Maintained Switches: Slide Switch, Toggle Switch, DIP Switch and Latching Buttons
Maintained Switches
A maintained switch retains its state until it’s actuated into a new one. Just look to the nearest wall for an example of a maintained switch -- the thing controlling your lights! Maintained switches are great for set-it-and-leave it applications like turning power on and off.
Examples of Maintained Switches
Need a really basic, no-frills ON/OFF or selector switch. Slide switches might be for you! These switches have a tiny little nub which protrudes from the switch, and it slides across the body into one of two (or more) positions.
You’ll usually find slide switches in SPDT or DPDT configurations. The common terminal is usually in the middle, and the two select positions are on the outside.
Toggle Switch
Toggle switches have a long lever, which moves in a rocking motion. As they move to a new position, toggle switches make a really satisfying “snap”.
Toggle switches are commonly SPST (two terminals) or SPDT (three terminals), though you can find them in other flavors as well. As usual, you can find them in through-hole, surface-mount, or -- probably most commonly -- as panel-mountable.
DIP switches are through-hole switches designed in the same mold as a through-hole DIP IC. They can be placed in a breadboard, in the same manner a through-hole IC might, by straddling the center area.
These switches often come in arrays of four or more separate SPST switches, with tiny little sliding levers. They were widely used in the olden days of computing, but they’re still useful for configuring a devices via hardware.
Push-buttons aren't all momentary. Some push-buttons will latch into place, maintaining their state until pressed again latching back to where the started. These can be found, for example, in stomp switches on guitar effect pedals.
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