Tactile switches offer a long operating life and secure contact connections

RAFI’s high-quality push buttons offer a long operating life and secure contact connections. Tactility, and the force exerted to press them are an important criteria for operating reliability and comfort. They are available now from Digi-Key. With an overall area of just about 5.1mm x 6.4mm, a height of only 3.85mm, and gold contacts, the company’s MICON 5 series of tactile switches achieve a high level of switching reliability while requiring a minimum amount of space. To ensure the haptic characteristics required for the entire range of possible applications, the company offers these push buttons with various operating forces. Versions for 3, 3.6, 5.5, or 8N have graduated switching characteristics that range from actuation perceived as easy and comfortable, all the way to distinctive and firm, switching behaviour. Acoustics also play an important role in the perception of operating quality, the range includes a low-noise version for pressing forces of 3.5N in addition to the regular buttons that actuate with a distinct clicking. Furthermore, a button without tactile and acoustic response is available for safety-oriented applications and is used as a redundant extra key along with standard buttons in this series. Depending on the selected operating force, the micro push buttons withstand between 250,000 and one million switching cycles. Keyswitches are available with SMT and THT connection types. Suitable solutions for any application can be found thanks to a comprehensive range of plungers and keycaps. Round and square plungers in various dimensions and lighting versions are available to enable the use of the keyswitches beneath an overlay.