideal situation.
I have contemplated on changing my stabs since the space bar and the backspace rattle bugs me... thanks to you and our tool box, it's now rattle free!!!!
So far Krytox 205g0 worked well. Took 7 months apparently before I needed to replace the tape but its more or less a 5 minute operation and stress-free Thanks again for sharing this with the world
I find a form of hilarity and comfort knowing that everyone that owns a cat is completely content with a lunatic of an animal in the background going "OWEROWOW!" at random and doesn't bat an eye
Nice, I got this tape to attempt a lube-less stabilizer months ago (not very successfully). Didn't think to try it instead of the holee mod. Definitely going to do this now on my next set of stabs. Thanks for this vid! By the way, to make the difference easier to tell, you can cut back and forth between the before/after sound tests.
@@MechKeyboards Having the content is a much more important priority, and this was great for me right now. I was worried I'd have nothing to do with this tape that's been in my drawer for months -- but I have so many stabs I felt like I needed to holee mod. This definitely looks easier to do (I hate tweezering those tiny bandaid strips), but I'm curious - have you noticed a difference in sound/performance vs the holee mod?
@@MarcoCarag no sound difference that I noticed when done properly; some wires only need two wraps, some require more. I did update the longevity and in my experience, this mod lasts, unlike the holee mod. ua-cam.com/users/shortsihlkO1sblYw
great idea - but this is teflon PTFE. Silcone tape would not give the sam results (Teflon is slippery and used on pipe threads, Silcon fuses to itself and is used for wrapping leaks for temp repairs)
This is kind of like the band aid wrap mod (same idea but with band aid/medical tape) maybe you should compare both of them to see which is more effective in reducing rattle
I've done that mod in the past and there is more of a chance of binding, compared to this method. But it would be a good video to do side by side, thanks for the idea.
If the stabilizer is not moving properly, you need to ensure there are not too many wraps, it is properly lubricated, the wire is balanced, the key is not warped, and that the switch is "strong" enough to lift the key.
When I put the tape around the wire, even with just 2-3 wraps, I find it a little hard to fit back into the housing, even though this does get rid of the rattle. Could it just be the type of stabs I have? These are the stock stabs which came with my Keychron Q4. I had to force it back in there just a little bit, it wasn't bad but not sure if this is normal?
@@MechKeyboards No I was just doing it weird, with one certain stabilizer even with 2 wraps, when I put it back in the housing the plumbers tape kept getting scraped down the sides. After around eight attempts I was finally able to fix it. Thanks for a great video!
@@mininovak97 how did you solve this issue, I just can't get it to work because of this. one layer it unravels easily but two layers is too thick to go in
Good day. I just wanted to ask, would you use 205g0 for the wires? Or is Dielectric Grease still preferred? I'm assuming you would use 205g0 for the housings
Hi, I have installed Durock V2 stabs in Womier K66 with Gazzew Boba U4 silent tactiles. I placed band-aid under stabs and housings became very secure. Unfortunately, after lubing I received a pretty nice result but with rattle between stem and wire. Should i use plumbers tape? Or that’s just how Durocks work?
First I'd make sure that the wire is balanced, if there is still an issue, I'd give the plumber's tape a try. Any stabilizers can have issues, this mod fixes many.
@@MechKeyboards thanks! I’ve asked you becasue I watched almost every video on YT and read almost every Reddit article about mods. However, only you suggest a plumbers tape mode, will give it a try) P.S. Holee mode didnt work for me, stabs were too sticky and couldnt event come back after pressing the button.
@@MechKeyboards The results are just amazing, did 4 layers and rattle is gone. Looks like its just a combination of Womier k66 and Durocks V2 doesnt work with Holee mod. So the Plumbers tape was a solution)
@@ChiefBrianIrons too much lube will make the stabilizer lag, it's really only required from the elbow on down, where the wire makes contact with the housing, with a light but as even as possible covering.
Though it is called tape, it is more like a film, attach some while holding and keeping straight while rolling the wire, it will begin to adhere via static cling.
Are you stabilizers loose? Are you able to grab the part attached to the plate and wiggle the stabilizer housing? If so, adding a small piece of band aid on the non-notched part of the plate where the stabilizers clip into the plate should eliminate that rattle. Though, yes, lube is necessary. Good luck!
Any type of tape work with this Mod? Or it must be the plumbers tape? Another doubt is: The plumber tape doesnt have a good adhesive glue to fix it in place, will it stay fixed for a good amount of time on the stabs? Has anyone experienced any problem because of that?
Yes, it must be plumber's tape which actually does not have any adhesive, it remains attached to the wire with static electricity and compression. It has stood the test of time for me; a keyboard that is used every weekday hit 1 year of use with the Plumber's mod in March. Still smooth and tape is the same as it was when installed.
As much as I do not like Keychron, I've yet to see a mechanical keyboard that comes with glued stabilizers, especially a Keychron. They have a few boards that have screw in PCB stabs, but stabilizers are never glued to a plate or PCB.
From my experience, around 1.5cm of tape gives me a little bit more than 2 wraps. This fixes the ticking I get even with the inside of the stem filled with lube. Minimizing the number of wraps/ the thickness of the wrap makes the bottom out less mushy, but I think the minimal of two wraps for this mod is necessary in order to make sure the wraps stays on. After the first wrap you can really tighten the tape without getting it to go loose when putting force on it.
I think this is better than the holee mod for a few reasons. The duration should be better base on MechTech's videos. It is easier to do than holee once you get the techniques down (for me i cut the tape first so it doesnt get attracted by anything to fold it up, press the wire on the tape to make it stick, wrap it with the thumb relatively loosely on the first wrap since it can fall out easily, then tighten it on the second wrap then its done). It can be thinner meaning less mushy compare to the holee mod.
BUT with A GOOD SET OF WIRES like the ones from owlab, you DONT NEED the plumber's mod. If the wire is balanced to begin with, the ptfe tape is only going to make it mushy. This is the ideal situation.
I have contemplated on changing my stabs since the space bar and the backspace rattle bugs me... thanks to you and our tool box, it's now rattle free!!!!
So far Krytox 205g0 worked well.
Took 7 months apparently before I needed to replace the tape but its more or less a 5 minute operation and stress-free
Thanks again for sharing this with the world
Glad to hear, cheers!
This is actually so good
I concur and am honestly surprised it's not a more used mod. Cheers!
Plumber's mod is good, works very well and although can be time consuming if you also decide to balance your wires it's worth for sure. Helps a ton!
I find a form of hilarity and comfort knowing that everyone that owns a cat is completely content with a lunatic of an animal in the background going "OWEROWOW!" at random and doesn't bat an eye
One gets used to their feline overlords. 😉
Nice, I got this tape to attempt a lube-less stabilizer months ago (not very successfully). Didn't think to try it instead of the holee mod. Definitely going to do this now on my next set of stabs. Thanks for this vid!
By the way, to make the difference easier to tell, you can cut back and forth between the before/after sound tests.
Thanks for watching and your feedback. Little by little I'm improving production quality.
@@MechKeyboards Having the content is a much more important priority, and this was great for me right now. I was worried I'd have nothing to do with this tape that's been in my drawer for months -- but I have so many stabs I felt like I needed to holee mod.
This definitely looks easier to do (I hate tweezering those tiny bandaid strips), but I'm curious - have you noticed a difference in sound/performance vs the holee mod?
@@MarcoCarag no sound difference that I noticed when done properly; some wires only need two wraps, some require more.
I did update the longevity and in my experience, this mod lasts, unlike the holee mod.
ua-cam.com/users/shortsihlkO1sblYw
great idea - but this is teflon PTFE. Silcone tape would not give the sam results
(Teflon is slippery and used on pipe threads, Silcon fuses to itself and is used for wrapping leaks for temp repairs)
You are correct, I misspoke.
This is kind of like the band aid wrap mod (same idea but with band aid/medical tape) maybe you should compare both of them to see which is more effective in reducing rattle
I've done that mod in the past and there is more of a chance of binding, compared to this method. But it would be a good video to do side by side, thanks for the idea.
I've acutually done this. It really works. When you do this it's more cheaper.
it doesnt go up
If the stabilizer is not moving properly, you need to ensure there are not too many wraps, it is properly lubricated, the wire is balanced, the key is not warped, and that the switch is "strong" enough to lift the key.
When I put the tape around the wire, even with just 2-3 wraps, I find it a little hard to fit back into the housing, even though this does get rid of the rattle. Could it just be the type of stabs I have? These are the stock stabs which came with my Keychron Q4. I had to force it back in there just a little bit, it wasn't bad but not sure if this is normal?
I've not come across wires that were that tight, do you still have issue if you only do one full wrap?
@@MechKeyboards No I was just doing it weird, with one certain stabilizer even with 2 wraps, when I put it back in the housing the plumbers tape kept getting scraped down the sides. After around eight attempts I was finally able to fix it. Thanks for a great video!
Awesome, glad you got it working@@mininovak97!
@@mininovak97 how did you solve this issue, I just can't get it to work because of this. one layer it unravels easily but two layers is too thick to go in
Is this only for the space bar or also enter / shift ?
For any key that uses stabilizers.
Hello, can you tell me what thickness of fum tape you have?
1/2 Inch.
@@MechKeyboards Thank you)
Good day. I just wanted to ask, would you use 205g0 for the wires? Or is Dielectric Grease still preferred? I'm assuming you would use 205g0 for the housings
I don't personally use Krytox, but it can't hurt to test.
Hi, I have installed Durock V2 stabs in Womier K66 with Gazzew Boba U4 silent tactiles. I placed band-aid under stabs and housings became very secure. Unfortunately, after lubing I received a pretty nice result but with rattle between stem and wire. Should i use plumbers tape? Or that’s just how Durocks work?
First I'd make sure that the wire is balanced, if there is still an issue, I'd give the plumber's tape a try. Any stabilizers can have issues, this mod fixes many.
@@MechKeyboards thanks! I’ve asked you becasue I watched almost every video on YT and read almost every Reddit article about mods. However, only you suggest a plumbers tape mode, will give it a try)
P.S. Holee mode didnt work for me, stabs were too sticky and couldnt event come back after pressing the button.
@@rockeredbunny I'm honestly not sure why it's not more popular I dunno handful of people that use it.
@@MechKeyboards The results are just amazing, did 4 layers and rattle is gone. Looks like its just a combination of Womier k66 and Durocks V2 doesnt work with Holee mod. So the Plumbers tape was a solution)
@@rockeredbunny did you apply lube on top of the plumber's tape? Do you think that 3-4 layers of tape and dielectric grease is good or just the tape?
is grease/lube on the wires necessary when you've already taped it? i suspect it might increase the chance of it unraveling. could be wrong tho
They are better lubed and I've not experienced unraveling issues.
I would not use lube as it thins the material of the ptfe. Got proven by alot of people already
Curious does plumber tape unravel over time
I've not had that happen yet, but it may depend on how tight it's wound and the quality of the tape.
@@MechKeyboards do you fill the gap in the housing where wire resides with lube or just adding coating end of the wire with lube is enough.
@@ChiefBrianIrons too much lube will make the stabilizer lag, it's really only required from the elbow on down, where the wire makes contact with the housing, with a light but as even as possible covering.
which keycap profile is that?
OEM I do believe, it's been a while.
this is a good idea. will try this next time
Make sure to come back and share your results!
MUCH better than holee mod
i dont understand.. my tape is not sticky? did i buy the wrong thing?
Though it is called tape, it is more like a film, attach some while holding and keeping straight while rolling the wire, it will begin to adhere via static cling.
The ticking is gone but there is rattle, maybe because I didn't lube it, will update it
Are you stabilizers loose? Are you able to grab the part attached to the plate and wiggle the stabilizer housing? If so, adding a small piece of band aid on the non-notched part of the plate where the stabilizers clip into the plate should eliminate that rattle.
Though, yes, lube is necessary.
Good luck!
@@MechKeyboards ohh I see, I will try to do that while I dont have my lube
Any type of tape work with this Mod? Or it must be the plumbers tape? Another doubt is: The plumber tape doesnt have a good adhesive glue to fix it in place, will it stay fixed for a good amount of time on the stabs? Has anyone experienced any problem because of that?
Yes, it must be plumber's tape which actually does not have any adhesive, it remains attached to the wire with static electricity and compression. It has stood the test of time for me; a keyboard that is used every weekday hit 1 year of use with the Plumber's mod in March. Still smooth and tape is the same as it was when installed.
@@MechKeyboards Thank you very much for all the info! I just recieved my first custom keyboard and will try this mod! :)
@@lightzin enjoy and feel free to head over to budgetkeebs.com and share your build, cheers!
ty for this video!
My pleasure!
Can we substitute plumbers tape with masking tape 💀
No, it need to be silicone/PTFE tape.
7:29 MEEEEOOOOWWWW
On keychron and some other premade keyboards, the stabilizers are glued. No rattling at all, but will be harder to replace stabilizers.
As much as I do not like Keychron, I've yet to see a mechanical keyboard that comes with glued stabilizers, especially a Keychron. They have a few boards that have screw in PCB stabs, but stabilizers are never glued to a plate or PCB.