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Author Topic: NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?  (Read 9418 times)

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Offline aegrotatio

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NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?
« on: Tue, 29 June 2010, 23:24:52 »
I have seen NMB keyboards here and there, plenty of HP and Dell OEM, but today they have gone away in favor of SK keyboards.

What was NMB and what was their big contribution to the keyboard manufacturing art?  Any NMB keyboards I ever encountered were rubber-dome OEM jobs, but did they have anything significantly unique?  

Thanks in advance.
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Yearning for: Any ALPS keyboard || Any tenkeyless mechanical keyboard
Permanent collection: Poker Blue and Brown || Adesso MKB-125B || SIIG MiniTouch Geek Hack Space Saver || Chicony 5181 Monterey Blue || Chicony 5191 Clone Cherry Blues || Key Tronic 3600 || Unicomp Endurapro & SmarTrex || A crate of IBM Model M and Model M Space Saving boards || NeXTstation Slab || Amiga 3000 || BTC-5100C black and beige || SIIG MiniTouch Plus black and beige
Retired collection: SIIG MiniTouch Monterey Blue || Razer BlackWidow

Offline spolia optima

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NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 29 June 2010, 23:42:08 »
they made the "hi-tek" switches, which many call "space invaders" due to their resemblance to the antagonists in said video game.



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keyboards!

Offline Oqsy

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NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?
« Reply #2 on: Wed, 30 June 2010, 00:58:22 »
I currently have 3 NMB boards...  they're a fun clicky board, but the switch internals are a nightmare.  

1.  if you have a switch that works, NEVER OPEN IT!  

2. it's FAR too easy to bend the click leaf (which is ALSO the contact (ouch) and end up with a non clicking non functioning switch)

3. bending them back into place is near impossible.

4. they click when engaged and click again when released, doubling your clicking fun for each key press.  

5.  They are also prone to binding, which is how I discovered #2 and #3 and why i mention #1.

I have plenty to build one board that's fully functional, but I haven't bothered yet because I don't even know what it would take to harvest and swap switches.  NMB switches are probably closest to clicky tactile ALPS or cherry blues in feel.  The boards themselves are more hefty than the typical cherry, but not quite an IBM M or Northgate.
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[sigpic]Currently in use: Rosewill RK9000 and CH DT225[/sigpic]
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Offline Hak Foo

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NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 30 June 2010, 01:18:45 »
Quote from: Oqsy;197838
I currently have 3 NMB boards...  they're a fun clicky board, but the switch internals are a nightmare.  

1.  if you have a switch that works, NEVER OPEN IT!  

2. it's FAR too easy to bend the click leaf (which is ALSO the contact (ouch) and end up with a non clicking non functioning switch)

3. bending them back into place is near impossible.

4. they click when engaged and click again when released, doubling your clicking fun for each key press.  

5.  They are also prone to binding, which is how I discovered #2 and #3 and why i mention #1.

I have plenty to build one board that's fully functional, but I haven't bothered yet because I don't even know what it would take to harvest and swap switches.  NMB switches are probably closest to clicky tactile ALPS or cherry blues in feel.  The boards themselves are more hefty than the typical cherry, but not quite an IBM M or Northgate.

I think the throw's a bit shorter than a Blue tho.  I have one, but I dislike the large L enter, and it feels like it bottoms out hard
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Overton130, Box Pale Blues.

Offline keyb_gr

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NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 30 June 2010, 03:13:41 »
Oh, and
6. Be very careful when removing keycaps. Apparently it's easy to damage the switches.

Other than that, NMB made some rather decent rubber domes back in the day.
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Offline aegrotatio

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 334
NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 30 June 2010, 15:00:41 »
While I've never seen a clicky NMB the rubber dome models were usually a pleasure to use.
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Daily Drivers: Ducky DK1087XM || DSI ASK-6600 || Rosewill RK-9000 BL, BR, BL, and RE || ABS M1 || Das Keyboard Silent || HHKB Lite and Lite 2 || DSI Big Font (kids love it)
Yearning for: Any ALPS keyboard || Any tenkeyless mechanical keyboard
Permanent collection: Poker Blue and Brown || Adesso MKB-125B || SIIG MiniTouch Geek Hack Space Saver || Chicony 5181 Monterey Blue || Chicony 5191 Clone Cherry Blues || Key Tronic 3600 || Unicomp Endurapro & SmarTrex || A crate of IBM Model M and Model M Space Saving boards || NeXTstation Slab || Amiga 3000 || BTC-5100C black and beige || SIIG MiniTouch Plus black and beige
Retired collection: SIIG MiniTouch Monterey Blue || Razer BlackWidow

Offline Oqsy

  • Posts: 861
NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 30 June 2010, 18:55:01 »
To those who have been down all paths BS, Cherry, ALPS, Monterey, SMK, or Topre, they offer a nice detour.  I could see myself using one as a daily keyboard without hesitation on a second or third pc, but these are a bit too quirky and unserviceable to be your workhorse board.  I've considered hiring out the solder work to get one going again, and then painting the case a dark grey and soaking the key caps in a pot of lavender RIT and offering it here to trade for an equally unique board.
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[sigpic]Currently in use: Rosewill RK9000 and CH DT225[/sigpic]
"Private misfortunes make for public welfare."

Offline bkaatz

  • Posts: 1
Re: NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?
« Reply #7 on: Wed, 27 April 2022, 21:31:15 »
Greetings,

I apologize for the "necro-post", but this is one subject that I have some unique experience in...

I was working at a software company as a Technical Project Manager for a linux-based POS system (Take that how you will...   ;) hehe) and one day, the Executive VP comes into my office saying "Our Director of Programming needs a new keyboard."  So, I quickly look at the latest shipment and find an IBM Selectric Touch M2 (? I think that was the model) with the metal backplate and sent that to the Director...  He sent it back in a week!!  Left shift key broken, space bar broken. 
I went back to the Executive VP and asked him what I could get the Director that he wouldn't destroy in a week!  "NMB" was the answer...  The only keyboard the ExecVP had ever seen survive the Director for any length of time, because the cherry-picker switches could withstand the pounding the Director would give it.

So, there WAS a time when NMB keyboards were one of those little tech secrets you learned about because NMB wouldn't advertise.  They were purely word-of-mouth.  But, they were some of the best in the industry at one time.

Hope that helps.
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: NMB Keyboards -What's the deal?
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 27 April 2022, 21:44:29 »
NMB Hi-Tek "Space Invaders" have numerous fans here. Their amazing lack of "wobble" is quite an attribute.

But the OP is right, they are extremely fussy to work with.
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