deskthority

I ended up taking photos of the processes and figured it might help someone. Hope it helps!


Step 1 - Acquire the materials



Hypersphere rings can usually be found on ebay but are currently (March 19th, 2016) out of stock. Look up for Hypersphere2016 seller on ebay.

I used a Novatouch in this guide but this is pretty much the same in all topre boards.


Step 2 - Remove screws



Even that nasty one under the serial number.


Step 3 - Remove the case



Gently remove case. You might need to use a credit card or something similar to get it loose. Carefully remove the USB cable from the PCB while detaching the bottom part of the case


Step 4 - Flip it and unscrew



Flip the board and start unscrewing. Notice that the white arrows point to the black screws and the white circles have white/silver screws. It's important because the screws have different lengths


Step 5 - Flip it VERY CAREFULY



Please be extra careful in the next steps or you'll have springs flying around. Trust me, you don't want that. Carefully flip the board...


Step 6 - Remove the plate



Remove the plate very slowly. While you are doing it check if you are also pulling the domes (grey sheet). You don't want to pull the grey domes so you might need to push them towards the PCB. It's easy, just be patient.


Step 7 - Flip the plate again



Now that your plate is detached you can flip it and start the "fun" part


Step 8 - Remove the sliders



Removing the sliders is easy. You can do it with tweezers and just pull them right off.... Or you can be a caveman and do it with your fingers like me


Step 8 - Remove the sliders



There's no need to use force, handle them carefully


Step 9 - Apply rings



I think this one is actually backwards. Doh! One the sides of the ring is extra shiny, you want that one facing top.
This is very simple but it takes a while


Step 10 - Keys with stabilizers



They also come of very easily.


Step 10 - Keys with stabilizers



See? Easy!
You might want to take this opportunity to lube the stabilizers. Unfortunately I did not have any lube...


Step 11 - Repeat repeat repeat



The process should take like half an hour.


Step 12 - Reattach the place



Again, extra careful when doing this. You're gonna put the plate on top of the domes (grey sheet). Make sure they sit correctly. Check all sides to make sure the domes are inside the slider holes.


Step 13 - Carefully flip the board



Very carefully flip the board and start screwing the white screws. Don't screw all the way down, leave it a bit loose. After all the white screws are attached you can go test it out using the Switch Hitter software to make sure all keys still work fine.


Step 13 - Carefully flip the board



Very carefully flip the board and start screwing the white screws. Don't screw all the way down, leave it a bit loose. After all the white screws are attached you can go test it out using the Switch Hitter software to make sure all keys still work fine.


Step 14 - Screw all the screws



You can screw everything all the way down now.


Step 15 - Put the case back on



Almost there!!!


Step 16 (optional) - Put on some nice keycaps and a nice cable!



And you're done!



Please not that I'm in no way an expert, I just documented a process that works for me. I haven't had much time to fully review these rings so far I'm really impressed with the results. It makes the Novatouch feel like a real Topre now. Unfortunately the stabilized keys are still a bit too loud for my taste but maybe with some lube they'll be fine.

Extra resources

Here's a video of 002 disassembling a Realforce board: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3HhDMS-nNE
I found this video incredibly useful and includes troubshooting in case of spring chaos

I don't have a realforce, but nice guide! I never liked the loud upstroke on topre boards.

The one I used in this guide is actually a Novatouch and the difference is very significant. 002's video has the Realforce and it's a really great video.

The upstroke noise never really annoyed or bothered me in any Topre board except the Novatouch, really. It's just really obnoxious without the rings. I still feel like the modifiers are too loud, but maybe with lube they'll be fine.

Thanks for the guide, Spikebolt. I used it today for installing them in my HHKB. I had to use a flat-head screwdriver and a little bit of force to get my sliders out. I also might've installed a couple of rings upside-down... but I haven't noticed any side effects yet.

scottc wrote: Thanks for the guide, Spikebolt. I used it today for installing them in my HHKB. I had to use a flat-head screwdriver and a little bit of force to get my sliders out. I also might've installed a couple of rings upside-down... but I haven't noticed any side effects yet.

The shiny side of the ring is the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) layer. It is very thin, but super strong (difficult to cut with a knife), especially compared to urethane foam to which it is attached. I believe the shiny-side-up orientation is because that is the side that receives the main impact from the slider slamming into the housing on the upstroke. Possibly tens of millions of times over the lifespan of the switch.

If I remember correctly, I've put all my rings the other way around.

Thanks for the explanation, RexS! Maybe some day I'll check and reverse the backwards rings, but probably not any time soon unless I go back to lube the sliders.

Glad it helped you!

I'm not sure how DT feels about necro bumps, but here we are.

This was a really helpful guide! A couple of items, if anyone comes along and uses it. In the order of the process:

First off, there's 4 screws on the back of the case - two visible, one sneaky under the S/N, and another sneaky under a little sticker that says Do Not Remove. (Don't worry, you don't have to break the rules and remove it, you can just go directly through the sticker.) There are two more on the face of the plate after you get it open. These are obvious when you're opening it up, but when closing it up, they're easy to forget. I had a case of extra screws for a while there.

Next: The stabilized sliders are substantially narrower than the rest. I found it much easier to slip on the ring, and then invert the board to put it back in place, so the ring wouldn't slip off.

On the Novatouch, the "menu" key is a Fn, and doesn't register any keypress when testing. The Fn functions work just fine (Fn+F12 = vol up, for example), but if you're going through as the guide suggests and testing each key, you may be concerned, as I was.

And finally, for you Linux users, you don't need any special software to test the keys, this little command (or script) is a handy key tester.
IIRC, I pulled straight from the Arch Wiki, so it's not like I performed rocket surgery here.

Sigh. My first Topre. I don't want to stop typing.

Nice job on the " visual guide" still very helpful ..