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Glow in the Dark Silicone Keypad for an Animal Call Device
A glow in the dark keypad that does not require backlighting. This keypad has multiple glowing colors that meet the customer’s specific glow time requirements. The keypad is used in an outdoor consumer electronic device.
Overview
A company that manufactures hunting and outdoor sports electronics reached out to ISL Products to improve one of their current keypads. The customer specializes in animal game call devices, used for hunting. These game calls are used both recreationally and serve as practical tools for ranchers and farmers. The customer was previously using a standard back-lit keypad.
Challenge
The previous keypad used backlighting, which wasn’t efficient and drew too much power from the device’s batteries. We needed to create a glow in the dark solution that didn’t require backlighting. Our keypad luminosity needed to have a specific decay time as well, in order to be used for extended periods of time at night. The customer also wanted multiple glowing colors.
In addition to the luminosity requirements, there was also an ergonomics factor. The end-user of this device is often wearing gloves. We needed to make sure that even with gloves on, the user was able to successfully push the desired button on the keypad.
Solution
ISL created a silicone glow in the dark keypad by the means of photoluminescence. At first, the customer was skeptical about this idea due to the fact that they had specific glow time requirements. We were able to get the glow time to surpass the customer’s request, without the use of backlighting.
We met the customer’s color requirements, all three colors on this keypad glow to the customer’s desired specification. We are capable of offering almost any color combination on our keypads.
In order to meet the ergonomic requirements, we added carbon pills underneath each button to ensure precise contact with the PCB sub-straight below. We also added a secondary silicone overcoat to provide a more durable finish. Our solution has a 100K life cycle.
We created the tooling needed and currently manufacture the keypad for the customer in high volumes.
In the end, we created a solution that was energy efficient and very user friendly. The game calls these keypads are used to continue to be the customer’s top seller.
Conclusion
ISL replaced an inefficient backlit keypad with a photoluminescent silicone keypad that exceeded the customer's glow time requirements without drawing power from the device's batteries. By matching all three of the customer's desired glow colors and adding carbon pills beneath each button for precise contact, ISL delivered a keypad that remained easy to operate even when the end user was wearing gloves. A secondary silicone overcoat gave the keypad a durable finish rated for 100,000 life cycles, and ISL now manufactures the tooled keypad in high volume for the customer. This project shows how ISL can combine energy efficient materials with ergonomic design to keep a customer's product as their top seller.
