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Topre 45g Electrocapacitive

Tactile

The reference thock. Topre's 45g dome, the weight in the HHKB and standard Realforce, collapses with a pillowy snap at the top of travel and lands with the deep 'toc' that an entire hobby tries to imitate.

simulated from real specssound loads on first tap

Sound & feel

Topre is not a mechanical contact switch at all: a slider compresses a rubber dome over a conical coil spring, and a capacitive PCB senses the press without any physical contact. The dome supplies the entire force curve: a tactile swell that peaks at 45g near the top, then collapses into a soft, pillowy landing.

That 45g is the only force Topre publishes. Realforce and PFU both rate key pressure and key stroke and stop there, no bottom-out figure appears on any of their spec sheets, and the enthusiast force-curve rigs that cover MX switches have never had a public run on a 45g dome. The bottom-out row is blank here for that reason.

The 45g weight is the canonical one, shipped in the Happy Hacking Keyboard and standard Realforce boards. Its sound (that deep, dry 'toc') is arguably the most imitated keyboard sound in the world; when enthusiasts chase "thock", the HHKB is usually the reference recording in their heads.

You cannot buy Topre switches loose: they come as complete boards in the $200-330 range, with native Topre-stem keycaps (the HHKB Studio drops Topre entirely for MX-style mechanical switches, and the discontinued Cooler Master NovaTouch was the best-known Topre board with MX-compatible sliders). For many typists, one week on a 45g Topre board permanently recalibrates what a keyboard should feel like.

Sound on this page is synthesized from the switch's published specs and community-documented character: an honest simulation, not a recording. We're progressively replacing simulations with our own studio recordings. How our sounds are made

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Frequently asked questions

What does the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive sound like?

the iconic HHKB thock: deep 'toc' with a pillowy landing. Use the player on this page to hear simulated press and release sounds derived from its real specifications.

Is the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive good for gaming or typing?

Its tactile bump gives clear feedback on every actuation, which most people love for typing. It works for gaming too, though some prefer linears for rapid double-taps.

How heavy is the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive?

45g actuation. Note that Topre officially rates actuation force. Brands differ, so check the basis when comparing switches.