Energise to break reed relay.

Pickering Electronics have announced the addition of Form B (energise to break) reed relays to their new Series 119 high voltage micro-SIL relay range. This is the industry’s smallest high voltage Single-In-Line Reed Relay now available. The relay is intended for voltages considerably higher than standard small SIL relays, ideal for Cable and Backplane Testers, Mixed signal ATE or other applications where High Voltage capability is required.

The vacuumed sputtered ruthenium reed switches have a superb low level performance also, making them an ideal choice where a wide range of signals are involved. The range is based on the long established Series 109P style of plastic package with an internal mu-metal magnetic screen, allowing for high packing density. All Pickering Reed Relays have full magnetic screening which permits side by side operations. The Series 119 is also made using Pickering’s unique SoftCenter® construction.

The new Form B reed relays increase the scope of the range which already includes four versions, all with either 3, 5 or 12 volt operating coils. The 1 Form A, 1kV version has a package and pin configuration compatible with the Pickering’s standard 109P Reed Relay, i.e. 4 pins on 0.15 inches (3.8mm) pitch. These can be stacked side-by-side for maximum packing density. The other types have package lengths and pin configurations appropriate for their voltage ratings.

Pickering Electronics are worldwide manufacturers and distributors of instrumentation grade Reed Relays for ATE, Low thermal EMF, RF switching and other specialist applications. The relays available in Surface Mount, Single-in-Line (SIL), Dual-in-Line (DIL) and many other popular package styles.

The company has seen a large boost in sales in the first two quarters of 2015, which can only be due to their high quality, innovative product offerings, along with impressive technical support services, and custom designed products. Research suggests this growth is set to continue for the balance of 2015.
To find out more about Pickering and the new 119 Series High Voltage Micro-SIL Reed Relay visit: pickeringrelay.com.

About reed relays!

Pickering Electronics has published the Reed RelayMate, a new publication which looks in detail at Reed Relays. It describes how reed relays are constructed, what types there are and how they work. Their relay experts explain temperature effects, magnetic interaction and other factors that can affect their operation. A comparison is made with other relay technologies and advice given on how to choose the correct relay for the application.

The Reed RelayMate is available free of charge from their website as a in pdf but is also available in printed format!

Mercury wetted reed relays

Mercury wetted relays remain a good choice for some applications due to the fact that they have no contact bounce, have a high power rating and offer a very low and stable contact resistance, with over one billion operations. While they do not meet the requirements of the RoHS directive, there are many applications that are exempt from this, for example, medical equipment, instrumentation, military applications, servicing, upgrading or expanding pre RoHS equipment. One special application involves relays featuring two change-over switches with a common open time. These are used in data acquisition systems using the ‘Flying Capacitor’ technique, this gives superb isolation between the source and the device measuring it.

Pickering Electronics manufacture a very wide range of mercury wetted relays, from large high power devices to very small single-in-line types.  Many mercury types from other manufacturers are no longer available so if you have a mercury relay requirement this is a useful source for them.

High voltage reed relays

Pickering Electronic’ high voltage reed relays feature the highest quality instrumentation grade reed switches. They feature 1kV stand-off at 10 Watts switching up to 15kV stand-off at 50 Watts switching, making them suitable for the most demanding applications.

The Series 104 is a range of Single-In-Line reed relays intended for voltages that are beyond the capabilities of conventional SIL reed relays.

They are ideal for such applications as transformer or cable testing or any other automatic test equipment where high voltages are involved.

Where mains voltages are switched, for example to control and isolate S.C.R. or triac gates, they are an ideal choice.

One or two Form A (energize to make) or one Form B (energize to break) configurations are available.
The range features an internal mu-metal screen to eliminate problems that would otherwise be experienced due to magnetic interaction when they are closely stacked.

Three types of dry switches are available, capable of standing-off 1, 1.5 or 3kV d. c. The 3kV version has an increased clearance between the switch and coil pins to accommodate the higher voltage. Even higher voltage ratings and custom pin outs are available to special order, please contact our sales office for further information.

The Series 60/65 and 62/63 ranges of high voltage reed relays are available for up to 15kV stand-off, 12.5kV switching at 50 Watts maximum. Tungsten plated contacts ensure a long and reliable life.

Both Form A (energize to make) and Form B (energize to break) configurations are available and it is usually possible to achieve a Form C (change-over) function by using a Form A and a Form B type together.

Series 60 are for chassis mounting with solder connections on the top face, Series 65 are Printed circuit mounting. Series 62 are for chassis mounting with push-on connections on the top face and Series 63 are for printed circuit mounting with push-on high voltage connections on the top face.