NMB

From Deskthority wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

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.[1] 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.[2] At the time Hi-Tek just developed the Hi-Tek Series 725, better known as "Space Invaders";[3] these keyboards had just come to market at the point of the acquisition.[4] 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.[4]

Early Series 725 keyboards cite only Hi-Tek Corporation, of Garden Grove California on the rear label.[5][6] Later keyboards cite NMB Technologies Inc Hi Tek Keyboard Division', of Chatsworth, CA.[7] 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.[8] A 1988 newspaper article refers to NMB Hi-Tek as part of NMB Technologies, with the parent company located in Chatsworth, CA.[9]

NMB keyboards were produced in Thailand. Minebea established a manufacturing division, NMB Thai, Ltd. in Thailand in 1980.[1] 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.[10] 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

Switches

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Minebea — History
  2. US Department of Commerce — Foreign Direct Investment in the United States 1983
  3. Deskthority — Hi-Tek Corp. History
  4. 4.0 4.1 Telephone conversation with D'Milo Hallerberg, 2015-08-03
  5. kaineko2 — NMB AQ659ZAT
  6. ちゃたりたいね — RT-101+ AQ659ZRT-101A ピーチ軸
  7. Deskthority — NMB RT101+
  8. geekhack — Weird keyboard is here.
  9. Los Angeles Times — Electronics Giant Forms Subsidiary in Chatsworth
  10. Minebea — Announcement regarding Liquidation of Subsidiary