Plum Nano75 Electrastatic Capacitive Bluetooth RGB Keyboard

[wobbled]

Does anyone know if plums will take genuine topre domes? I have bke domes on order for my 3 hhkbs so I was gonna swap my old 45g domes into my plum / noppoo 108

[blueredcat]

Has anyone here used a Romer-G or cherry brown based keyboard and this one?

I am contemplating the g613 (great batterylife, palmrest, subtle, dark), the keywalker (terrible batt. life but cherry brown), or this (ok batt. life., no palm rest. Uncertain about the keyfeel.)

[shreebles]

Romer-G might be an okay switch, but on all variations I've tried it was always terribly implemented. Wobbly and cheap plates or even no plates at all seem to be Logitech's thing. Don't believe the hype, they build good mice but not good keyboards in my opinion.

The keywalker, while it has an OK layout, comes with a shoddy design, if you are referring to the one currently on massdrop. Who the hell came up with this keycap design? Barely readable.

The Nano75 comes with PBT keycaps, with a much more reasonable design. And since it's a standard layout you can easily swap in an aftermarket keyset.

It really comes down to whether you can live with the lack of arrow keys on the Nano75.

(If you were to ask me, there are really only two good options in that price range for mechanical bluetooth keyboards.
The Anne Pro and the Noppoo. Get the Anne Pro if you prefer an MX-Style switch. Neither have arrow keys.)

[scottc]

I tried Romer-G in a shop, it was really not great. I really don't like Cherry MX browns, especially brand-new ones that haven't had a chance to be worn in yet, but to me the Romer-Gs were worse. I'd prefer to use a well-built dome-over-membrane board than a Romer-G board.

[blueredcat]

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I'm now deciding between the anne pro (30 day battery life, browns) and the plum nano BT (7 day battery life, probably better typing experience).

[shreebles]

Well, typing experience really comes down to your preference. The Anne Pro has the benefit of being lighter but the Nano75 isn't just heavier but feels quite substantial, and high quality. Anne Pro comes with a thin plastic case which cannot be changed as the holes do not match other 60% cases.

If you're going to use the bluetooth keyboard at home and/or prefer a Topre typing feel, get the Nano75.
If you're going to use the bluetooth keyboard mostly and the go and/or prefer a Cherry MX style switch, get the Anne Pro.

The inherent security issues of Bluetooth apply to either so it's not recommended to use the wireless modes for sensitive data. The Nano75 can be used as a wired keyboard, and has a sufficiently long and flexible cable for this. I'm not sure if the same is true for the Anne Pro.

Lastly, neither keyboard is silent, which might be another factor. The Nano75 is similar to a silenced Topre switch, but by no means silent, it doesn't clack but it's quite loud due to the large and hollow base.

PS: Battery life absolutely comes down to how much you use it and either value (7 vs. 30 days) should be taken with a grain of salt (it could be complete marketing BS). I think that realistically, if you use your keyboard every day for many hours you're going to charge it every other day, or every three days. I would be surprised if the Anne Pro were any different to the Nano75 in that regard.

[Phenix]

Well, typing experience really comes down to your preference. The Anne Pro has the benefit of being lighter but the Nano75 isn't just heavier but feels quite substantial, and high quality. Anne Pro comes with a thin plastic case which cannot be changed as the holes do not match other 60% cases.

If you're going to use the bluetooth keyboard at home and/or prefer a Topre typing feel, get the Nano75.
If you're going to use the bluetooth keyboard mostly and the go and/or prefer a Cherry MX style switch, get the Anne Pro.

The inherent security issues of Bluetooth apply to either so it's not recommended to use the wireless modes for sensitive data. The Nano75 can be used as a wired keyboard, and has a sufficiently long and flexible cable for this. I'm not sure if the same is true for the Anne Pro.

Lastly, neither keyboard is silent, which might be another factor. The Nano75 is similar to a silenced Topre switch, but by no means silent, it doesn't clack but it's quite loud due to the large and hollow base.

PS: Battery life absolutely comes down to how much you use it and either value (7 vs. 30 days) should be taken with a grain of salt (it could be complete marketing BS). I think that realistically, if you use your keyboard every day for many hours you're going to charge it every other day, or every three days. I would be surprised if the Anne Pro were any different to the Nano75 in that regard.

You can use the Anne pro with a cord as well. I can’t say much about battery life eventough I own as I use mine rarely
(Turned out to be a tad to loud for usage in lessons - in fact I could sell it. White version, gat. Browns)
The Anne is well built to my understanding, and I can compare to model F battleships..

Security may be a Bluetooth issue but honestly I am more suspicious which of my usage data is getting used/analyzed: I don’t really fear a Bluetooth sniffer near me..

Topre vs. cherry is preference: note that the plum is more expensive than the Anne pro
(Iirc Anne $70 at most while Plum $110?)

[hexpyws]

Deleted - Wrong spot

[shreebles]

No thread for the wired only ones as far as I can tell, but I have a brand new black wired Nano 75 available in the marketplace.

for-sale-f55/brand-new-plum-nano75-wire ... 17785.html

This is the thread for the wired version of this keyboard: vendors-f52/black-plum-nano75-45g-capac ... 17079.html

Phenix: You make some good points, but I didn't want to go out praising the Anne Pro any further since we are in the Nano75 thread.
I'm sure the Anne Pro is solid but have you tried the Plum keyboards? They are really solid and have a thick case.
All 60% keyboards I own or owned were more flimsy than this.

Lastly, if you use the Anne pro with a cable it's just a cabled 60% keyboard, of which there are better options out there (NerD60). The Nano75 is still unique even with a cable (electrostatic capacitive, standard layout, backlight, MX compatibility).

[Phenix]

@Fabio

Am I sounding like a add?
Sure, there are better 60% mx - but they are more expensive.
The cheapest alternative I now of is the gh60/clones of it: pcb, plastic case, plate, switches keycaps are $60 worth at least, rather more: downsie: no rgb, no Bluetooth. Upside: programmable.

I did not tested the plum myself, so I won’t say much about it: Features appear to be quite nice.
Is it upgradable? For sure. Up to ones liking. and budget.

The ANNE is programmable btw as well: its similar to bootmapperclient, allows to swap keys and define layers.

I for myself love QMK - which neither plum or Anne offers.

TL;DR
Plum is a option for Topre lovers: if they consider Plum Topre and not just capacitive rubber (speaking of the feel)
AnnePro is a cheap mx option as a bundle: if it had QMK it would be superior. Keycaps are PBT and look mmkkaayyy to me: they are bundled.
Alternatives are there for sure: at quite some fancy prices.

Edit:
Indeed it’s the nano75 thread but like mentioned MX vs Topre.
If you want to compare plum vs hhkb let me know, I finally took my chance and ordered a hasu hhkb.. hunting down a sticker right now.

[zslane]

The Plums are fully programmable, though there is only one programmable "layer".

One thing I like about the Plum cases is that they are all wraparound in style. No floating keycaps nonsense here.

I do wish the plate had a soft top surface so that my SA keycaps wouldn't clack so loudly on the downstroke, especially on the stabilized keys, but I've been able to add some felt where necessary to help with that.

[ms264556]

It looks like I'm running into a problem with the new bluetooth+usb keyboard (non-backlit) and possibly stroke changeover. Some keys are working fine, then there are some that only register every 2nd or 3rd keystroke(p, [, ...), and some keys don't register at all (\, BackSpace, +, ...). I've installed the new firmware 3 weeks ago or so, but that only helped matters for a bit, and the faulty behavior started showing again after half an hour or so.

It seems to be somewhat better when using Windows (at least on Windows when I click Fn+F9 I seem to be able to sort of 'reset' the keyboard and the faulty keys work again for a bit), but I usually don't have a Windows machine available most of the time. Although, maybe I'm interpreting this wrong and it's not Windows that makes things better but something else.

Anybody else got similar problems?

Hi, yes, FN+F9 is the changeover of two different stroke distance for the keys. Did you buy from my shop ? And which firmware version do you use ?
If the situation still does not help much, we can contact plum for further support, like offering the PCB assembly unit to changeover or other solutions. Please PM me if you need support.

I have exactly the same problem. Do you have a newer firmware than the one you sent me when I bought the keyboard?

Sent from my LG-D838 using Tapatalk

[nimblekimble]

Hi, yes, FN+F9 is the changeover of two different stroke distance for the keys. Did you buy from my shop ? And which firmware version do you use ?
If the situation still does not help much, we can contact plum for further support, like offering the PCB assembly unit to changeover or other solutions. Please PM me if you need support.

Hi there, no, I don't think I ordered from your shop. I'm using firmware v1.0.5. That's the latest, right?

Thanks!

[mikehotel]

Having a problem with this board where it registers single key presses as double presses. Is there a firmware fix for this?
Edit: all good - best board I ever typed on

[mech greenhand]

Hi, not been here for a while.

For those who have issues with the plum keyboard, could you PM me with the model name and your order number if it is from my shop on aliexpress ? So that i can better match the correct buyer and model.

Thanks

[mech greenhand]

Hi, yes, FN+F9 is the changeover of two different stroke distance for the keys. Did you buy from my shop ? And which firmware version do you use ?
If the situation still does not help much, we can contact plum for further support, like offering the PCB assembly unit to changeover or other solutions. Please PM me if you need support.

Hi there, no, I don't think I ordered from your shop. I'm using firmware v1.0.5. That's the latest, right?

Thanks!

Hello, you can contact directly with the seller that you purchased from. No worries. Plum is very strong in offering after sale supports. Firmware may not help, pls contact the seller to replace or resend you a new PCB or other solutions

[Zombimuncha]

Really love this layout, but would miss having the arrows on the 'front' layer. It should have an option so that if you tap an arrow key it's an arrow (on upstroke) and if your chord it with another key its a mod. OK you lose the 'contextMenu' key but I don't care about that key.

Also very keen to hear about anybody putting BKE domes in one of these.

[mech greenhand]

As coming of the traditional China lunar new year festival, we are now offering a full 104 rainbow PBT keycaps as accessory for all plum capacitive keyboards purchased till February..

PM me if anyone is interested !!!

[ms264556]

I swapped in my replacement PCB and, fingers crossed, the keyboard seems much more reliable.
No keypress problems so far. As a bonus, the new PCB works with BLE HID Proxies so I've been able to use it on my work laptop.
I was a bit worried that the replacement PCB came with a strip of surface mount resistors or diodes. I'm hoping these are spares rather than a sign that the replacement board hasn't been 'upgraded' and will start to exhibit the same problems.

The keyboard came with ~50 10g customizer springs. Is it possible to buy more so that I can kit out the entire keyboard?
Also, the white case plastic is an acquired taste (the plastic is slightly translucent, so that ABS keycaps make it look a little cheap). Is it possible to buy replacement case tops in black?

If anyone is buying one of these keyboards (and I recommend it, they feel lovely) with a view to replacing the keycaps with something in OEM profile, then take care: my OEM profile keycaps all have the 'peg' slightly shorter than the outside of the keycap, which stops them from seating properly. You need to make sure the peg comes nearly all the way down flush with the bottom of the cap, otherwise you can't push the key onto the slider properly, and keypresses don't register. Gmk, jtk, sa, maxkeys keycaps all seem to seat ok.

And the sliders have a fair amount more play than cherry mx switches, so if you're planning to put high profile keys on the keyboard then you should expect them move around a bit more if you jiggle them.

[mech greenhand]

Hi, the extra diodes are for your use on the first pcb. If you replace the diodes on the first PCB, it will work again, then you will have two working PCB... Sorry i forgot to mention this when i send you the new pcb...

[Flocc]

I received the keyboard. Feels great! But some switches are mounted higher and some lower which makes my keycaps aligned uneven. Is it fixable by myself? Haven't opened the keyboard yet. I have built cherry mx keyboard recently - i know how to use soldering iron and desoldering pump. Yeah i can align keycaps but it's not great solution, some keycaps might not sit tight. Is it possible to fix it?

edit: now i'm aware it can't be fixed. photo https://imgur.com/a/8tcrQ , sorry for potato quality but you can see pretty big differences in height, easily up to 1,5mm. there are at least 5 places on keyboard like this. does anyone have this problem?

[zslane]

Yeah, I've noticed this problem with all my Chinese Topre clones. It's just something one learns to live with. The undeniable truth is that only Topre delivers Topre build quality. Unfortunately, Topre doesn't always deliver the layouts I want, so I have to compromise occasionally.

[paradiseredux]

Really love this layout, but would miss having the arrows on the 'front' layer. It should have an option so that if you tap an arrow key it's an arrow (on upstroke) and if your chord it with another key its a mod. OK you lose the 'contextMenu' key but I don't care about that key.

Also very keen to hear about anybody putting BKE domes in one of these.

About two months late but I've just installed BKE Domes Redux Lights. Also added Mito's Canvas keycaps (have a couple of missing keys. waiting for the re-cap to arrive).



I was using two HHKBs at work (separate devices) and wanted to cut down on desk clutter. I'm running these in at the moment - but it's been very interesting so far. The BKEs have a lot of tactility, rebound quicker on the upstroke - but feel less gentle than my HHKBs.

Installation was a pain.
- The case wasn't held together by screws. Lots of bending of wrap-around plastic in order to get the board apart.
- The wire connecting the battery to the PCB is very fragile
- Scary amount of flex in PCB when screwed in (I forgot to take a photo but at this point, i wouldn't open up the case again just to take one)
- A lot of adjusting necessary with tightness of the PCB in order to get all the keys to work. I think this was down to flex - with the keys closest to the screws (windows key and backspace) not registering.
- Surprisingly the topre to cherry sliders felt very decent. Better than the JTKs.

Personally, I wouldn't get the Plum if it weren't for the BKEs. In stock, the keyboard was mushy, very different from Topre. As mentioned a few times in the thread, build quality is also not quite up to mark. There's a lot of flex in the PCB when screwed in. It was also not balanced and tended to wobble on the desk when typing (solved with a few additional rubber feet).

[Luna]

My Plum Nano 75 family:

Really nice!
I'll have mine equipped with a Honeywell set.

[Phenix]

Friend of mine has a nano75 with some keys not responding and responding multiple times.
Which are solutions for this ?

Can I replace the controller on the cheap?
Or could I buy a new PCB?

[mech greenhand]

Friend of mine has a nano75 with some keys not responding and responding multiple times.
Which are solutions for this ?

Can I replace the controller on the cheap?
Or could I buy a new PCB?

When did your friend buy it and which model ? Possible to take a photo of the label on back of the keyboard ?

In general , no need to buy a new PCB. Can be solved.

[Phenix]

will ask and report back.
how much is a pcb shipped international?

[mech greenhand]

Never sell a PCB before. Do not know the price of it.

[genii]

Hey,

I‘ve just received a used Plum Nano. Sadly the only key that seems to work is the “]” key. Can I do something on the software side or do I need a new pcb?

Thank you!

[mech greenhand]

Only one key works ? Is your keyboard in office mode or in program mode ? I suppose this is some how operation error.
If you need the manual ? Leave me an email. Also what is your exact model? Bluetooth or just wired?