Reed Switch Characteristics

The reed switch was first invented by Bell Labs in the late 1930s. Most of the manufacturers of reed switches today produce very high quality and very reliable switches. This has given rise to unprecedented growth. 

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Often, users will choose to make their own modifications, and only when experiencing manufacturing and quality problems with the product will they go back to the reed switch manufacturer and let him carry out the desired modifications. In Figs 5.14 and 5.15, the proper approach for cutting and/or bending the reed switch is shown. The effect on the pull-in and drop-out characteristics of cutting and bending the reed switch will be explained in more detail later. 

Fig. 5.18 Dropping the reed switch on a hard surface can induce several 100 Gs to the contacts many times altering the switch characteristics.

For ruthenium, electrolytes based on ruthenium sulphamate or nitrosyl-sulphamate have been described, but the most useful solutions currently available are based on the anionic complex (H2 0 Cl4 Ru N Ru-Cl4-OH2) . The latter solutions operate with relatively high cathode efficiency to furnish bright deposits up to a thickness of about 0-005 0 mm, which are similar in physical characteristics to electrodeposited rhodium and have shown promise in applications for which the latter more costly metal is commonly employed. Particularly interesting is the potential application of ruthenium as an alternative to gold or rhodium plating on the contact members of sealed-reed relay switches. 

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