Elastomer keypad advantages
When you need a switch with high-tactile feel and customizable feedback, elastomer keypads are an ideal choice. Benefits include:
- Lightweight
- Sealed surface
- Simulates full travel of tactile keypad
- Array of color options
- Optimal light diffusion
- Overall or selective backlighting
- May be combined with other switch types
- One-piece construction that simplifies assembly and tooling
- Cost-effective tooling
Design options
Keypads provide excellent performance in a wide variety of conditions and offer several design options to fit your needs:
- Plastic or metal bezel
- Display windows
- Multicolors and custom color
- Durometer variance
- Printed, laser etched and/or backlit legends and icons
Construction & specifications
The switching layer underneath the elastomer keypad may be a flexible membrane circuit or a rigid printed circuit board. The shorting mechanism may be either a carbon pill molded into the keypad or a metal dome assembled under the keypad.
Specifications | Typical values | ||
---|---|---|---|
Switch travel | 0.040" - 0.050" typical | ||
Actuation force | 100g to 300g | ||
Legend life |
No breaks in graphic lines after a minimum four continuous cycles on Norman tool abrasion test equipment with 175 grams of force on paper that has been baked at 50C for four hours. |
||
Mold colors | Match within +/- 0.5 any pantone shade | ||
Life cycle | 1,000,000 actuations | ||
Material hardness | 40 - 80 shore A (55 typical) | ||
Dimension (L) IN (mm) |
L <= 1.575" 1.575" < L <= 1.969" 1.969" < L <=3.937" L > 3.937" Angles |
Standard tolerance IN (mm) |
+/- 0.010" (0.25) +/- 0.014" (0.35) +/- 0.020" (0.50) +/- 1.0% +/- 1.0 degrees |
Contact rating | 100ma @ 24VDC/0.5s | ||
Breakdown voltage | 14KV/mm | ||
Contact bounce | <12ms | ||
Contact resistance | (Conductive puck) <100 ohms | ||
Insulation resistance | >100 Mohms @ 500 VDC | ||
Operational temperature | -30° C to +80°C | ||
Storage temperature | -40° C to +85°C |