The Industry’s Most Customizable High-Voltage Reed Relay Unveiled

Pickering’s modular Series 600 offers engineers unmatched flexibility in ratings and connections – with over 2500 different combinations.

May 2025, Clacton-on-Sea, UK: Pickering Electronics, the global leader in high-performance reed relays, has introduced its most customizable range of high voltage reed relays to date, Series 600 – offering more than 2500 different combinations of rating and connection options. Utilizing over 55 years of experience in the field, Pickering has developed Series 600 in response to increasing demand for tailored high voltage reed relays. It employs a modular design architecture that allows engineers to precisely specify the rating parameters and connection options they require for their application, without compromising performance.

“We’ve been manufacturing high-voltage reed relays for more than 55 years,” said Robert King, Reed Relays Product Manager at Pickering Electronics. “While our catalogue relays meet most general needs, applications above 5,000 volts, or those with unique constraints, often demand something more specialized. Series 600 answers that call, giving engineers the flexibility to fine-tune key specifications while maintaining the proven reliability of Pickering’s core technology.”

The Series 600 relays provide a versatile solution for a wide range of high voltage application requirements, switching from 3.5kV up to 12.5kV, with standoff voltages from 5kV to 20kV, and the industry’s highest switch-to-coil isolation, up to 25kV—ensuring reliable isolation for control circuitry from high-voltage paths, even in demanding environments. With switching power capabilities up to 200W, Series 600 relays can safely handle higher energy loads, making them ideal for applications where both high voltage and high power switching are required.

Manufactured with tungsten-plated contacts for superior reliability and operating life, Series 600 relays also feature internal mu-metal magnetic screens, which minimize magnetic interference (reducing magnetic interaction between adjacent components from 40% down to less than 5%) and promote relay stability, allowing Form A (energize-to-make) versions to be mounted side by side—ideal for dense PCB layouts. Insulation resistance is over 10¹³ Ω, ensuring minimal leakage and maximum isolation for applications requiring high reliability.

Further flexibility is available through the inclusion of coaxial or electrostatic screens for improved signal integrity and noise reduction, as well as optional diodes or Zener diodes for managing coil back EMF. A wide range of case sizes, potting materials, and contact forms can be specified to meet thermal, mechanical, or environmental constraints, and application-specific performance testing can be provided.

Building on more than half a century of expertise in high voltage reed relay technology, and the launch of its new Center of Excellence for high voltage switching, this configurable new relay series from Pickering reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to innovative product improvement, driven by customer requirements and engineering excellence. Series 600 relays are ideal for a wide variety of high-voltage test and switching applications, including: hi-pot testers; power and signal cable testers; EV BMS and charge point testing; inverter or insulation resistance testing in solar energy systems; isolation in medical equipment; and high voltage switching and signal control for instrumentation.

Pickering’s reputation for reed relay innovation is founded on decades of manufacturing excellence. All relays use instrumentation-grade reed switches for stable, long-life operation—up to billions of cycles—along with formerless coil construction and the company’s patented SoftCenter™ technology, which improves mechanical robustness. Internal or external mu-metal screening enables high packing densities with minimal magnetic interference, and every relay is 100% tested, including dynamic contact wave-shape analysis, to ensure consistent quality. Learn about 10 key advantages Pickering’s reed relays offer over competitor relays here: www.pickeringrelay.com/10-key-benefits/

Learn more about Pickering’s new Series 600 customisable high-voltage relay range at: https://www.pickeringrelay.com/reed-relays/high-voltage/customizable-high-voltage-series-600 – or to contact Pickering for more information and advice, please visit: www.pickeringrelay.com/contact/