In 2025, leading manufacturer of high performance reed relays, Pickering Electronics is celebrating 55 years of industry expertise, leadership and innovation in high voltage reed relay technology. Introduced in 1970, the company’s first high voltage reed relays, its Series 60 and 65, are still a popular choice due to their ease-of-use and reliability. High Voltage Switching Available for up to 15kV stand-off and 12.5kV switching at 50 Watts maximum, tungsten plated contacts ensure extended durability. Since then, the company has developed a comprehensive portfolio of high-performance reed relays designed for a diverse range of high voltage applications, including mixed-signal semiconductor testers, high-end cable testers, backplane testers, medical electronics, electric vehicles, solar energy systems, in-circuit test equipment, and high voltage instrumentation.
Keith Moore, CEO of Pickering Group said: “Pickering has been an innovator in high voltage switching and reed relays for more than half a century, developing an industry-leading portfolio of products and deep engineering expertise across design, manufacturing and test. To recognize this value offering and ensure we continue to serve customers in the best way possible, High Voltage Switching we are establishing a Centre of Excellence for high voltage switching. This cross-functional team will look to consolidate, leverage, share and expand the knowledge and subject matter expertise we have accumulated in high voltage switching – and put it to work for the benefit of Pickering customers.”
Pickering’s development of high voltage reed relays has been driven by customer requirements, innovative leadership in design, and manufacturing excellence, with milestones including:
- Series 60 and 65 (1970) – the first high voltage (HV) relays offered by Pickering are still widely used in many applications today, offering 15kV stand-off, 12.5kV switching up to 50 Watts.
- Series 62 and 63 (1989) – designed to bring higher voltage performance to Series 60/65, more clearance between the switch and coil means Series 62/63 can offer up to 20kV stand-off.
- Series 104 (1989) – these industry-first HV SIP (single-in-line package) reed relays proved to be a game changer for compact designs; updated in 2024 for up to 5kV stand-off, by far the smallest SIP reed relays available on the market with that capability.
- Series 67 and 68 (2015) – unique design SIP relays for up to 10kV stand-off introduced in response to customer requests for higher density packing onto PCB boards, minimizing the footprint to allow for close stacking, but retaining good clearances.
- Series 119 (2015) – miniature SIP HV relays for switching 1kV at up to 3kV stand-off, offering the smallest footprint available at this spec in the industry.
- Series 131 (2020) – even smaller than Series 119, these are Pickering’s smallest HV SIP relays for up to 1.5kV stand-off – and the smallest HV relays available in the industry.
- Series 100HV (2021) – high coil resistance (over double that of Series 104) reed relays for low power consumption, up to 3kV stand-off.
- Series 219 (2023) – Pickering’s first surface mount HV reed relays, up to 3kV stand-off – and the industry’s only SMD HV relays available with 2 Form A and 1 Form B packages.
- Series 144 (2024) – designed to handle high power levels far exceeding those of traditional dry SIL reed relays, up to 80W, with HV stand-off up to 3kV.
“The number and range of high voltage switching applications has grown enormously over the last decade – and they all have demanding requirements. For instance, the relays need large clearances between component parts (including the contacts in the reed switch) to minimize the chance of arcing, as well as contact materials that can resist the erosion that occurs when switching the signals,” notes Kevin Mallett, Technical Specialist at Pickering Electronics. “Pickering’s 55-year heritage in designing and manufacturing HV reed relays means we can match the diversity of application requirements with our broad portfolio of high performance, high quality HV relays. And with our Centre of Excellence for high voltage switching, we intend to both support current customer requirements and continue to innovate through new products.”
Pickering is renowned for its leadership and innovation in reed relays, using instrumentation-grade reed switches to ensure stable, long life (up to billions of operations). High Voltage Switching Formerless coil construction and SoftCenter technology also help to increase reliability and robustness, while its Mu-metal magnetic screening (either external or internal) enables ultra-high PCB side-by-side packing densities with minimal magnetic interaction, saving significant cost and space. Pickering relays are also known for their reliability, due to superior manufacturing and quality control processes, with 100% testing for all operating parameters, including dynamic contact wave-shape analysis with full data scrutiny to maintain consistency. Curious about how Pickering’s reed relays outperform the competition?
