Achieving an exceptional electrocapacitive keyboard experience is possible with the Bauer Lite and a DynaCap kit.
While more luxurious EC keyboards exist, such as the Norbauer Seneca for $3,600, which requires no self-assembly, or options like the Happy Hacking Keyboard or Realforce for under $300 with genuine Topre switches and decent remapping capabilities, another path offers a unique blend of features.
For approximately $250, plus keycaps and a few hours of assembly, a Bauer Lite can be customized in numerous color combinations. By integrating DynaCap components, this mechanical keyboard transforms into a fully remappable electrocapacitive keyboard that emulates the feel of Topre while retaining compatibility with a vast array of aftermarket MX keycaps. This offers a compelling alternative for keyboard enthusiasts.
The Omnitype Bauer Lite (Design Lab Edition) is a 65 percent gasket-mounted wired mechanical keyboard kit. Its Design Lab allows for customization of top, bottom, switchplate, and accent colors, plate materials, and offers both mechanical or electrocapacitive PCBs. Switches, stabilizers, and keycaps are sold separately.
The DynaCap kit provides parts to convert a mechanical keyboard into an electrocapacitive one. A 60/65% bundle with a 7u space bar is suitable for a Bauer Lite configured with a Dynacap plate and EC65X PCB. Alternatively, the DynaPak, which includes the plate and PCB, can be used for converting an existing keyboard.
DynaCap is a third-party system from Clever Keebs, offering Topre-compatible parts. This system simplifies the creation of new electrocapacitive keyboards, the conversion of existing mechanical keyboards to EC, or the modification of Topre boards to accept standard keycaps. The complete DynaCap stack includes sliders, housings, stabilizers, domes, springs, silencing rings, and plate gaskets (the latter only for Topre board conversions). With a compatible PCB and switch plate, any mechanical keyboard can become an electrocapacitive one that supports MX keycaps.
Addressing a Niche Keyboard Challenge
Topre keyboards are highly regarded for their electrocapacitive switches, which deliver a distinctive, top-heavy tactile bump not found elsewhere. However, only a limited number of Topre keyboards are currently produced, available in just four layouts: full-size, TKL, a new nonstandard 75 percent board, and the Happy Hacking Keyboard. Furthermore, most Topre boards, with the exception of a few Realforce gaming models, lack compatibility with the MX mount style prevalent in nearly all aftermarket keycap sets. This presents a significant challenge for a dedicated segment of keyboard enthusiasts, leading to various attempts at solutions.
Simply swapping Topre sliders for MX sliders is not a viable solution. MX-compatible keycaps are designed to fit over Cherry-MX-style housings. Using MX sliders on Topre housings can cause certain keycap profiles on specific rows to collide with the housings during keypresses. Both Ryan Norbauer and Clever have addressed this by redesigning their switch housings. Norbauer’s designs are significantly different and incompatible with standard Topre switchplates, but these are exclusively available on Norbauer boards, which come at a premium price.
In contrast, DynaCap parts are sold individually and are designed for interoperability with Topre components. DynaCap sliders fit into Topre housings, and DynaCap domes and springs are compatible with Topre boards. For users looking to enable MX keycap compatibility on a Topre board, only the sliders, optional silencing rings, housing gaskets, and housings (if converting a board without an integrated switchplate) are required.
Assembly Process
The full DynaCap system unlocks its true potential. When combined with a PCB and switchplate, DynaCap can transform a keyboard originally designed for MX switches into one that closely resembles a Topre board, and in some aspects, offers improvements. DynaCap is collaborating with keyboard vendors to offer DynaPaks – comprehensive kits for keyboard conversion – and several upcoming keyboard group buys will feature DynaCap options.
The DynaCap system is developed by Clever Keebs and is manufactured and distributed through Omnitype. One of the initial DynaPaks available is for Omnitype’s Bauer Lite keyboard. The Bauer Lite is a 65 percent keyboard kit known for its translucent color options and a layout that integrates features from the Happy Hacking Keyboard and the Leopold FC660C, including split backspace and arrow keys. With DynaCap, this keyboard can now offer a similar tactile experience to those Topre keyboards.
For those without an existing Bauer Lite, a customized version with a DynaCap plate and PCB can be configured in the design lab, starting from $135.99, depending on selected options. The 60/65% DynaCap bundle, priced at $121.50, provides the remaining necessary parts (ensure the 7u stabilizer wire option is chosen). Owners of an existing Bauer Lite can purchase a full conversion kit, including the plate and PCB, for just under $200.
The conversion of a Bauer Lite to DynaCap, while straightforward, involves a degree of meticulousness. The process begins by unscrewing the four screws on the bottom housing, removing the top housing, and disconnecting the JST cable. This allows the entire plate, PCB, switch, and keycap assembly to be removed as a single unit.
The subsequent steps involve snapping the switch housings into the DynaCap plate, adding silencing rings to each slider, lubricating the slider rails on each housing with a suitable lubricant, and applying a thicker lubricant to the stabilizer wire housings and clips. The sliders are then dropped into the housings, followed by laying the domes onto the sliders. Springs are prepared by shaking them in a bag with a few drops of oil (this step can be skipped with gold-coated springs), then carefully placed one by one into the undersides of the domes. The PCB is then precisely positioned over the entire assembly and secured with numerous screws to ensure uniform pressure. Finally, the assembly is inverted into the top housing, the daughterboard cable is reattached, the bottom housing is secured, and the four screws are replaced. The last steps include installing keycaps, connecting the keyboard to a computer, opening Via, calibrating each switch by bottoming it out, applying a preferred key map, and adjusting the RGB underlighting.
For individuals new to keyboard building, the extensive process might seem daunting. While it requires more effort than typical mechanical keyboard builds, which often only involve lubricating stabilizers, the difference in effort is not substantial. Lubricating electrocapacitive switch sliders is generally simpler than opening mechanical switches.
The motivation behind this endeavor stems from years of experience with mechanical keyboards since 2009 and electrocapacitive Topre keyboards since 2017. This journey has involved seeking switches that could replicate the Topre feel in mechanical boards and acquiring third-party controllers to make Topre boards as remappable as mechanical ones.
DynaCap offers a distinct experience from genuine Topre. The medium-weight DynaCap domes in a Bauer Lite feel slightly lighter than the 45g Topre domes found in a new HHKB review unit and noticeably lighter than older domes in a Leopold board. While a direct comparison to a Norbauer Seneca is not possible, DynaCap successfully brings the tactile satisfaction of electrocapacitive switches to a favored non-Topre keyboard, fulfilling a specific preference.
