Farnell ships 100 types of reed relays from Pickering Electronics

Specialising in the manufacture of high-quality, high reliability reed relays, Pickering Electronics has been market leaders for more than 50 years. Farnell is now offering fast delivery on more than 100 types of reed relays from Pickering Electronics, which are suitable for semiconductor test, ATE systems, test and measurement equipment, instrumentation, electric vehicle test and renewable energy applications.

 Pickering Electronics’ innovative high performance reed relays are designed to a high standard and rigorously tested to ensure long life and optimum performance. The company’s relays feature instrumentation grade reed switches, which are 100% tested for all operating parameters, and are 100% thermal cycle tested from -20°C to +85°C to -20°C. This process is repeated three times to stress test the manufacturing processes. All switch contacts are hermetically sealed preventing contact oxidization, which can occur in conventional open format relays. These procedures result in delivery of a relay with a stable long life up to 5x10E9 operations.

Pickering Electronics manufacture the smallest high voltage reed relays available on the market. For example, the Series 131 has a minimum 1.5kV stand-off, as well as the world’s smallest reed relay footprint - the Series 120 which offers up to 1 Amp at 20 Watts on a 4mm x 4mm pitch. These ultracompact devices enable designers to fit up to 85% more relays on a printed circuit board (PCB) compared to common industry standard-sized relays, providing more switching options when designing demanding test systems.

Simon Meadmore, Vice President of Product and Supplier Management, at Farnell said: “Pickering Electronics is a valuable addition to our electromechanical relay product portfolio. Farnell customers now have the flexibility to design and develop new products and test equipment featuring Pickering Electronics’ innovative products faster than ever before. As the number of electric vehicles on the roads rapidly increases, high voltage isolation reed relays are an essential solution for testing and continuing development of battery and drive-train technology.”

Keith Moore, Chief Executive Officer for The Pickering Group, said: “The new distribution agreement with Farnell enables Pickering Electronics to broaden its reach in Europe, North America and Asia in the test and measurement and semiconductor test markets. Design engineers expect to have components on their desk within hours and this is something Farnell facilitates with next day delivery.”

Pickering Electronics is headquartered in the United Kingdom with manufacturing and sales support offices around the world. The company is well known for their innovative product design, high-performance components, and exceptional quality control. Part of the privately-owned Pickering Group, the company employs over 500 staff across quality accredited factories in the UK and the Czech Republic, supplying demanding aerospace, infrastructure, semiconductor testing, test and measurement, and ATE applications worldwide. Pickering Electronics’ reed relays are available in Surface Mount (SMD), Single-in-Line (SIL/SIP), Dual-in-Line (DIL/DIP) and many other popular package styles.

Other market-leading innovations and support services available from Pickering Electronics include:

• In-house technical specialists: Available 24/7 to provide technical design support at no additional cost.
• Unique SoftCenter™ Technology: This innovative technology provides maximum cushioned protection of the reed switch, minimising internal lifetime stresses, extending working life and contact stability.
• Former Less Coil Winding: Using a fully automated process that provides consistent output quality and repeatability, former less coil winding improves contact life and provides more reliable contact resistance.
• Mu-metal magnetic screening: Featured in every reed relay, Mu-metal magnetic screening is considered essential for high density applications to eliminate external electromagnetic effects and enhance system efficiency.
• Product life longevity: Reed relays from Pickering Electronics are manufactured and supported for more than 25 years from introduction, increasing return on investment on system design.
• Interfaces: The company’s switching system and simulation division provides a strong insight into demanding functional test reed relay applications, driving new relay products that are not offered by competitors.

Farnell is firmly embedded as an integral part of the Avnet Group, ensuring customers have support through all stages of the product development cycle, including product introduction, sampling, development, mass production, complex design needs and end of life management.

Farnell offers an extensive range of products in its comprehensive semiconductor portfolio to support design engineers. Customers also have free access to online resources, datasheets, application notes, videos, webinars and 24/5 technical support.

The new range of Pickering Electronics reed relays are available now for fast delivery from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.