ELECTROMECHANICAL: Reed relays in dense applications

Pickering Electronics’ Series 117 range of single-in-line (SIL) reed relays are available with either 1 or 2 Form A (energise to make) switches and are intended for very high density applications such as ATE switching matrices or multiplexers.

The 1 form A stacks on 0.15 x 0.27 inches (3.8 x 6.6 mm) pitch and the 2 form A stacks on 0.15 x 0.40 inches (3.8 x 10.0 mm) pitch. Both types are under 0.4 inches (10 mm) high.

Each relay in the range is available with 3V or 5V coils, with or without an internal suppression diode, has insulation resistance greater than 10E12O, and is plastic packaged with an internal Mu-metal magnetic screen to reduce magnetic interaction between adjacent relays, which is very important in high-density applications.

Pickering only uses the highest quality instrumentation grade reed switches giving up to 3 Watts switching and low level or cold switching life expectancy exceeding 1,000 million operations. All Pickering relays are 100% ATE tested.

The SoftCenter® construction method uses soft inner material to greatly reduce the physical stresses on the glass reed switch, preventing damage to the seals or distortion to the switch blade alignment which can degrade contact resistance stability and life expectancy.

In addition to the Series 117, Pickering has the 115 and 116 Series which are:
• Pin compatible to the Series 117 and occupy the same board area
• Available with 3V, 5V and 12 Volt coils
• Under 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) in height and rated at switching up to 10W for the 116 Series
• Under 0.61 inches (15.5 mm) in height and rated at switching up to 15W for the 115 Series.

Company and product info
Pickering Electronics is a privately owned company formed in January 1968, with the aim to design and manufacture high-quality reed relays, intended principally for use in Instrumentation and Test equipment.

Today, our SIL range is by far the most developed in the relay industry with relays 25% the size of many of our competitors.

Pickering’s reed relays are used worldwide in applications where quality and reliability is imperative, for example, Automatic Test Equipment (A.T.E.) semiconductor test equipment, telecoms, automotive, high-quality instrumentation, safety equipment and aerospace.

Pickering reed relays use only the highest quality instrument grade switches. We are certified to ISO 9001:2008 and audited by the British Standards Institution.

The original article can be seen here.