Illuminated short-stroke keys and EL membranes are ideally suited for use in the dark.

There are many constructional advantages to the use of EL membranes, including their low mechanical installation height, their flexibility, and their low power requirements. An additional advantage is the homogeneous light distribution in the back-lighting process. In contrast to points of light, the electro-luminescent phosphor particles are evenly distributed on the surface of the membranes, so the membranes emit homogeneous light over the entire surface. This high degree of efficiency means that the EL membranes consume very little power. If electric bulbs or LEDs are replaced with EL membranes, the power consumption is reduced by more than 50%. Almost any design can be created, because EL membranes are manufactured using silk-screen printing.

The back-lit Profiline keypad has additional advantages such as operating life, lower power consumption and its haptic benefits. This technology makes it possible to illuminate the keys separately – the light passes through a hole in the special snap dome into the integrated acrylic inlay, where it is scattered accordingly. The easy-to-feel key element makes it much easier to use.

For some time now, Bopla has been offering a simple way to illuminate keys. By integrating a very small but high-performance LED, and by using a special snapping panel (with hole), we make very homogeneous illumination possible with the help of the inlays in our Profiline technology. In contrast to the EL membrane, individual keys can also light up selectively.

Now there are many more opportunities, thanks to the use of a special RGB-LED which also makes it possible for a key to light up in different colours. In addition to classic red, green or blue, a very wide range of mixed colours can be created with the appropriate triggering. This means that it is possible for a single key to display various situations. For example: locked status = red / switched on = green / Bluetooth connection = blue / charging = white, etc.