Light Switch (Page 5): There was an engineer where I worked who previously worked for HP. His claim to fame was a patent for the snap action keys on the HP calculators. I can remember...

frankco Loc: Colorado

There was an engineer where I worked who previously worked for HP. His claim to fame was a patent for the snap action keys on the HP calculators. I can remember having a TI calculator in the 70s, think red led 7 segment display. It set me back $70. If you hit the number slow you might get 5 entries instead of the single character you were trying to enter. This patent addressed that for HP. The electrical noise from switch bounce wrecks havoc on digital circuits.
On a related subject; about 10 years ago we were converting to a RoHS lab for our electronics in order to sell product in Europe. RoHS regulations were put in place to limit hazardous substance in products. The big one being lead. Another was cadmium, think Chinese toothpaste. It's used on relay contacts and I would assume, light switches. Its purpose is to quench electric arcs. Last I'd heard was they were trying to grandfather in allowing cadmium for coating contacts as there isn't a better alternative. Without the coating the life of contacts are greatly reduced.

scallihan Loc: Tigard, OR

One of my recessed ceiling fixtures did not turn on one day, so I went out and bought a new one. It still didn't turn on. So I bought a new switch and replaced the old one. Voila! I love the flat rocker switches that you just press with your wrist, hand, elbow, knee, whatever is most handy with you're loaded with groceries. Now I want to replace all the switches in my house with those! Of course, with the Internet of Things and Siri or Alexa, one can turn lights on and off with voice control or phone.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

Kmgw9v wrote:

I paid $1.02 at Home Depot for a replacement bathroom wall switch just two days ago. It looked exactly the same as the faulty switch.
Should I worry?

No

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Longshadow wrote:

Definitely.
You do NOT want to mix them up.

"Mixing Up" is my middle name. I hope I remember to turn off the circuit breaker. If I forget, the wiring will remind me.

rustfarmer

One more strange one that might help someone else. We had aa incident where a four way set of switches stopped working such that two of the three would do absolutely nothing. A small child had cleverly put the third switch exactly in the middle so that nothing worked. Again, a better switch would not allow this.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

rustfarmer wrote:

One more strange one that might help someone else. We had aa incident where a four way set of switches stopped working such that two of the three would do absolutely nothing. A small child had cleverly put the third switch exactly in the middle so that nothing worked. Again, a better switch would not allow this.

Yea, one can do that with a pair of silent three-ways also. Set the rocker in-between the contacts.

clickety

marine73 wrote:

So you can hear the contacts complete the circuit to turn on the light and open the contacts to turn off the or close the circuit

Otherwise some would have to ask us if the lights were on💡and there’d be pages of discussion.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

clickety wrote:

Otherwise some would have to ask us if the lights were on💡and there’d be pages of discussion.

BUT, do the lights want to be turned on.....

olddutch Loc: Beloit, Wisconsin

jerryc41 wrote:

After fifty-nine years, the three-way light switch... (show quote)

Years back the Switches that didn't click were Mercury Switches...

clickety

Longshadow wrote:

BUT, do the lights want to be turned on.....

Unfortunately there are the all too frequent headaches.

Sendai5355 Loc: On the banks of the Pedernales River, Texas

Remember to switch off the breaker.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Sendai5355 wrote:

Remember to switch off the breaker.

Yea, otherwise what trips your breaker may be YOU!

BebuLamar

Longshadow wrote:

Yea, otherwise what trips your breaker may be YOU!

The problem is unless your breaker is GFCI it won't trip but then we wouldn't know because we won't see your post on the UHH anymore.

LXK0930 Loc: Souh Jersey

Cheap switches/outlets means that you will have to replace them more often in high-usage areas.
However, be sure that any electrical stuff is UL approved.
Also, buy from reputable vendors. I have heard that there is a lot of counterfeit UL stuff on places like EBAY.

BebuLamar

LXK0930 wrote:

Cheap switches/outlets means that you will have to replace them more often in high-usage areas.
However, be sure that any electrical stuff is UL approved.
Also, buy from reputable vendors. I have heard that there is a lot of counterfeit UL stuff on places like EBAY.

If you can run out to local Home Depot and buy a switch for 97 cents why would one buy from EBAY?