Switches provide customisable switching solutions with gold contacts

Rated for 10,000 make-and-break cycles at full load, and available with a wide variety of switch functions, actuators, mounting styles, terminations and markings, gold-contact D Series rocker switches provide reliable, highly customisable switching solutions in a broad range of low power lighting, data server, computer, peripheral, medical instrumentation and small appliance applications.

“The D Series’ standard silver plated contacts are ideal for power applications in which the current and voltage exceeds 0.4VA at 20VAC/DC, due to the fact that higher power keeps the contacts clean and free of oxidation by causing a small arc as the switch changes state. Silver contacts will tarnish if there’s not sufficient current and voltage to create an arc, especially in high sulfur and humid environments, and the tarnish will continue to build over time, causing intermittency and unreliable switching,” said Kyle Peterson, Product Manager, C&K.

“Alternately, gold plated contacts exhibit superior resistance to oxidation at low currents, which makes them suitable for use in low energy switching applications (below 0.4VA at 20V AC/DC) that require stable contact resistance and reliable switching, especially in adverse conditions. So, adding a gold contact option to our proven, and already extremely versatile, D Series miniature snap-in rocker switches effectively doubles the number of applications they’re ideally suited for by opening them to applications with current ratings that are too low to ensure that the silver contacts will provide long term reliable switching.”

Rated for 2 to 10A, 30VDC to 250VAC, and -30 to +65°C, C&K’s D Series miniature snap-in power rocker switches are highly customisable. Functional configurations include: 15 switch functions, seven single pull double throw (SPDT), two single pull single throw (SPST), four double pull double throw (DPDT), and two double pull single throw (DPST), each with multiple combinations of momentary and maintained switch positions, rocker and lever actuators in three colors, four mounting styles, six termination options, three PC through-hole configurations (standard, extended, and right-angle) and three quick connect configurations (standard, twisted, and wirable), and both gold and silver contacts.