Gateron Low Profile 3.0 announced｜Not fully compatible with Cherry MX

On April 20, 2024, NuPhy posted on Weibo about the zFrontier Keyboard Expo.

This image was posted on X by a keyboard volunteer and was very much discussed as “the new low-profile key switches are compatible with Cherry MX,” and this fact was finally revealed with the official release of the NOS75.

Unfortunately, Gateron Low Profile 3.0 is not compatible with existing Cherry MX boards.

Let us look at the reasons for this.

This article has actually been fully revised following the release of NOS75.

More about Gateron Low Profile 3.0

NuPhy announced its new low-profile key switch, Gateron Low Profile 3.0, in collaboration with Gateron on Weibo on April 17.

If you look at the footprint area, you will notice that the switch sockets are identical to those on the Cherry MX.

Further review of the posted photos shows that the Cherry MX keyswitches are on the same board as the low-profile switches.

This is the NOS75, which was released on July 11.

Thus, the adopted N1 nano keyswitch maintains a stroke width of 3.4 mm despite its low profile, providing a key feel comparable to that of the silver axis.

The material is composed of POM, which is self-lubricating, resulting in very smooth operation.

Major problems with Gateron Low Profile 3.0｜No compatibility with existing Cherry MX standard

Unfortunately, the Gateron Low Profile 3.0 is not compatible with existing Cherry MX boards.

The reason, The reason is that the central axis is thicker than the Cherry MX standard.

The stem is designed to fit into the center of the shaft, so it must have been thicker than the normal Cherry MX standard shaft.

According to Daihuku’s explanatory video, the thickness of the central leg of the Gateron Low Profile 3.0 is “about 4.42mm,” which is significantly thicker than the normal thickness of the shaft (about 3.8mm).

This will not fit into existing boards.

There is also a plate problem.

Due to the low profile of the Gateron Low Profile 3.0 switch, the height of the jaws that bite into the switch plate differs greatly when compared to a regular switch plate.

Therefore, even if the hole in the center leg is large enough to allow either key switch to be inserted, it is impossible to use a common switch plate.

The specification is that only one of the keyswitches can be used.

Furthermore, since the height of the stabilizer is naturally different, it is also necessary to obtain a dedicated stabilizer in order to design a new keyboard that supports both the Gateron Low Profile 3.0 and CherryMX standards.

Low Profile Footprint Type

Let’s look at the different types of keyswitches with reference to the keyswitch footprints published by SideraKB.

(Maybe Kailh Choc V2 / Lofree Shadow is a bit different; the footprint of the switch used for Lofree Edge has not been confirmed)

Wow, there are six that I can think of, and more if you add the Alps axis, the Topre axis, the Niz EC axis, etc. to the list.

Cherry MX compatible key switches are probably the most widely distributed in the world.

It is commonly referred to as a normal profile, and many manufacturers offer compatible key switches.

The problem is that the footprint of the “low profile key switch”, which is shorter than the normal Cherry MX standard, is not standardized = there are multiple footprints.

This is a particularly vexing area for designers, and I can imagine that coming up with footprints to accommodate multiple key switches is a very tedious task due to wiring convenience.

And now that a new Gateron Low Profile 3.0 footprint has been created, it is even more challenging.

Can’t we do something about this area for a minute….