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Cost-competitive custom keypads from Components Bureau
Components Bureau, the Cambridgeshire-based distributor, has announced a new range of custom-produced silicon rubber keypads for telecoms, instrumentation, portable and hand held equipment.
Made from high elasticity, nontoxic silicon rubber compounds, the keypads are injection or compression moulded with a range of standard features and special options to enhance the application. Highly automated production techniques have eliminated many manual procedures which result in very cost competitive keypads.
Virtually any keypad design, colour and layout are possible, including the capability for surface, silk screen or in-mould decoration of multiple colours and legends. In addition, the special inks employed provide resistance to abrasion and contamination. Adding a hard epoxy potting to the keytops, in gloss or matt finish, helps improve tactile performance and wear resistance.
The option of adding phosphorescent inks or powder to the keypad increases the luminescence and afterglow when exposed to light. Making the keypad night-time compatible with EL backlighting is easily achieved with a translucent keypad sprayed with black ink and finished with laser-etched legends and graphics. Furthermore, adding an optional Mylar dome membrane gives the user tactile feedback.
With a contact resistance of less than 1 Ohm, the carbon-impregnated silicone rubber and gold plated pills will handle 24VDC at 100mA and have a typical life expectancy of 1 million operations, with options capable of 10 million operations. For higher current applications, metal pills are applied as an alternative conductive contact to the circuit board.
The keypads feature a broad operating temperature range of -40 to +150 degrees C and have a chemical resistance to solvents such as acetone, alcohol and mineral spirits and acids such as 5% hydrochloric, nitric, phosphoric and up to 10% sulphuric acid.
Typical lead times for these customised keypads is two to four weeks for prototypes and generally four to eight weeks for production quantities.
Components Bureau Limited is a leading distributor of capacitors, LEDs and displays, connectors and other passive components. Established since 1985, it represents many major component manufacturers including Rubycon, Nichicon, Jamicon, Methode, Kingbright, NEC Tokin, etc.
Information from: Components Bureau Ltd., Vision House, 11 Bramley Road, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 3WS. Tel: 01480 386565 Fax: 01480 386566.
E-mail: sales@componentsbureau.ltd.uk Web: www.componentsbureau.com
Press Enquiries to: Neil Marshall, Marshall Jennings PR Limited, Wyvols Court, Swallowfield, Reading, Berkshire. RG7 1WY Tel: 0118 988 0288 Fax: 0118 988 0388
Email: neil.marshall@mjpr.com Web: www.mjpr.com
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