Product Roundup: Electromechanical switches

The electromechanical switch comes in many types, such as keylock, pushbutton, DIP, reed, rocker, rotary, slide, snap-action, tact, and toggle. Here is a roundup of parts recently introduced:

C&K Components (www.ck-components.com) has designed a cost-effective, low-profile tactile switch for a wide range of price-sensitive applications, including smart meters, smoke/fire detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors. Designated the KSE Series, the momentary-action tactile switch combines rugged IP67-rated sealing, reliability and a long-operating life (300,000 cycles) with a new optimized and economical design.

The KSE series momentary-action tactile switch from C&K Components

The SPST series features a maximum power rating of 1 VA, maximum voltage rating of 32 Vdc and a temperature range of –40° to 85°C. The IP 67-rated KSE Series is available in J bend and gullwing terminations for SMT.

Phaseda (www.phaseda.com) has introduced the RL5-1 series pushbutton switch, which has a high rating with UL, cUL and VDE approvals. It features an electrical life of 10,000 cycles and a mechanical life of 50,000.

Phaseda’s RL5-1 series pushbutton switch

It snaps easily into the panel hole size of 0.984 in. The switch has SP and DP with on-off or momentary function. It is available in illumination red, green, amber, and other colors. This switch is fully compliant with RoHS.

The SmartSwitch LCD family of pushbutton switches by NKK Switches (www.nkkswitches.com) has an expanded viewing area: A wider LCD screen has resolutions of 64 x 32 and 36 x 24. The 64 x 32-resolution switch with RGB LED backlighting operates commands supplied via the SPI communications protocol. The switches feature a programmable and changeable LCD module with 64 backlit colors that displays graphics, alphanumeric characters, or animated sequences, including four lines of text with as many as 10 characters per line.

NKK’s LCD pushbutton swithces

The 36 x 24 resolution switches can be specified in single, bicolor, or RGB. With epoxy-sealed straight PC terminals, the LCD programmable SmartSwitch devices are highly reliable and provide a long life of a minimum one million actuations.

The 75920 Master Disconnect and the 95060 series Ignition switches from Cole Hersee (www.colehersee.com) feature a sealed engineered-plastic body that helps fleets endure the extremely corrosive effects of winter road-salt brine. The 75920 can be used at 300-A continuous or up to 3,000-A intermittent duty. The UL approved switches are rated for 12 to 48-V applications.

The 95060 series includes multiple electrical configurations, the single key code model 95060-23, and the 95061 lever ignition switches. Also designed to resist adverse conditions and keep working, the series comes with an integral sealed connector and an available pigtail harness

Rated at 3 A, 125 Vac, the GC-509 rocker switch from CW Industries (www.cwind.com) is UL recognized and is an off-on-(on) construction. This double-pole/three-position switch sequentially makes or breaks electrical contacts in alternate poles that can be combined with appropriate momentary or detent action in alternate positions.

CW Industries’ GC-509 rocker switch

The part mounts into a panel opening of 0.756 x 0.508 in., requiring no mounting hardware. The actuator and housing are made of UL 94V-0 polyester and available in a wide range of color options, imprinting, terminal type and polarizing means for switch mounting orientation.

The RDT series rotary DIP switch from E-Switch (www.e-switch.com) offers a choice of 4, 6, 8, 10, or 16 positions. It offers IP67 sealing protection for applications that need protection from the elements. Contact rating is –42 Vdc, 150 mA for switching and –42 Vdc, 200 mA for nonswitching.

RDT DIP series by E-Switch

Additional specifications include a life expectancy of 10,000 steps, a contact resistance (initial maximum) of 80 mΩ, an insulation resistance of 100 MΩ min at 250 Vdc, a dielectric strength of greater than 250 Vac, and actuation force of 700 gf. Operating temperature is –40° to 85°C (through hole) and –60° to 125°C. This switch comes in a choice of tape-and-reel or tube packaging, and has gold contacts.

The TSE/TSSE 21/24 series tact switches by Knitter-Switch (www.knitter-switch.com) are IP67 rated and feature a mechanical lifetime of at least 1 million cycles. The switches also provide the user with a tactile feedback; customers can select an operating force of either 160 or 260 gf for more industrial applications.

TSE/TSSE 21/24 series by Knitter-Switch

The parts are offered with either round or square knobs to facilitate aesthetic panel designs. Other key features of the halogen-free series include an operating temperature range of –40° to 85°C and a choice of through-hole or surface-mount versions.

Christina Nickolas