• APEM Components

Switch Joysticks

APEM joysticks are easy to use, reliable and designed for extremely long service lives. Four series are offered, based on different technologies: switch joysticks, proportional joysticks and contact less joysticks are robust joysticks based on standard micro switches, which can switch 6A, 10A and up to 16A. They are designed for screw or bush mounting and are offered as a low cost solution for non-proportional control.

It  is a versatile range of low cost switch joysticks and is ideal for light to medium duty environments where proportional control is not a necessity. Configurable with either single or double pole switching, the can also be specified as screw or bush mounted. The switches employed determine the joystick construction. There are two possible construction options, based on the use of either V3 or V4 switches. V4 switches may be specified with 6A or 10A operation, yielding a smaller joystick than the construction employed for V3 switches that yields up to 16A operation.

Three switch options are specified as standard. All are configured with changeover contacts, allowing the user flexibility of connection.

V4 - 6A/240V AC should be specified where the joystick would be switching smaller current levels. These switches are supplied with gold flash terminals to ensure reliable switching at very low current levels.

V4 - 10A/240V AC should be specified where the joystick would be switching larger current levels.

V3 - 16A/240V AC should be specified where the joystick would be switching even greater current levels.

Note: The construction of the joystick employing V3 switches is not available with as many configuration options.

The type of application and parameters such as load heavily determines life and reliability of the switches. They will be happy to provide further advice about the expected switch performance under differing loads or DC supplies.

All are supplied with an open square gate. As a standard option the joystick may be supplied with an additional limiter set, that allows the customer to retrofit limiters to reduce the travel to single axis (-), cross (+) or diagonal (X) operation.

Joysticks are supplied as standard without a cable harness, allowing the user flexibility of connection. Alternatively the joystick may be factory configured with fitted limiters or cable harnesses, upon customer request.

Two gaiter options are offered as standard to provide an IP65 above-panel seal. When specifying a bush mount joystick please select gaiter option 5. Alternatively gaiter option 1 should be selected for 4 point screw mount joysticks. As standard, an adhesive P.V.C sealing gasket is supplied with all bush mount joysticks, to ensure a good seal between the joystick body and the panel.

The construction of the joystick is designed such that both switches nominally trigger simultaneously. Such simultaneous triggering is subject to a +/-3 degree tolerance (between switches) owing to the mechanical tolerances and hysterisis of each switch.

It is available in two mounting options, four-point screw mount or bush mount. The V4 screw mount option is supplied with M2.5 x 20mm screws, whereas the larger construction of V3 screw mount joystick is supplied with M2.5 x 25mm screws. All screws supplied are slotted, pan head machine screws.

Lever option 5 provides for a low profile above the panel (41mm), this option is very popular for those applications requiring a compact, stubby design. Lever option 1 is an additional 5mm taller. Lever option 6 should be specified for a push button handle, and lever option 7 is designed for V4 di-pole, or V3 constructions.