Stuart Lowe has been appointed General Manager of the dome array business of ITT Industries, Cannon, and will report to Olivier Duperray, Vice President ITT Cannon and President, Switch Products. For the past 18 years, Lowe has worked in the company’s operations area, most recently serving as Director of Manufacturing and Product Development. In that position, he had responsibility for the creation, implementation and review of worldwide product and manufacturing strategy development.

Previously he served as Operations Manager for the company’s manufacturing facility located in Hampton, Virginia.

Lowe’s excellent background in engineering and operations and his knowledge of the Chinese market will be strong assets is his new position.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Wolverhampton Polytechnic in England.

Lowe replaces Tim Ristoff, who has been appointed President of Jabsco Worldwide, a value centre within ITT Industries’ Motion and Flow Control operating company.

Datel’s top selling DMS-20PC series of subminiature 3.5-digit DPMs are now offered with brilliant blue LED displays. The unique, eye-catching qualities of the colour blue are finally suitable for medical, marine, and industrial applications. Thanks to state of the art, 470nm, InGaN (indium gallium nitride) blue LED technology, designers now have an affordable and reliable alternative to expensive, vacuum-florescent displays.

Applications requiring two or more display colours can now take advantage of the most sought after LED colour - radiant, true blue.

All DMS-20PC-BS digital display meters are housed in a blue, epoxy-encapsulated, 12-pin, DIL-style plastic package that, when mounted in panels, has a 35 x 22mm footprint.

Nevertheless, display size and readability are not compromised in any way as the small package houses a large 9.2mm-high 3.5-digit display easily viewable from as far as 15ft.

The 12-pin DIL package’s unique design features a built-in high-contrast blue filter, enabling these subminiature DPMs to be used in stand-alone, PCB mount applications - no additional bezels, filters, or polarisers are required.

Best of all, the entire assembly occupies only 6.5cm2 of valuable PCB space.
Until now, blue LEDs have been expensive, notoriously power hungry and disappointingly dim.

These three drawbacks all but ruled out their use in the vast majority of instrumentation applications.

Datel’s new DMS-20PC-BS series digital voltmeters rewrite all the rules.

Their brilliant, 470nm wavelength (the truest blue) LED displays are visible in the brightest ambient lighting, but draw less than 0.5W (85mA) from a single +5V supply - that’s actually less than most standard red LED displays.

DMS-20PC-BS series meters combine precision bandgap voltage references and metal-film resistors to achieve unprecedented accuracy and stability at all input levels.

An automatic zeroing circuit ensures a 0V input.

Four differential, high-impedance input ranges are available: +/-200mV, +/-2V, +/-20V and +/-200V.

Factory calibration achieves an impressive +/-2 counts (0.1%) long-term accuracy.

And for added versatility, a display enable input provides designers high-resolution control over the displays intensity.

Datel now accepts credit card orders for digital panel meters at its website.

Custom Engineering’s recently revised KPM216 A4 printer features a roll which can be mounted above or behind the printer, saving valuable space in depth-constrained panels.
As flat-panel-based kiosks become more prevalent, designers wishing to include full A4 page printing capability are coming across a problem: a kiosk printer with a large paper roll takes up more depth than any other single component in the design. Most kiosk designers consider a large roll essential to keep service visits to a minimum. There is an obvious answer but it’s one that few printer manufacturers have addressed so far: locate the roll above the printer rather than behind it.

Custom Engineering’s recently revised KPM216 not only has a roll which can be mounted above or behind the printer, it also has a presenter which can be configured to face forwards.

When the printer body itself is mounted vertically, and the paper roll is above the mechanism, the printed paper is presented forwards.

This removes the need for an angled slot or other means of persuading the paper to curve through 90 degrees out to the real world, reducing jams and simplifying the packaging.

The KPM presents its paper at an impressive 400mm/s and prints at 65mm/s.

The paper width of the KPM216 is indeed 216mm (a full A4 width), as the part-number spotter will have guessed.Harder to guess is that Custom has supported the KPM216 and its 80 and 112mm brethren with drivers for Windows 2000, ME, XP, NT4 and Linux.

The series is equipped with either USB or RS232 interfaces according to the user’s system.

It’s important also to note that Custom Engineering makes the thermal print mechanisms in almost all its products, so long-term support and on-going development can be provided.

This is especially critical in kiosk applications where serviceability and useful working life are intrinsic to the life-cost calculations of the whole machine.

The entire Custom Engineering range of printers is supported in the UK by ASP Infotec.

WASP is using the specialist manufacturing techniques developed for resistive touch screens to print special inks onto a polyester material to create electroluminescent (EL) panels. Phosphor particles in the ink are electrically excited to produce light and the intensity can be controlled by the voltage and frequency of the AC power supply. Typically 50-150cd/m2 can be produced using 115V at 400Hz with a half-life above 3kh.

Used within a membrane switch panel, EL has a number of advantages over traditional types of illumination being very thin nature and able to be designed to various shapes to fit specific requirements.

Various colours are available and standard inverters can be used to aid design and prototyping.

Primarily introduced as an illumination layer for flat front panel membranes, they can also be used as stand alone illumination panel in various applications, like fire exit signs.

The new ultra-thin ClickTouch contact layer for PC keyboards from Velleman Switch offers system design engineers a cost-effective and highly reliable system that can be used to complement or replace other key entry devices, including silicone rubber keypads. While the switch construction is similar to those used in silicone rubber keypads, with switching directly onto a PCB, the low tooling cost associated with the ClickTouch contact layer means it can be economically produced in relatively small volumes, typically of a few hundred upwards. Typically, featuring fewer components than other forms of key actuation devices, the simplified membrane construction of the ClickTouch contact layer greatly reduces the chance of failure, ensuring a longer operating life.

Available with or without graphics, the lightweight, self-adhesive ClickTouch contact layer features a low profile of just under 5mm, which is considerably lower than many competing devices and makes it ideal for applications where space for hardware might be limited.

Additional benefits of the ClickTouch contact layer include easy backlighting through LEDs, a choice of screen printed carbon, nickel or gold plating offering short circuit pad protection and a combined PC board and carrier plate function for greater flexibility.

The ClickTouch contact layer is available with key diameters from 6 to 30mm and has a switch life in excess of 10 million actuations.

The SFS fast turn-round bespoke service for silicone rubber keypads has been expanded to extend economical pricing to any specification, covering a wider range of sizes and shapes for any number of keys carrying any legends. These long-life precision keypads are available made to order in a full range of colours, including a clear backlit style offered with or without carbon-pills. Low-cost tooling gives significant savings, and initial cost can be further reduced by the option of using prototype tooling Working from a drawing, SFS will produce a full quotation including tooling price within three days and supply the first tooled samples in four weeks.

Production quantities can be delivered in just three to four weeks from sample approval.

Providing excellent resistance to moisture, dust and high or low temperatures plus chemicals and ozone, the keypad’s silicone rubber materials have the operational advantage of a ‘tactile’ feel.

They are also said to be drop-proof.

The latest addition to Schurter’s range of capacitive single switches is a compact device with a surface measurement of just 15 x 15mm. The CSE 15 uG (capacitive switch element under glass) is a capacitive switch, actuated by proximity or the slightest touch of a finger. The sensitivity of the switches can be precisely set during the production process, allowing them be used at distances up to 20mm behind nonconductive materials such as glass, plastic, wood and ceramic.

The new devices also feature the option of a PCB mounting socket to reduce assembly costs.

A wide range of design options is available for the front panel, and Schurter can even provide fully customised design foil overlays.

Among the main advantages of the new capacitive switch: it is vandal resistant; it is not subject wear and tear; and it is unaffected by unfavourable conditions such as dust, dirt, damp and heat.

Applications include: ticketing terminals; self-service terminals in public areas; touch-sensitive exhibition displays; elevator systems; and POS terminals.

Flint has added a new low profile, hybrid motorised card reader, with EMV approval, that fully supports chip and PIN payment. Just 36mm deep, the new Omron V2BF unit from Flint incorporates a full blade shutter across the card entry aperture helping reduce the risk of damage through physical attack and has a card capture capability. Working from the same command sets as found on the V2AF model, it incorporates new features such as power failure detection.

This has a potential to maintain the supply for three seconds enabling the reader to take emergency action before shutting down, returning the card to the take out position or capturing the card to the rear.

With a lifetime of 1.2 million passes, the V2BF ideally suits retail and banking applications, such as petrol forecourt pay-at-pump, car parking pay-on-foot collection, information kiosks and vending kiosks.

The V2BF has an operating range of 5 to 50C, uses a 12V DC supply and has RS232 interconnectivity.

Several formats are supported for reading magnetic and IC cards, including magnetic cards encoded on ISO track 1, 2 and/or 3, or in JIS II stripe card format, and T=0, T=1 and EMV (Europay-Master-Visa) 3.1.1 chip card protocols, as well as memory cards with Siemens 4442, 4428 and 4432 chips.

New from ITT Industries, Cannon is a device claimed to be the smallest, top-actuated SMT tact switch in the world. Especially targeted at designers of portable communications and entertainment devices such as cellphones, PDAs and MP3 players, the new KMR series switches measure only 4.6 x 2.8mm and stand only 1.9mm off the PCB. These four-terminal tacts also feature a ground terminal to ensure EMC is maintained.

Sharp, positive tactile feedback is achieved through the use of 0.2-0.3mm travel metal domes, and actuation force can be specified as 1, 2, 3 or 4N.

Ergonomic styling and high reliability up to 200,000 operations are other key attributes.

KMR tact switches are compatible with lead free soldering processes.

In order to optimise efficiency, the switches are delivered on 7000 piece reels, reducing the number of times reels must be changed.

Other specifications of these normally open SPST switches include: contact resistance less than 100mohm; insulation resistance greater than 1Gohm; and bounce of less than 1ms.

The silver contact version is rated for 1VA, with maximum voltage of 50V DC or current of 50mA.

The gold contact version is rated 0.2VA, with maximum voltage of 50V DC or current of 10mA.

GGI has become the exclusive Canadian switch manufacturer authorised to market, manufacture and distribute Duraswitch’s next-generation electronic switch technology. “We continue to penetrate the global marketplace by aligning with established manufacturers in key sectors for Duraswitch technology”, said Tim Kuhn, vice president business development for Duraswitch. “GGI’s reputation for high-quality, delivered-on-time products has earned them repeat business from customers, including some of the most demanding multi-national companies.

They have underscored their commitment to providing the latest technology to these customers by becoming our sole Canadian switch manufacturer licensed to produce Duraswitch technology”.

GGI is the largest manufacturer of membrane switches and graphic overlays in Canada, and is quickly becoming a leader across North America.

It boasts of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Montreal, Canada, with a customer service focus including technical assistance, an internal research and development team as well as an industrial design department.

The quality and reliability of GGI’s products has earned it certified supplier status with some of the global leaders in the medical, telecomms, industrial control and aerospace industries.

Among its noted customers are Nortel, Honeywell and GE.
“GGI is a great example of a manufacturer that is taking advantage of the multi-billion dollar switch market and whose past projects represent the potential applications for Duraswitch technology”, continued Kuhn.

“Their growing list of recognisable customers is a testament to the commitment the company and its employees have made to providing high-quality control panels.

In today’s market, consumers demand the best - GGI and its customers provide this.

Duraswitch is pleased to see GGI’s past success and to be associated with its future”.

“At GGI, we believe in providing top-quality products and technology to our customers.

Adding Duraswitch’s revolutionary technology to our existing portfolio serves our customers needs and further differentiates us from other switch manufacturers”, said Peter Graham, co-president of GGI.

Ian Graham, co-president of GGI continued, “We work very closely with our customers and tend to think of ourselves as business partners - instead of simply suppliers.

Our tight working relationships allow us to develop an in-depth knowledge of their products and needs.

We recognise that Duraswitch’s technologies provide a solution many OEMs have been waiting for and we are excited to deliver that solution to our customers”.

“GGI is a first-rate organisation and we are pleased to have them as part of the Duraswitch team”, commented Duraswitch President and CEO Bob Brilon.

“Our licensing strategy continues to drive mutually beneficial relationships.

The customer gets a high-quality switch, the licensee extends its product line with the next generation electronic switch technology and Duraswitch receives royalty revenue on every switch produced”.