Encyclopedia > Switch

Article Content

Switch

A switch is a device for making or breaking an electric circuit. The network switch and telephone switch are treated in their own articles.

Usually the switch has two pieces of metal called contacts that touch to make a circuit, and separate to break the circuit. The contact material is chosen for its resistance to corrosion, because most metals form insulating oxides that would prevent the switch from working. Sometimes the contacts are plated with noble metals. They may be designed to wipe against each other to clean off any contamination. Nonmetallic conductors, such as conductive plastic, are sometimes used. The moving part that applies the operating force to the contacts is called the actuator, and may be a rocker, a toggle or dolly, a push-button or any type of mechanical linkage.

Table of contents

1 Contact Arrangements

2 Biased Switches

3 Special Types

4 See Also

Contact Arrangements

Switches can be classified according to the arrangement of their contacts. Some contacts are normally open until closed by operation of the switch, while normally closed contacts are opened by the switch action. A switch with both types of contact is called a changeover switch.

The terms pole and throw are used to describe switch contacts. A pole is a set of contacts that belong to a single circuit. A throw is one of two or more positions that the switch can adopt. These terms give rise to the following abbreviations.

SPST = single pole single throw, a simple on-off switch.
SPDT = single pole double throw, a simple changeover or on-off-on switch.
SPCO = single pole changeover, equivalent to SPDT.
DPST = double pole single throw, equivalent to two SPST switches controlled by a single mechanism.
DPDT = double pole double throw, equivalent to two SPDT switches controlled by a single mechanism.
DPCO = double pole changeover, equivalent to DPDT.

Switches with larger numbers of poles or throws can be described by replacing the "S" or "D" with a number.

Biased Switches

A biased switch is one containing a spring that returns the actuator to a certain position. The "on-off" notation can be modified by placing parentheses around all positions other than the resting position. For example, an (on)-off-(on) switch can be switched on by moving the actuator in either direction away from the centre, but returns to the central off position when the actuator is released.

The momentary push-button switch is a type of biased switch. This device makes contact when the button is pressed and breaks when the button is released.

Special Types

Switches can be designed to respond to any type of mechanical stimulus: for example, vibration (the trembler switch), tilt, air pressure, fluid level (the float switch), the turning of a key (key switch), linear or rotary movement (the limit switch or microswitch).

The mercury tilt switch consists of a blob of mercury inside a glass bulb. The two contacts pass through the glass, and are shorted together when the bulb is tilted to make the mercury roll on to them. The advantage of this type of switch is that the liquid metal flows around particles of dirt and debris that might otherwise prevent the contacts of a conventional switch from closing.