Switch

: This article is about electrical switches. For other meanings of the word "switch", see Switch (disambiguation).

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), or presence of a magnetic field (the reed switch).

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The mercury 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.

Related Topics:
Mercury switch - Mercury - Glass - Short

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Other types of switch include:

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• centrifugal switch
• DIP switch
• Hall-effect switch
• toggle switch