Rugged Switches

Rugged Switches

About Piezo Switches And Piezo Panels

When you need a reliable, high-quality operator interface, select a Piezo Panel from Nelson-Miller. Featuring a completely sealed design with no moving parts, this switching product offers an extremely long life. Every Piezo Panel that we produce is custom built to your exact specifications. With a sealed, corrosion-resistant top face plate to protect the electrical switch package, a Piezo Panel may be placed in even the toughest environments, including oil and gas exploration; oceanographic applications; and food processing plants. Our engineering team will collaborate with you to create a keypad that will be aesthetically pleasing and high performing.

Advantages of a piezo panel and piezo switch

 

  • Superior durability
  • Longevity – capable of more than 50 million actuations
  • No moving parts
  • Ease of cleaning
  • Chemical, weather & vandal resistance

Available piezo switch and piezo panel design options

 

  • Faceplate material choices – stainless steel, aluminum, glass, or plastic
  • Selective texture
  • Clear or colored windows or lenses
  • ESD, RFI & EMI shielding
  • Metal or plastic back panels
  • Bezels
  • Displays (VFD, LED, LCD)
  • LEDs
  • Visible & audible feedback
  • Adjustable operating sensitivity

Piezo panel and piezo switch technical data and operating characteristics

  • Uses piezoelectric elements in place of conventional flex membrane switch contacts
  • For high volume applications, the piezo element can be printed
  • An activation force applied to the faceplate causes the piezoelectric element to emit an active voltage signal to power an interface
  • Simple interface or bridge circuitry is required to convert the piezoelectric signal from analog to digital
  • The sensitivity can be adjusted by raising or lowering the electrical switching level
  • Specific design requirements are met using custom interface electronics, analog and digital ICs, microprocessors with software filters
  • Interface electronics emulate one of the following switch types: one shot, momentary, or toggle
  • Interface electronics eliminate contact bounce associated with other switching technologies
  • Speed accommodates operating frequencies of 1kHz without difficulty