The Challenge:

To characterize the performance of of push buttons on control panels for consistent operation and life cycle analysis:

• What is the minimum force required to operate the button?
• What is the maximum force a button can withstand without breaking?
• Life cycle of a button operated at a specific force?
• Life cycle of a button operated beyond the specified force?

How it works:

This solution allows the user to monitor forces applied on the push buttons and capture this data for analysis.

Diagram:

Results:

Solution:

By integrating Miniature Load Cells with a linear actuator one can build a system that applies force cyclically.  Using our digital USB output option or using the 0-5V analog output action a user can capture data such as max/min force, number of cycles etc. and analyze data in Excel Matlab or other statistical analysis packages to optimize panel and button design.

Alternatively the user can use the DQ-1000A device to get a 0-5V Analog voltage output that can be directly input into a DAQ or PLC.

Parts Used:
1 iLoad Mini Digital Load Cell
1 DQ-1000U or DQ-1000A
LoadVUE (LV-1000) software

Total time to setup:
30 minutes