electronica 2006, Hall A4/542

Compact Metal Shaft Potentiometer with On/Off Switch

Duesseldorf, Germany, October 24, 2006 - With the RK071 series, ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPA GmbH now offers tiny, reliable and universal applicable metal shaft potentiometers with on/off switch. The components are remarkable for their extremely compact design. With dimensions of only 7.5mm x 9.1mm x 8.0mm (W x H x D) and a shaft diameter of 4.5mm they can easily be mounted even on high-density printed circuit boards. Despite its tiny sizes, the RK071 series features a good haptic and a high rotational torque of 2.5±2mNm for the potentiometer and 20(+25/-10)mNm for the switch. The rotational potentiometers provide a total mechanical rotation angle of 300 ±5 degree and a total resistance tolerance of ±20%. The shaft stopper strength amounts to 0.5Nm/min. The horizontal type components require an operating voltage of 50VAC/3VDC and have a power consumption of 0.05W. The integrated on/off switch is rated for switching currents of up to 20mA at 16VDC. The operating life of the metal shaft potentiometers is specified with more than 15,000 rotational cycles and more than 10,000 switching cycles. The operating temperature ranges between –10°C and +70°C. The RK071 series is suitable for reflow soldering. ALPS will present the new RK071 series at electronica 2006 (Munich, 14. – 17. November) at its exhibition booth in hall A4, stand 542.

ALPS Electric Co., Ltd. Since its establishment in 1948 ALPS has grown as a comprehensive manufacturer of electronic components. At present ALPS is creating innovative high-value-added products in its main business segments – Components, Magnetic Devices, Communications, Peripheral Products, and Automotive Electronics – which are contributing to the advance of a digital society. ALPS is a global company that carries out its operations with 22 production bases in 9 countries as well as 57 sales bases in 14 countries. Consolidated net sales in the year ended March 31, 2005 amounted to YEN 644 billion. ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPA GmbH, a subsidiary of ALPS Electric Co., Ltd., was established in 1979. Since 1989, the European Head Office has been located in Düsseldorf, where a team of specialists works in Sales, Marketing, and Product Engineering. The activities of our branch offices in Munich, Paris and Milton Keynes, our sales office in Milan and our European distribution work are co-ordinated from Düsseldorf. ALPS Nordic AB, a 100 percent subsidiary of ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPA GmbH, is based in Sweden and services the Scandinavian market.