Electrical Switches

By
H042 Parth Sampat
H043 Rushin Shah
H044 Mohit Shah

Objectives: At the completion of this lesson

you will be able to:

Explain the difference between the various types of switching devices

Explain the operating principles for the various types of switches

Determine application criteria as it relates to the various switching

devices

Properly diagnose problems with switching devices and their related

circuits

Introduction:
Commonly

used to control the on/off function of a

component and/or circuit
Also used to direct the current in an electrical circuit
May also be used as momentary contact switches
The term pole(s) refers to the number of input
circuits of the switch
The term throw(s) refers to the number of output
circuits of the switch
Switches may be normally open (NO), or normally
closed (NC) depending upon the application
May be used on either power or ground side of circuit

Classifications of Switches

Mechanical Switches

Momentary Switches
Latch Switches

Electrical Switches

Important Terms
Pole- The number of separate circuits the switch can control.
Throw- The number of different output connections each
switch pole can connect its input to.

SPST Switches
Single

pole input
Single pole output
A set of contacts inside the switch
opens or closes the circuit
The contacts carry the current load
of the circuit when closed

SPDT Switches
One

input circuit (pole)

Two output circuits (throws)
Only one output is energized at a time
Contacts carry the current load of circuit

DPST Switches

Not 2 throws because of mechanical connection

Both armatures make contact at same time- one closed
position

DPDT Switches
Double throws because of two different circuits
Both armatures make contact at same time- Both
closed position

Ganged Switches (MPMT)

Contain

multiple wipers
that operate in unison
Contacts may carry current
load of circuit
Contacts may supply
current to an
electromagnetic switch

Types of Latch and Momentary operation

switches

Push Buttons

Toggle switch

Push Buttons

This button is used in many electronics circuits and can

handle a small amount of current.

A SPST type switch

Switch contacts are spring
loaded
Closing the circuit requires
overcoming spring pressure
Circuit is opened by spring
Switch is (NO)

Toggle Switch

Toggle switches are actuated by

a lever angled in one or more
directions.
This switch is stable in state and
remain in that state unless or
until lever is pushed in another
direction.
Most of all household
applications have toggle switch
and it can fall into any category
as mentioned above e.g. SPST,
DPDT etc.

Mercury Switches

A SPST type

switch
Uses mercury as the conductor
for the contacts
Accurate mounting of mercury
switches is essential to proper
operation
Used on ground side of circuit

Pressure Switches

Can be used on either power or

ground side of circuit
Switch is turned on/off by
pressure rather than a
components movement
Switch may carry current load of
circuit
Switch may be used as a type of
position switch for a solid state
control device

Foot Switch

Safety foot switches are mounted on

machines and plants as permissive switches
in cases where manual operation is not
possible.
All safety foot switches are mounted with a
shield to protect against unintentional
operation.
When the foot pedal is actuated to as far as
pressure point, the NO contact is closed.
If, in case of danger, the pedal is actuated
beyond the pressure point, then the positive
break NC contact is opened and
mechanically latched.
Reset operation is carried out by means of a
push button. During the reset operation, the
switch does not move through the
switching-on point

Reversing Switch

Switch that has four terminals

capable of being connected in
pairs in two different ways so as
to reverse the direction of current
flow
Works on the concept of DPDT

Knife Switch

It is composed of a hinge which allows a

metal lever, or knife, to be lifted from or
inserted into a slot or jaw.
The hinge and jaw are both fixed to an
insulated base, and the knife has an
insulated handle to grip at one end.
Current flows through the switch when the
knife is pushed into the jaw.
Knife switches can take several forms,
including single throw, in which the "knife"
engages with only a single slot, and double
throw, in which the knife hinge is placed
between two slots and can engage with
either one.
Multiple knives may be attached to a single
handle and can be used to activate more
than one circuit simultaneously.

Electrical Switches

Transistor

Mosfets

Relays

Transistor

Transistor can be used in different mode

of operation but we are going to discuss
the transistor as a switch.
If we apply a large amount of current at
the base of the transistor (keeping in mind
the maximum allowed current for the this
type of transistor) then we can run this
transistor in deep saturation mode i.e. this
transistor can be used as a switch.

Working Of a Transistor

Cut Off Region : Operating conditions of a

transistor are ib =0 Ic =0 and Vce =max.This
results in a large depletion layer and no current
flowing through the device. Therefore the
transistor is switched Fully-OFF.

Saturation Region : The maximum amount of

base current is applied, resulting in maximum
collector current resulting in the minimum
collector emitter voltage drop which results in
the depletion layer being as small as possible and
maximum current flowing through the transistor.
Therefore the transistor is switched Fully-ON.

Cut-off characteristics
The input and Base are grounded ( 0v )
Base-Emitter voltage VBE < 0.7v
Base-Emitter junction is reverse biased
Base-Collector junction is reverse biased
Transistor is fully-OFF ( Cut-off region )
No Collector current flows ( IC = 0 )
VOUT = VCE = VCC = 1
Transistor operates as an open switch

Saturation characteristics
The input and Base are connected to VCC
Base-Emitter voltage VBE > 0.7v
Base-Emitter junction is forward biased
Base-Collector junction is forward biased
Transistor is fully-ON ( saturation region )
Max Collector current flows ( IC = Vcc/RL )
VCE = 0 ( ideal saturation )
VOUT = VCE = 0
Transistor operates as a closed switch

MOSFET
MOSFET stands for Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor
The minimum ON-state gate
voltage required to ensure that the
MOSFET remains ON when
carrying the selected drain current
can be determined from the v-i
transfer curves above.
Likewise, when VIN is LOW or
reduced to zero, the MOSFET Qpoint moves from point A to point
B along the load line. The channel
resistance is very high so the
transistor acts like an open circuit
and no current flows through the
channel.

Cut-off characteristics
Here the operating conditions of the transistor are zero input gate
voltage ( VIN ), zero drain current ID and output voltage VDS =
VDD. Therefore for an enhancement type MOSFET the
conductive channel is closed and the device is switched OFF.
The input and Gate are grounded ( 0v )
Gate-source voltage less than threshold
voltage VGS < VTH
MOSFET is OFF ( Cut-off region )
No Drain current flows ( ID = 0 )
VOUT = VDS = VDD = 1
MOSFET operates as an open switch

Saturation Characteristics
In the saturation or linear region, the transistor will be biased so that the
maximum amount of gate voltage is applied to the device which results in
the channel resistance RDS(on being as small as possible with maximum
drain current flowing through the MOSFET switch. Therefore for the
enhancement type MOSFET the conductive channel is open and the device
is switched ON.
The input and Gate are connected to VDD
Gate-source voltage is much greater than
threshold voltage VGS > VTH
MOSFET is ON ( saturation region )
Max Drain current flows ( ID = VDD / RL )
VDS = 0V (ideal saturation)
Min channel resistance RDS(on) < 0.1
VOUT = VDS = 0.2V due to RDS(on)
MOSFET operates as a low resistance closed
switch

Electromagnetic Switches
Also

called a relay
Uses a small amount of
current to control a higher
amperage circuit
Relays are (NO) type
circuits
Often controlled by low
amperage switch circuit

The Relay Switch Circuit

Relays are electromechanical devices that use an electromagnet to
operate a pair of movable contacts from an open position to a
closed position. The advantage of relays is that it takes a relatively
small amount of power to operate the relay coil, but the relay itself
can be used to control motors, heaters, lamps or AC circuits which
themselves can draw a lot more electrical power.
The Electro-mechanical Relay is an output device (actuator) which
come in a whole host of shapes, sizes and designs, and have
many uses and applications in electronic circuits. But while
electrical relays can be used to allow low power electronic or
computer type circuits to switch relatively high currents or voltages
both ON or OFF, some form of relay switch circuit is required to

An Electromagnetic Switch in a Horn Circuit

Switch/Circuit Diagnosis
Tools and Methods:
Test Light
Continuity Light
Jumper Wire
DVOM