What are Electromechanical Switches?
Electromechanical RF switches are switches that use mechanical parts to route the signal path. Before solid state technology was so widely available, all switches were Electromechanical. Over time most switch designs now use solid state technology. One area where Electro mechanical Switches have an edge would be their thermal performance. Their larger size allows more heat to be dissipated as compared to a small chip which might need a heat sink to dissipate the same level of heat when operating in high power environments.
Important Parameters for Electromechanical Switches:
- Operating Frequency (MHz/GHz): This is the frequency range at which a switch is fully functional or provides the best performance.
- Configuration: It indicates the number of input and output paths the switch can control. Switch configurations are generally termed as Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT or SP2T) which signify there is one input and two available output signal paths. The number of throws can be 3, 4, 5, 6…n – which is the number of output paths that the signal can be routed to. For instance, DP3T is a Double Pole Triple Throw – which means that there are two input paths and 3 output paths.
- Input Power (dBm/W): This is the average or maximum input power that the switch can handle while maintaining its electrical characteristics.
- Insertion Loss (dB): It is the loss of signal power resulting from the insertion of the switch in a transmission line.
- Switching Time/Speed: It is the time a switch requires when changing its state from ON to OFF or OFF to ON. Higher switching time is preferred in a switch.
everything RF has listed Electromechanical RF switches from leading manufacturers. Use the parametric search tools to narrow down on products based on your requirement. Once you find parts that meet your specification, download the data sheet, compare products and request quotations. Inquiries sent via everything RF are directed to the manufacturers who get back to you with a quote or information.
