Which types of foil keyboards are available and which is suitable for my use?
There are 3 basic types and additional versions of the foil keyboards, which are all practise-proven and long-lasting.
In the following you receive a judgement from our point of view:
1. The foil keyboard, without or with tactile feedback, construction on an adaptable circuit
advantages:
- very interesting price-/ achievement relation
- priced initial costs
- fitting without any problems by easy sticking
- can be also used on slighty stooped / crooked surfaces
- very flat demonstration possible
- different spring disc dimensions possible
- no setting of the tactile behaviour necessairy
- clearly defined contact travel
- good tactile behaviour possible by spring discs
- label changing possible by insertion band
- the cable for the electric adaptation is integrated
- SMD components in particular LED, resistance... can be integrated
- (FOILtronic®-technique)
- high temperature range
disadvantages:
- additional stabilisation by mounting plate / enclosure necessary
- evaluation electronic has to be on additional ciruit board
- night design only possible by electroluminescence foil or adaptable light conductors
- single defective components cannot be substituted in the repair case,
- relatively high minimum distances from key to key
2. The foil keyboard on conductor board:
The foil keyboard is mounted directly on with contact pads for the spring discs provided front side of the conductor board.
advantages:
- conductor board can be equipped in addition back-sided (e.g., evaluation electronic), thereby interesting price and achievement relation possible
- compact construction
- conductor board is at the same time a mounting plate
- gold-gold contact possible
- different spring disc dimensions possible
- label changing possible by insertion band
- very robust
- constant tactile behaviour, must not be set costly
- clear defined contact travel
- high temperature range
disadvantages:
- relatively high initial costs
- night design only possible by electroluminescence foil or adaptable light conductors
- relatively high minimum distances from key to key
- defective front-sided components cannot be substituted in the repair case,
- back-sided SMD components only costly
- a connector and an additional cable are necessary for the electric adaptation
3. The oversquare keyboard:
On a conductor board are equipped oversquared keys. This equipped conductor board is screwed with thread bolts onto a front-sided foil-concealed mounting plate.
advantages:
- gold-gold contact possible
- realisation of night design and/or status announcement without any problems
- (Surfaces and/or point illumination by integrated LED and light conductors)
- varying colours for key illumination possible
- keys are individually compatible in the repair case
- good tactile behaviour, easily operable with gloves
- label changing possible by insertion band
- conductor board can be equipped back-sided in addition (e.g., evaluation electronic)
- high temperature range
disadvantages:
- big required space (mounting depth!)
- relatively high unit price
- high initial costs
- high assembly expenditure, in particular to put the tactile behaviour constantly above the whole key field
- Danger to damage the area between key button head/-cap and gap in the mounting plate
- a connector and an additional cable are necessary for the electric adaptation
In addition we can send our customer information KDI00029 „comparison foil keyboard – short heave keyboard“ on requirement to you.
With pleasure we give you advises for the choice of the keyboard system optimised for your use case – contact us.