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Operating force of these switches?


Ganryu
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I found these switches I might use for a future project.

http://www.alps.com/products/WebObjects/catalog.woa/E/PDF/Switch/Push/SPPH4/SPPH4.PDF

I have a few questions, though:

Operating force says 2+-1 N. I assume this means operating force is between 1-3N but exactly how hard is that? Like a conventional laptop key? Someone told me 1N is about 100g mass. Is that realistic?

Then there is further down a listing for actuator strength under "mechanical performance".

Actuator strength: Operating direction: 30N

Actuator strength: Pulling direction: 10N

What does this mean? I assume it has something to do with how durable it is, but you never know.

Thanks in advance!

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The values are given in "Newton" (N) which is the si-unit of force. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_(unit)) It does not have anything to do with durability but merely tells you how hard you have to push the button and how hard it'll push back :)

Thanks, but I already know what newton is. The reason I suspect it might have something to do with durability in that specific instance is because the field above is titled "terminal strength" and has a value of "5N for 1 minute" leading me to believe that it is simply the maximum force it can tolerate before breaking.

Secondly, it's because there's a such difference between the values in "operating force" and "actuator strength". The first one is 2+-1N and the second is "30N" (and 10N). There's quite a different there.

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I'm curious about something else as well. The PDF document I link in the first post for the switches has a field labelled changeover time. I assume this might have something to do with how the switch interacts with the contacts in the middle positions when it's not released completely and when it's not pressed down completely. Basically between up and down positions. It says in this field "non-shorting". What exactly does this mean?

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