Slide Switch

Slide switches are known for providing selection of two or more switch positions for engagement of respective switch contacts. Electrical slide switches have long been used to control the operation of many devices, including volume and other controls for audio & video equipment, dimmer controls for lights among a multitude of other daily electrical products. Such slide switches have also been used for controlling the operating speed of many kinds of variable speed hand tools. In electrical slide switches a slide member is slidably repositionable to affect a switching action.

Slide switch operation can occur in conjunction with pushbutton operation to provide momentary pushbutton switch actuation in each of the slide switch positions. Slide actuated switches come in a variety of forms. A commonly used slide switch has a strip of conductor material mounted on a slider and fixed contacts connected to terminals of the switch mounted in a body. Movement of the slider relative to the body moves the strip of conductor material into and out of contact with the fixed contacts to provide a switching action. Another type of slide actuated switch relies upon the slider movement causing a pivoting movement of a conductor member from one to the other of two extreme positions. A microswitch is another very common type of slide switch which normally has at least three terminals which provide a normally OFF function and a normally ON function. Such switches can include more terminals and may have a changeover function.