17 Facts About Load switch

In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another.

The most common type of Load switch is an electromechanical device consisting of one or more sets of movable electrical contacts connected to external circuits.

An ideal Load switch would have no voltage drop when closed, and would have no limits on voltage or current rating.

The ideal Load switch is often used in circuit analysis as it greatly simplifies the system of equations to be solved, but this can lead to a less accurate solution.

For example, a "2-pole" Load switch has two separate, parallel sets of contacts that open and close in unison via the same mechanism.

However, when the switch is flicked, the resistance must pass through a state where a quarter of the load's rated power is briefly dropped in the switch.

The momentary push-button Load switch is a type of biased Load switch.

The most common type is a "push-to-make" Load switch, which makes contact when the button is pressed and breaks when the button is released.

An example of a push-to-break Load switch is a button used to release a door held closed by an electromagnet.

Rotary Load switch operates with a twisting motion of the operating handle with at least two positions.

The Load switch is layered to allow the use of multiple poles, each layer is equivalent to one pole.

Usually such a Load switch has a detent mechanism so it "clicks" from one active position to another rather than stalls in an intermediate position.

However, the phrase "toggle Load switch" is applied to a Load switch with a short handle and a positive snap-action, whether it actually contains a toggle mechanism or not.

Since the electrical contacts are exposed, the Load switch is used only where people cannot accidentally come in contact with the Load switch or where the voltage is so low as to not present a hazard.

Disadvantages of the knife Load switch are the slow opening speed and the proximity of the operator to exposed live parts.

FootLoad switch is a rugged Load switch which is operated by foot pressure.

Analogue Load switch uses two MOSFET transistors in a transmission gate arrangement as a Load switch that works much like a relay, with some advantages and several limitations compared to an electromechanical relay.