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iKey DT-18 Rugged Keypad
Designed for industrial environments, the iKey DT-18 Rugged Keypad offers reliable numeric input with a reinforced stainless steel enclosure that meets NEMA 4X and IP65 standards for dust and moisture resistance. Its sealed construction delivers 100% humidity resistance and supports continuous-duty use in temperatures ranging from -40°C to +70°C. The keypad features an 18-key layout with industrial silicone rubber keys rated for over 10 million actuations, incorporating tactile mechanical snap feedback for precise operation.
The DT-18 is built to endure vibration and shock conditions as confirmed by MIL-STD testing, making it suitable for deployment in vibration-prone or mobile industrial applications. It connects via PS/2 or USB interface providing compatibility across Windows and Macintosh systems. Certified for hazardous locations and compliant with EN60079, CE, and FCC standards, this field-ready keypad supports demanding industrial data entry tasks without compromising durability or accuracy.
DT-18 Features
- Industrial Grade Stainless Steel Case
- 18-Key Functionality
- Numlock Key For Secondary Keyboard
- USB, PS2 and AT/Serial Configurations Available
- Various Keyboard and Language Layout Options
- Customisation Available On Request
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Product Type
Manufacturer
Certifications & Standards
Ruggedness
IP Rating
Mounting Format
Country Of Manufacture
United States
Backlight
No Backlight
Case Material
Stainless Steel
Custom Options Products
Cable Type,Cable Length,Interface
Dimensions
5.29" x 6.02" x 1.07" (w-h-d) 134.37mm x 152.91mm x 27.2mm
Housing Colour
Stainless Steel
Humidity
100% Humidity Resistant
Cable
LENGTH: 10 feet (3 meters) DESIGN: PS/2 or AT Cable
Compatibility
PS/2: All Windows Operating Systems USB: All Windows and Macintosh OS
Entity Parameters
Ui = 6.51V, Ii = 730mA, Pi = 1.01W, Ci = 63.23, Li = 2.41uf
Flammability
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD: 94 VO SILICONE OVERLAY: 94HB INTERFACE CABLE: 94 VO
Function Keys
12 Keys
Hazardous Location Ratings
II 3 G Ex ic IIB T4 Ta = 60, IP65
Key Feedback
Tactile with Mechanical Snap
Key Material
Industrial Silicone Rubber
Key Switch
MATERIAL: Industrial silicone rubber LIFE: 10 million cycles TRAVEL: 0.055 (1.4 mm) ACTUATION FORCE: 4.74 oz +/- 1.06 oz (135g +/- 5g) FEEDBACK: Tactile with mechanical snap
Lifespan
>10 Million Actuations
No. Of Keys
18
Pointing Device
No Pointer
Power
PS/2: 50mA@5V (from Keyboard port) USB: 50mA@5V (from CPU port)
Product Weight
1.75 lbs +/- 0.10 lbs (0.79 kg +/- .05 kg)
Shock
3 x 11 ms Pulses of 50g on each of 3 Axes
Switch Force
135g (+/- 5g)
Switch / Key Travel
0.055 in (1.4mm)
Vibration
POWER SPECTRAL DENSITY: 0.04g/Hz FREQUENCY RANGE: 20Hz - 2 kHz DURATION OF TEST PER AXIS: 3 hours
Shock
3 x 11 ms Pulses of 50g on each of 3 Axes
Temperature Rating
STORAGE: -40C to +90C (-40F to +194F) OPERATING: -40C to +70C (-40F to +158F)
The iKey DT-18 Rugged Keypad is designed and engineered for use in demanding environments where reliability, durability are essential. The DT-18 supports a wide range of industries and operational applications.
Common deployment industries include: Construction, Defence And Military, Energy and Utilities, Industrial Manufacturing, Marine And Offshore, Natural Resources and Mining, Oil and Gas, Rail And Transport.
Across these sectors, the DT-18 is typically used in applications such as ATEX And Hazardous-Area Data Capture, Field Data Capture And Reporting, Industrial HMI And Machine Interfacing, Preventive And Corrective Maintenance, Process Control And Shop-Floor Monitoring, Quality Control And Inspection, SCADA And Control-Room Access, Secure Access, Authentication, And Control Terminals.
These examples demonstrate the versatility of the DT-18 across both industry sectors and real-world operational use cases. Its suitability extends well beyond the scenarios listed above, making it a flexible solution for a broad range of requirements.
For further information, or to assess whether the DT-18 is appropriate for your specific application, please contact us.
The iKey DT-18 Rugged Keypad comes with a Standard Manufacturers Limited Warranty + Option To Extend against defects in workmanship and materials, effective from the date of shipment (unless otherwise agreed in writing).
To receive service under this warranty, the eligible product, iKey DT-18 Rugged Keypad, must be presented to RUGGED in the United Kingdom.
For more information about the iKey DT-18 Rugged Keypad or to arrange repairs and services not covered by the warranty, please visit the warranty section on our website.
Do you need further details about the iKey DT-18 Rugged Keypad, or would you like to discuss a customised solution or demonstration?
At RUGGED, we recognise that every project has its own unique demands. If you have any questions about the iKey DT-18 or need a custom Rugged Keypad solution designed specifically for you, our team of technical experts are ready to assist you.
Alternative Products
Explore alternative products offering comparable features, performance, and build quality to the model you are currently viewing.
Our related solutions provide variations in configuration, functionality, and form factor to suit different application requirements. Each option has been selected to meet the same high standards of reliability and performance.
Browse the related products below to identify the most suitable fit for your deployment.
DT-18
- Reinforced stainless steel enclosure
- IP65 and NEMA 4X ingress protection
- Tactile keys with 10 million actuations
- MIL-STD vibration and shock resistance

IK-170-OEM
- NEMA 4X sealed design
- MIL-STD-461E EMI resistance
- MIL-STD-810 vibration and shock tested
- Over 10 million key actuations

IK-18
- Impact-resistant ABS polycarbonate case
- IP and NEMA 4X sealed housing
- MIL-STD shock tested with wide temperature range
- -40°C to +70°C operating range

KYB-18-OEM
- Sealed to NEMA 4X and IP-rated standards
- Tactile feedback with mechanical snap
- Operates from -40 6C to +70 6C
- Over 10 million key actuations

Having trouble finding what you're looking for?
Selecting the correct solution for your specific application and operating environment requires careful consideration.
At Rugged, our engineering and product specialists can advise on specifications, environmental suitability, mounting requirements, connectivity, and lifecycle planning to ensure the right fit for your deployment.
With extensive industry experience and a focus on reliability and performance, we help you select a solution aligned with your operational requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
RUGGED offers free technical support for the lifetime of products you purchase. This includes help with setup, troubleshooting, and integration. Support is available online or directly from the technical team
A rugged keypad is an input device specifically engineered for resilience and performance in demanding settings. Unlike conventional keypads, a rugged keypad is built to endure extreme temperatures, moisture, dust, vibrations, and impact, making it ideal for industrial, military, and outdoor applications.
These keypads often feature robust materials such as stainless steel, sealed enclosures for protection against ingress, and vandal-resistant designs. Their construction ensures reliable operation and a long lifespan, even when exposed to contaminants or subjected to heavy use. Rugged Limited offers a range of high-quality rugged keypads designed to meet diverse operational needs, providing dependable data input solutions in the toughest environments.
Rugged keypads find extensive utility across various sectors due to their robust construction and ability to withstand harsh conditions. The rugged keypad applications span from retail and commercial point-of-sale (POS) systems to industrial automation where exposure to dust, liquids, and extreme temperatures is common. These keypads are also crucial in marine environments, providing reliable data entry on ships and offshore platforms.
Furthermore, Rugged Limited’s keypads are designed for critical data input in hazardous areas, ensuring operational continuity and safety. Their durability makes them suitable for public access terminals and kiosks, where they endure frequent and sometimes forceful use. The diverse range of rugged keypad applications highlights their essential role in maintaining functionality and data integrity in demanding operational settings.
Rugged Limited offers a range of keypads designed for demanding environments, and many models feature robust waterproofing. For instance, keypads such as the RKM102 are sealed to IP67 specifications, ensuring they are waterproof and able to withstand immersion in water without damage. This level of protection makes them ideal for outdoor use or in settings where exposure to liquids is common.
When considering a waterproof rugged keypad, it’s important to check the specific IP rating of the product to ensure it meets the requirements of your application. Rugged Limited’s sealed keypads are manufactured with durable materials to prevent water ingress and maintain functionality in challenging conditions.
Rugged Limited provides a range of industrial and military-grade keypads, many of which feature backlighting options. This crucial feature ensures optimal visibility and usability in low-light environments, making our keypads suitable for deployments where consistent illumination is vital. The integration of a backlit rugged keypad design helps maintain operational efficiency and accuracy, regardless of external lighting conditions.
Our commitment to delivering highly functional and durable solutions means we prioritise features that enhance user experience in demanding settings. The availability of a backlit rugged keypad across various models underscores our dedication to meeting the specific needs of industries requiring robust and reliable data input devices.
Rugged Limited offers a range of keypads that are specifically engineered for panel mounting. These keypads are built to be robust and durable, making them ideal for integration into various industrial and demanding environments.
Our selection includes options that provide secure and seamless flush mounting, ensuring a clean and integrated look with your equipment. When looking for a Panel Mount Rugged Keypad, you can expect models designed for easy installation and long-term reliability in challenging conditions.
We specifically focus on solutions that allow for efficient and reliable operation even in the toughest settings, making Rugged Limited keypads a strong choice for applications requiring a secure and integrated Panel Mount Rugged Keypad.
Rugged Limited provides keypads specifically engineered to be a . Their design prioritises ease of use in challenging environments where operators often need to wear gloves.
Key features that make Rugged Keypads suitable for glove use include:
- Tactile Feedback: The keys are designed to provide clear, discernible feedback, allowing users to confirm key presses without needing to remove their gloves.
- Appropriate Key Spacing: Keys are spaced and sized to prevent accidental presses, a common issue when operating with gloved hands.
- Durable Materials: Constructed from robust materials, these keypads can withstand rigorous use in various industrial and outdoor settings, ensuring consistent performance.
These design considerations ensure that whether you are in a manufacturing plant, a construction site, or any other demanding environment, the Rugged Limited keypad range remains fully functional and responsive, providing reliable input capabilities.
Rugged Limited specialises in providing custom rugged keypad solutions tailored to various applications. They understand that off-the-shelf keypads may not always meet the unique demands of every project, which is why they offer extensive customisation options for their products.
When you need a custom rugged keypad, Rugged Limited can work with you to design a layout that perfectly suits your needs, ensuring optimal functionality and integration. This bespoke approach allows for the creation of a custom rugged keypad that aligns with specific operational workflows and environmental challenges.
Rugged Limited provides a comprehensive selection of keypads built to withstand challenging outdoor conditions. These keypads are engineered with features that ensure durability and performance when exposed to the elements.
Key characteristics of an Outdoor Rugged Keypad from Rugged Limited include:
- Robust Construction: Made from materials such as stainless steel, they offer excellent resistance to vandalism and wear.
- Environmental Protection: Many models feature IP (Ingress Protection) ratings, such as IP65, indicating protection against dust and water jets, which is crucial for outdoor installations.
- Temperature Resistance: Designed to operate efficiently across a wide range of temperatures, from extreme cold to intense heat.
- Illumination Options: Available with backlighting, making them usable in low-light conditions typically found outdoors.
Our commitment to quality ensures that each outdoor rugged keypad delivers consistent functionality and longevity, even in the most demanding public or industrial outdoor settings.
iKey is a US manufacturer that specialises exclusively in rugged input devices: sealed keyboards, keypads and pointing devices built for harsh and mission-critical environments. Rather than spreading across many product types, iKey concentrates on industrial-grade human interface hardware, which is reflected in its deep catalogue of desktop, panel mount, mobile mount, rackmount and OEM keyboards. Its products are engineered around sealed silicone rubber keys, reinforced housings and certifications such as IP66, NEMA 4X and MIL-STD-810G. This focus makes iKey a recognised choice for defence, emergency services, industrial manufacturing, marine and offshore, oil and gas, and other sectors where standard keyboards quickly fail.
iKey ruggedises its keyboards through sealed construction and durable materials rather than added covers. Keys use industrial silicone rubber with a dust-sealed overlay, giving tactile mechanical-snap feedback and a rated life exceeding 10 million actuations. Housings are typically ABS polycarbonate or stainless steel for impact and corrosion resistance. Many models are sealed to IP65, IP66, IP67 or IP68 and meet NEMA 4X for protection against dust and liquid ingress. iKey keyboards are also tested to MIL-STD-810G for shock and vibration, with models such as the SL-86-911 withstanding 50g shock pulses and operating across wide temperature ranges. This combination supports continuous-duty use in vehicles, control rooms and industrial settings.
iKey is known for sealed, industrial-grade rugged keyboards and pointing devices designed to keep working where consumer hardware fails. Its reputation rests on durable silicone rubber keys rated beyond 10 million actuations, sealed ABS polycarbonate and stainless steel housings, and certifications including IP66, NEMA 4X and MIL-STD-810G for shock and vibration. iKey is also recognised for its breadth: desktop, panel mount, mobile mount, rackmount, wearable and OEM formats, with options for backlighting, integrated pointing devices and hazardous-area protection. This makes the brand a frequent specification in defence, emergency services, industrial manufacturing, oil and gas, marine and offshore, and similar demanding sectors.
Yes. iKey produces dedicated keyboards for hazardous and explosive atmospheres. The BT-870-TP-EX2, for example, is rated for ATEX Zone 2 and 22 use, sealed to IP67 and NEMA 4X, and tested to MIL-STD-810G. iKey also offers intrinsically safe (IS) models such as the DT-1000-IS, which uses a stainless steel enclosure, optical isolation and separate bulkhead cables and is certified for Factory Mutual Class I, II and III hazardous zones, along with non-incendive (NI) variants. These options suit oil and gas, offshore operations, chemical, pharmaceutical and mining environments. Always confirm the specific certification on the chosen model, as ratings differ between IS, NI and ATEX variants.
Yes. iKey offers an extensive range of backlit rugged keyboards, identifiable by SLK and SLP model families, with backlighting integrated beneath the sealed silicone overlay rather than added externally. Standard backlighting is typically red, and some models such as the SLK-101-8L provide multiple adjustable lighting levels. For night-vision operations, iKey produces NVIS-compatible green backlit models, including the AK-39-NV wearable keyboard, which combines a green NVIS backlight with several adjustable brightness levels. Backlit options span desktop, panel mount, mobile mount and OEM formats, making iKey well suited to low-light control rooms, vehicle cabs, defence and emergency-services deployments where key visibility is essential without compromising the sealed, rugged design.
Yes. iKey has substantial OEM and custom capability and maintains a dedicated OEM range covering panel mount keyboards, keypads and trackballs. Many standard products are also available in OEM versions for integration into larger systems and enclosures. Customisation options recorded across the catalogue include keyboard and keypad layout, language, backlight colour, cable type and length, interface, custom logo, and epoxy or PU key coatings. iKey also produces device-specific snap-on keyboards, such as the IK-PAN-FZG1 series that latches directly onto Panasonic FZG1 tablets, and the IK-SAM-AT for Samsung. This flexibility makes iKey a practical partner for integrators and manufacturers needing input hardware tailored to a specific platform or application.
iKey builds its keyboards from materials chosen for sealing, durability and environment. Most housings use ABS polycarbonate for impact resistance and dust sealing, while models intended for corrosive, wash-down or hazardous settings, such as the DT-102-SS and DT-1000-IS, use stainless steel enclosures. Keys are made from industrial silicone rubber with a dust-sealed overlay, providing tactile mechanical-snap feedback and a rated life exceeding 10 million actuations. Some snap-on models use magnesium alloy housings with carbon-contact key technology. iKey also offers optional epoxy or PU key coatings for additional wear resistance. These material choices underpin the brand’s IP66, NEMA 4X and MIL-STD-810G performance across continuous-duty deployments.
A buyer chooses iKey when a standard keyboard would not survive the environment or the duty cycle. iKey keyboards are sealed against dust and liquids to ratings such as IP66, IP67 and IP68 with NEMA 4X, tested to MIL-STD-810G for shock and vibration, and built with silicone rubber keys rated beyond 10 million actuations. The range covers specialist needs that consumer hardware cannot meet: ATEX and intrinsically safe hazardous-area models, NVIS green night-vision backlighting, wide operating temperatures, and integrated pointing devices such as HulaPoint, FSR, touchpad or trackball. With desktop, panel mount, mobile mount, rackmount and OEM formats plus extensive customisation, iKey gives engineers a single, durable input solution for defence, industrial, marine and emergency-services use.










