THE HUMBLE SWITCH

• Base metals such as phosphor bronze,
• Semi-precious alloys containing silver,
• Noble metals including gold and platinum,
• Mercury,
• Graphite. CONDUCTOR CHOICE IS BASED ON:
  • Available touching force,
  • Required life cycles,
  • Arc resistance (during separation.)

  TOUCHING ENVIRONMENTS INCLUDE:

  • Air,
  • Oil,
  • Vacuum,
  • Inert gas.

  WIPE

  Sliding during the touching motion is sometimes provided to clean the surfaces. ("wiping contacts.")

  ARC EXTINCTION:

  • RC circuits to limit peak voltage,
  • Magnetic arc lengthening and division,
  • Oil cross blast,
  • Gas cross blast,
  • Ablation product cross blast.

  SOLID STATE PROXIMITY SWITCHES WITH MECHANICAL MOTION INPUT:

  • Inductive,
  • Capacitive,
  • Acoustic,
  • Hall effect,
  • Computer touch screens (several effects are used.)

  PACKAGED SWITCHES WITHOUT OPERATORS

  • "Micro-switches" for mechanical actuation
  • Reed switches for magnetic field actuation

    MULTIPLE POSITION SWITCHES

    • The control panels of almost all electronic instruments carry a variety of multiple position switches, either rotary or mechanically coupled push-buttons,
    • Automobile distributor,
    • Commutator (The commutator of a DC generator is a multiple position switch which converts armature AC to output DC. The commutator of a DC motor is a multiple position switch which inverts input DC to armature AC.)

    RANGE OF SWITCHING LOADS

    Switch loads vary from dry circuits with micro-amperes at micro-volts to utility circuit breakers interrupting millions of amperes at hundreds of thousands of volts.

    SOLID STATE SWITCHES WITH ELECTRICAL INPUT, (NOT ELECTRO-MECHANICAL)

    • Vacuum tube,
    • Thyratron,
    • Transistor,
    • Thyristor.
    For a full treatment, please see my book:

    "Understanding Electro-Mechanical Engineering" published by IEEE Press. It is included by McGraw-Hill in their Electronic Engineers' Book Club. Click here.

    My other books are:

    "Designing Cost-Efficient Mechanisms" published by SAE Press. This is the book which introduced and explains Minimum Constraint Design. Click here.

    "Real-World Engineering" Published by IEEE Press. How to be a successful engineer. Click here.

    Questions? Telephone me at 619-224-3494 or e-mail ljkamm@ljkamm.com. No charge!

    Lawrence Kamm

    Consulting electro-mechanical engineering.

    Resume.

    e-mail:ljkamm@ljkamm.com

    619-224-3494 phone

    619-224-3495 fax