LOOKING FOR SWITCH

4jaba6

New Member
I am looking for a small switch for a prototyping board.:

DESIRED PROPERTYS:

Push Button
On/Off ( NOT Momentary )
SPST
Preferably 4 prong ( but does not have to be )


I ordered GPTS203211B ( CW Industries )...( Digi-Key CW-181-ND )

It only had 2 prongs and I struggled to get prongs deep enough into the protoboard.
Because of only 2 prongs, it wobbled and hard to get good connection.

I spent alot of time with their tech support but was not able to get a definitive
replacement recommendation; just a couple of pages of suggestions.

In any of your prototyping projects, have you been happy with a certain switch
and will provide a recommendation.
If so, can you supply a link?

TIA, John
 

AllyCat

Senior Member
Hi,

What do you mean by "Protoboard" ? A Solderless breadboard or some commercial (single-sided, double-sided, Plated Through Hole, etc.) PCB ? Generally, switches may have larger and/or flat "pins" which are not compatible with Solderless BBs, and Prototype PCBs may need their holes enlarged. What constraints do you have over the assembly/construction/quantity/timescale/location, etc. ? Why Single Pole Single Throw? A two-way and/or two-pole type will guarantee having at least 3 pins. :)

Cheers, Alan.
 

lbenson

Senior Member
Don't know about the part, but perhaps you can move forward if you solder longer pins to the two pins on the switch. I've done that many times to make a non-suited part work on a breadboard.
 

premelec

Senior Member
FWIW sometimes a blob of epoxy putty or hot melt glue can be a solution. In general it is not sure fire practice to mount a part by it's leads when constantly subject to pressures - OK lots or tiny click switches in modern devices [and I have seen failures] that are mounted against a circuit board which takes the mechanical strains... Note you might implement on off function you need with software and single SPST PB common with 4 leads...good luck...
 

roho

Member
Hi John,

Are these the sort of switch you're looking for? I use the shorter button version of these to set the limits of travel of a servo motor, one for one direction, the other for the other direction. My prototyping is all done on 1.6mm PTH PCB, for which I designed my own footprint. They mount very flat and solid, and are easy to solder. They're also robust in operation and seem to be very reliable; I've not had any problems with them.

Roger.
 

4jaba6

New Member
Hi John,

Are these the sort of switch you're looking for? I use the shorter button version of these to set the limits of travel of a servo motor, one for one direction, the other for the other direction. My prototyping is all done on 1.6mm PTH PCB, for which I designed my own footprint. They mount very flat and solid, and are easy to solder. They're also robust in operation and seem to be very reliable; I've not had any problems with them.

Roger.
roho ( and all responders ),

Thank you for your input.

Is the "tactile" ( DTS-61N-V ) switch a "momentary" switch or a push button?
I need a "push button".

I am using a "solderless bread board".

John
 

4jaba6

New Member
Hi,

What do you mean by "Protoboard" ? A Solderless breadboard or some commercial (single-sided, double-sided, Plated Through Hole, etc.) PCB ? Generally, switches may have larger and/or flat "pins" which are not compatible with Solderless BBs, and Prototype PCBs may need their holes enlarged. What constraints do you have over the assembly/construction/quantity/timescale/location, etc. ? Why Single Pole Single Throw? A two-way and/or two-pole type will guarantee having at least 3 pins. :)

Cheers, Alan.
Ally,

Thanks for the response.
Am prototyping with a "solderless breadboard" .
I am not somewhat of a novice on switches.
Therefore a "two-way" and "two-pole" may also work.
I mainly want it to work on the breadboard and able to turn it off and then back on when I want to
( the first batch of pins I purchased were "momentary" and not suit my needs ).
Yes, the 3-4 pins would probably add the stability wanted.
Any suggestions/ links?

TIA

John
 

Buzby

Senior Member
I wouldn't mess about trying to find a switch, just get a breadboard PSU with the switch already on.


I use one similar to this. It can use different supplies, eg. wall warts or powerbanks, has selectable 3.3v/5v to the breadboard rails, and a push on/off switch.

Simples !

Buzby
 

AllyCat

Senior Member
Hi,

You need a "Latching" or "Toggle" type of switch and I suggest you look for a Double Pole and/or changeover (Double Throw) type to give the extra pins for stability. There's a nice one supplied with the D2-1 "Intelligent" Car Kit (pictured next to the IC, below the wheels), but I've never seen it sold separately. It's DPDT but only one pole is actually used (to switch the battery power), the (flat) pins nicely fit my Solderless BreadBoard and might be just long enough to make contact. But you should probably assume that any pins intended for PCB insertion may need to be extended (by soldering short wire leads) to use in a "Solderless" BB. :)

I do recall that there were some toggling "pushbutton" switches which were similar to the more normal miniature lever switches, but they were intended for panel mounting with wire (tag) connections and their action far too "heavy" to use with wires into a SBB.

Cheers, Alan.
 

4jaba6

New Member
A quick fleabay search for dpdt push button switch
View attachment 24159
john,
Thanks for the suggestion.
Is this a "momentary" switch?
Most "tactile's" are???
Can it be pushed on and stay on until pushed again to turn off?
 

4jaba6

New Member
Hi,

Are yes, quite a few sellers in China if you can be patient.

But there do appear to be some in USA if you're in a hurry. Of course I've never used this seller and the shipping to UK is enormous (and slow).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TL2285EE-Switch-Push-Button-ON-ON-DPDT-Plunger-0-1A-30VDC-Latching-PC-Pins-Thru/143337897939?hash=item215f9abfd3:g:tfEAAOSwHZBeZJUe

Cheers, Alan.
Alan,

Looks like it will work.
Just have to decide if want the UK shipping, the China distribution and the wait.
TBD
Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks also to all whom have replied!

John
 
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