A light guide is a backlighting component that’s designed to propagate and distribute light across the keypad’s top layer to the areas where it’s needed. Most light guides consist of a thin layer of material. Whether a keypad uses light-emitting diode (LED) or electroluminescent (EL) backlighting, it can use a light guide as well. Once applied, the light guide will

Light guides are filament-based components that are designed to distribute light. They don’t actually produce light. Rather, light guides distribute light so that all areas of a device’s top layer receive an equal amount of light.

Have you heard of light-emitting diode (LED) light guides? They are commonly used as backlighting solutions for keypads, human machine interfaces (HMIs), switches and other devices. While LEDs alone can be used as backlighting solutions, though, the addition of light guides maximizes their utility. To learn more about LED light guides, keep reading.

When researching the different types of switches, you may come across piezo. Not all switches rely on moving parts. In addition to mechanical switches, there are piezo switches. Piezo switches are essentially touch switches that feature a piezoelectric panel.

Switches are found in nearly all electronic devices. While some of them are mechanical, though, others are touch-based. Two of the most common types of touch-based switches include piezo and capacitive. They don’t feature moving parts like their mechanical counterparts. Like all touch-based switches, piezo and capacitive switches will open or close a circuit in response to physical contact with a finger or object.

Perhaps you have noticed that the recent “dual control of energy consumption” policy of the Chinese government, which has a certain impact on the production capacity of some manufacturing companies, and the delivery of orders in some industries has to be delayed.

Have you heard of resistive touch switches? While not as popular as capacitive or piezo touch switches, they are still used in many devices. Resistive touch switches use a similar method of operation as resistive touchscreens. They contain two layers, each of which features electrodes, that are separated by air. When you press a button, the top layer will push into the button so that the electrodes may contact. This contact will complete the circuit so that the resistive touch switch registers your command.

Touch switches are found in everything from smartphones and tablets to lamps and machines. The term “touch switch” refers to any type of electrical switch that requires touch to operate. Most touchscreen interfaces feature multiple touches switched embedded within the display. While all touch switches serve the same basic function, there are some subtle nuances between the different types. The three primary types of touch switches include resistive, capacitance and piezo.

Backlighting is commonly found in capacitive switches. It consists of lighting system that’s able to illuminate the keys or button legends from underneath. If you’re planning to use a capacitive switch in a dark environment — or any environment with poor lighting — you should consider choosing a capacitive switch with backlighting. There are different types of backlighting, however, some of which work better for capacitive switches than others. What’s the best backlighting for a capacitive switch exactly?

Electrical switches play an integral role in the function of countless electronic devices. From computers and smartphones to lamps, appliance, remote controls and more, many electronic devices feature one or more electrical switches. They are designed to open and close the circuit, thereby controlling the respective device.

Not all switches use a mechanical method of operation. Some of them use electricity to determine when to open or close a circuit. Known as capacitive switches, they are commonly used in touchpads, proximity sensors and other switch-related applications. Below are five important things you need to know about capacitive switches.