E-SWITCH, represented in Australia by Soanar , has released the TL6100 series of tactile switches that are process sealed to prevent contamination of the switch contacts during wave soldering or water-wash processes.
The switches are designed for through-hole mounting on a circuit board. They are suitable for computer keyboards, personal digital assistants, video games, mobile phones, appliances and electronic instrumentation. They are available with a phosphor bronze dome or a stainless steel dome and have a mechanical life that ranges from 100,000 to one million cycles.
When designing applications using the TL6100 series, a wide range of actuation forces are available for achieving the appropriate feel. Force requirements to activate the switch are available in 130g, 160g, 300g and 500g. Actuator heights can be specified at 4.7mm, 5.2mm, 6.9mm and 9.9mm to accommodate a wide range of physical design parameters.
The switches are rated at a switching power of 1VA for silver contacts and 0.2VA for gold. Maximum switching voltage is 50V and initial contact resistance is 50mΩ at 5V dc. Operating temperatures range from -40ºC to 85ºC for silver contacts and -40C to 125ºC for gold contacts. An earth ground terminal is available as an option. A washable design eliminates contamination of the switch contact area. Cambered terminations allow easy through-hole mounting and the switches have lifespans of up to one million actuations.