Mercury Switch Doorbell
Mercury has been used for everything from pipe organs and furnaces to simple switches. Here we take a look at a basic mercury tilt switch and use it to operate a mechanical doorbell (with video).
component of the month
How-To: Phone Plug Tilt Switch
Here’s another cool improvised switch hack from Forrest Mims. All it requires is a spare tip/shield connector with a removable housing, and a BB or other conductive metal ball.
How-To: Mystery Electronic Switches
What can you make using the circuit from a blinky greeting card, a clear plastic antiperspirant container, and 8 switches? Mystery Electronic Switches: A great prank project that taps the qualities of magnetic reed switches. From maker Jeff Tregre’s intro: Everyone loves a good mystery. Give someone this nifty magic gadget and tell them there’s […]
How-To: Ball-in-Cage Switch
A ball-in-cage switch is a mechanical alarm switch that works on an ingenious principle. It has a single relatively unstable “open” position, in which a metal ball rests in a small divot in an insulating base, inside a cage made from two U-shaped metal staples that overlap one another without contacting. The ball is too […]
Switches Made Simple
In this video, Collin gives a comprehensive overview of the humble switch, demonstrating switches of the toggle, DIP, slide, rocker, rotary, and momentary variety, and explains the difference between SPST and DPDT switches in the process.
How-To: Forrest Mims Puff Switch
A puff switch can be useful when a user cannot be expected to activate a switch by more conventional means.
Component of the Month: The Switch
Switches are a fundamental electronic component, they come in a variety of styles and configurations, and they have many different uses. From turning on a light to controlling a robotic arm, switches are the ideal control mechanism. At the physical layer, switches control the flow of information on the Internet and launch the rockets we send off into space.
