Noppoo's Almost 60%: "Nano75-s"

[Muirium]

Mech Greenhand posted a link to Noppoo's new entry to the 60% market. Original in Chinese, but via the poetic magic of machine translation:

Noppoo Nano75-s portable high-end mechanical keyboard

- 60% of the region minimalist keyboard, gaming operations to meet the narrow space dedicated office.
- Powerful programmable functions, with office (professional office), media (digital media) and pro (professional custom) third gear.
- Super compatibility, compatible with Microsoft, Apple, Andrews three systems, via toggle switch.
- Custom layer hardware save ROM, 75 keys can be independently programmed macros.
- The keyboard can not stop flashing firmware upgrade key combination can also be restored.
- No red mode can be switched six key no red and no red full key, USB rate of return can be 125hz, 500hz, 1000hz switching.
- Choose a variety of shaft Cherry switches, Noppoo switch, Golden Cross contact technology, one-touch life more than 20 million times.
- Walking Sijia shell mold, hot runner design, 5 to buckle down a trough, apple mouth insert key line separating positive and negative.
- Using high-end materials gray and white PBT keycaps, enhanced wear resistance, slowing keycaps Dayou.
- Made of aluminum-magnesium alloy plate supporting surface, no electrochemical treatment, no smell, no rust, no pollution.
- Human damage enjoy worry-free one year warranty.

Not quite sure what to make of the "aluminum-magnesium alloy plate supporting surface". Metal case or just the plate? Anyway, grey and white PBT caps sound good. The pictures, though:

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(Mirrored, as they're painfully slow to load directly.)

Can't say I like the look of those legends at all. And the function row is superfluous to a true 60% But Noppoo means business. And the more choice for 60%s the better. Not everyone can afford an HHKB to see if they like the form factor, but this should be much more affordable than even the Poker II, knowing Noppoo.

[scottc]

Wow, excellent. They look like great keyboards, vile legends aside. The layout is almost right: they just need to pinch that shift a teeeensy bit and squeeze a little fn in there.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Nurse! Eye bleach, stat!

[Muirium]

Yeah, those legends are apocalyptically good! But the colour scheme is nice, and I agree with Scott about the layout. It's a better arranged function row than most. Just needs HHKB Shift and Fn. Like every damn keyboard in existence!

[Hypersphere]

Shaft Cherry. The wonders of modern translation algorithms.

It's comical to see various keyboard manufacturers struggling with the lower right corner problem.

Close but no cigar prize goes to Apple for their current layout on their laptops and wireless keyboards and to Matias for the Mini keyboards.

For my money, only PFU / Prof. Wada got it right with the HHKB Pro 2.

[andrewjoy]

i love the colour scheme and the layout but the legends are terrible

[Muirium]

The original HHKB has the same layout as the Pro 2. And it is, of course, just two subtle alterations from Apple's original 1984 Macintosh keyboard. Short right Shift and split Backspace. Done!

Apple's current layout (which first appeared on the 2001 PowerBook G4, I think) is better for the mainstream users they must hear in mind. (Many people even here on Deskthority don't like navigating with a layer on a 60%) But being a membrane board, they can cheat with small caps wherever they like.

[Hypersphere]

It is possible to "cheat" with mechanical switches, too. I have a SIIG Minitouch with blue Monterey switches, and the F-keys are reduced-height versions of their full-size counterparts.

[Muirium]

True. Me too. But I don't think they could quite cram into the same 3u x 1u dimensions as Apple's arrow cluster beneath right shift. I might be wrong, though.

Now try doing that with switches still in manufacture like MX, Matias or Topre…

[Hypersphere]

True. Me too. But I don't think they could quite cram into the same 3u x 1u dimensions as Apple's arrow cluster beneath right shift. I might be wrong, though.

Now try doing that with switches still in manufacture like MX, Matias or Topre…

Let's draw up the blueprints and send them to Matt3o.

[davkol]

derp

[davkol]

derp

[andrewjoy]

small keyboards without arrow keys but with the rest of the layout standard ( ansi right shift) including function keys

decent PBT thick caps with dyesub lettering

someone needs to get this right

basically what i want is a TKL filco without the arrow keys

[CeeSA]

The caps sizes looks standard size with a 6 unit spacebar. Thats nice.

[chzel]

It seems the spacebar is 6.25u, not 6???

[Muirium]

I think he meant 6.25. It's basically a Poker plus a function row and two extra keys. Which means it should dress up quite nicely, if the case is any good. And the switches…

Microsoft, Apple, Andrews three systems

wat.

Maybe Andrew and Linus sound alike in Chinese!

[Findecanor]

When I read 'Almost 60%: "Nano72-s"', I was hoping for something with five rows, cursor keys and a nav column - not the other way around.

Maybe Andrew and Linus sound alike in Chinese!

Andrew File System running on Linux and Unix systems?

[andrewjoy]

Yay there is a file-system named after me ! Microsoft named there flash ripoff after my old wow toon .


EDIT

taking of the best sub 60% layout i want this to be a thing

[vivalarevolución]

The only thing they could worse with that font is use Comic Sans.

[prava]

Oh god that is bad for my moneyz...

[zts]

Pros:
- nice size
- PBT (thick) keycaps
- more positive than negative on the layout
- very pleasant to type on mostly due to thick PBTs

Neutral:
- Noppoo or Noppoo-branded switches (browns inside -- they are OK but feel a bit more linear than Cherry MX browns)
- average-to-above average built

Negative:
- lettering/font choice
- USB (micro) cable somewhat flimsy
- maybe just my experience, but both Windows and Mac had significant delay in recognizing this keyboard

The gray (in the white-gray theme) is slightly lighter then in original factory pics; lettering is close to awful

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Features as printed on the box:

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Profile:

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Back features and keycap thickness:

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Noppoo-branded switches:

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[rsbseb]

I'm kind of okay with the font. Not my first, second or even third choice but it is a little bit interesting even if it's strange . It's the placement that's really bad. It looks like someone tipped the board up and all the letters slid out of place. I want to reach out and put them back where they belong before they fall all the way off! Then again maybe that would be best. I would get sick of looking at it by day two.

[zts]

I'm kind of okay with the font. Not my first, second or even third choice but it is a little bit interesting even if it's strange . It's the placement that's really bad. It looks like someone tipped the board up and all the letters slid out of place. I want to reach out and put them back where they belong before they fall all the way off! Then again maybe that would be best. I would get sick of looking at it by day two.

yes, it could pass, but the kerning job on the modifiers keys (Ctrl, Shift, Alt, etc.) is a way too tight to the point of eyes taking an effort to recognize the words on them ... and then the brain takes over and, of course, it's not Shipt or Shit but Shift

[Halvar]

Yes, even more so because that f with descender is dorky in itself.

[Spikebolt]

This board would be so pretty if they used a more standard font. At the first glance it's a beautiful board but the more I look at it, the less I like it.

Knockoff switches always concern me, not sure I want to jump on that ship

[Muirium]

I admire Noppoo's honesty. The Shift keys really are Shit. But they missed the Crap on Caps Lock.

That font! It's like I picked it for them to show my love for their shameless Topre ripoff cap sense boards. Next time I'm telling them Go Papyrus!

Nice to hear it's a fairly well built board, though. Being bog standard 60% layout MX there's a load of options for caps. Strip those nasties straight off it and there is hope. Well, but for the clone switches and that plumb stupid Delete key. Upside: use two novelty caps on this board for symmetry!

[Spikebolt]

Such a sad story, though. Thick PBT keycaps with very good colors ruined by the font face. Damn.

[Halvar]

Look at the modifiers in the drawing on the cardboard box though!

[noobie94]

If anyone is interested I got this keyboard, like new (less than 5 minutes used) After I got my HHKB2 I just did not like this anymore so it went straight back to its box. I am kind of lazy with the selling so pm me. I will let it go pretty cheap. (real cherry mx red switches)

[Spikebolt]

I got this keyboard from Noobie for a friend of mine who wanted a 60% without compromising the F-Row. If you any questions just shoot.

For some reason I wasn't able to make it work with my iMac (2009) at work, it just lit up a red light under the Esc key. The same thing happened when I connected it to my USB hub at home. However when connected directly to a USB2 or USB3 port it work perfectly out of the box (no drivers required) without any red light. It also worked perfectly on my macbook pro (2011). While this isn't the worst thing in the world it does concern me a tad bit.

The board feels very solid, though, no creeking or anything. It can apparently be connected to IOS and Android devices and simulate gestures which is a bit odd. They keys are thick PBT but I don't particularly enjoy it's texture or profile. They feel a bit too low for me. The switches are genuine cherry MX red (contrary to my initial belief) and they feel very good.

It got it for an extremely good price and I feel the board has a very solid build quality quality, a nice a sturdy feel and way more features than I could.

Since I bought this for a friend I'm not gonna have a lot of time to review it but as far as under 80 euro boards this is probably the best you'll ever get.