NMB

This article is a stub. You can help Deskthority by expanding it.

NMB Technologies Corporation

Industry	Electronics
Founded	1968
Headquarters	Chatsworth, California, USA
Parent	Minebea Co., Ltd.
FCC grantee code	AQ6
Website	http://www.nmbtc.com/

NMB Technologies is a Chatsworth-based technology company. It is most famous for its Hi-Tek Series 725 keyboards (through its Hi-Tek acquisition) and IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad keyboards.

History

Nippon Miniature Bearing Corporation was established in Los Angeles, California in September 1968 as a subsidiary of Nippon Miniature Bearing Co., Ltd.<ref name="history"/> The parent company Nippon Miniature Bearing changed its name in October 1981, after a series of acquisitions, to Minebea Co., Ltd.

NMB Corporation of the US merged with NMB's later US subsidiary NMB Technologies, Inc. in July 1999 to form the present-day NMB Technologies Corporation.

Hi-Tek Corporation acquisition

NMB entered the keyboard market in 1983 when Nippon Miniature Bearing Co., Ltd. (now Minibea) purchased Hi-Tek Corporation and placed it under NMB.<ref name="US-DOC" /> At the time Hi-Tek just developed the Hi-Tek Series 725, better known as "Space Invaders";<ref name="DMilo-F" /> these keyboards had just come to market at the point of the acquisition.<ref name="DMilo-T" /> The earliest NMB Hi-Tek First Generation keyboards do not bear NMB branding on the PCB. The membrane system used with NMB dome with slider is also thought to have been under development at Hi-Tek prior to the acquisition.<ref name="DMilo-T" />

Early Series 725 keyboards cite only Hi-Tek Corporation, of Garden Grove California on the rear label.<ref name="kaineko2" /><ref name="rzwv" /> Later keyboards cite NMB Technologies Inc Hi Tek Keyboard Division', of Chatsworth, CA.<ref name="RT101" /> Keyboard PCB inscriptions suggest a separation between NMB and Hi-Tek Corporation by writing "NMB Hi-Tek Corporation" with the "NMB" logo enclosed in a separate box.<ref name="GH" /> A 1988 newspaper article refers to NMB Hi-Tek as part of NMB Technologies, with the parent company located in Chatsworth, CA.<ref name="LAT" />

NMB keyboards were produced in Thailand. Minebea established a manufacturing division, NMB Thai, Ltd. in Thailand in 1980.<ref name="history" /> Minebea's corporate history does not make any reference to the acquisition of Hi-Tek Corporation, nor do NMB themselves.

Leaving the keyboard market

On the 29th November 2013, Minebea stated their intention to liquidate their subsidiary Shanghai Shun Ding Technologies Ltd. with a planned date of 31st of March 2015; Shun Ding was their keyboard manufacturing subsidiary, and Minebea took the decision to exit the keyboard market.<ref name="Shun_Ding" /> The name of Shun Ding (as "Shunding") can be seen in the Korea Certification details on the rear label of the Dell RT7D50.

Products

Keyboards

• NMB keyboards

• Error creating thumbnail: File with dimensions greater than 12.5 MP
  One of the first keyboards made after the acquisition of Hi-Tek Corporation

Switches

• NMB switches

• Error creating thumbnail: File with dimensions greater than 12.5 MP
  Hi-Tek Series 725 switches from second-generation keyboards
• Error creating thumbnail: File with dimensions greater than 12.5 MP
  Switches from second-generation keyboards
• 
  Clicky Series 725 switches
• 
  NMB dome with slider switches in the NMB version of the AppleDesign Keyboard

External links

• Spirit of Baraka — Photograph of the NMB keyboard factory in Bang Pa-in, Thailand

References

<references> <ref name="DMilo-F">Deskthority — Hi-Tek Corp. History</ref> <ref name="DMilo-T">Telephone conversation with D'Milo Hallerberg, 2015-08-03</ref> <ref name="US-DOC">US Department of Commerce — Foreign Direct Investment in the United States 1983</ref> <ref name="Shun_Ding">Minebea — Announcement regarding Liquidation of Subsidiary</ref> <ref name="kaineko2">kaineko2 — NMB AQ659ZAT</ref> <ref name="rzwv">ちゃたりたいね — RT-101+ AQ659ZRT-101A ピーチ軸</ref> <ref name="RT101">Deskthority — NMB RT101+</ref> <ref name="GH">geekhack — Weird keyboard is here.</ref> <ref name="LAT">Los Angeles Times — Electronics Giant Forms Subsidiary in Chatsworth</ref> <ref name="history">Minebea — History</ref> </references>