Is my switch momentary or latching?

[slashandburn]

I just had a rake in my parts drawer for toggle switches (specifically for a DPDT toggle (on/off/on) for a Big Muff mod.

To my initial amazement I found half a dozen I must've ordered from rapidonline a while back (this one:
https://www.rapidonline.com/salecom-t8012a-sebq-h-dpdt-on-off-on-min-toggle-switch-75-0090)

Trouble is, upon taking them out the packet to check they were labelled correctly I noticed the damn things don't seem to latch. As in, when I flick it away from the center off position it goes right back to the middle when I remove my finger.

I think I've probably solved this already. I've either been sent momentary rather than latching switches, or I ordered momentary switches by accident

I can't see the word "momentary" on the rapid online listing, but then I can't see the word "latching" there either. The link provided is the exact item from my order history.

Assuming the mistake was on my part, how do I avoid buying the wrong switch again?

[Ice-9]

I can't see anywhere in the datasheet that mentions non latching mech either, it might sound like a silly question but are you pushing the toggle fully over into position (and stay there). While I have seen toggle switches that spring back to the centre position it would be very unusual not to say this in the docs.

[slacker]

I'm afraid they're momentary switches, the convention is when there's on or off in brackets, in this case (on) that indicates that it's momentary. These ones are latching https://www.rapidonline.com/salecom-t8012-sebq-h-dpdt-on-off-on-min-toggle-switch-75-0088 and these are one side latching and one side momentary https://www.rapidonline.com/salecom-t8012b-sebq-h-dpdt-on-off-on-min-toggle-switch-75-0089.
It's a bit crap that they don't spell that out anywhere though, even the datasheet makes no mention of it.

[slashandburn]

Cheers Slacker!

Ah i already firgured it was my own mistake.

Brackets then?   As simple as that?  Slightly frustrating but at least I know now.

So:
(ON)  OFF  (ON)   =   momentary ON positions

ON  OFF   ON   =    Latching ON positions?

I'll remember that if nothing else.

[ElectricDruid]

You sometimes see (ON) OFF ON too - latching one way but not the other. I've never found a sensible use for such a rare beastie though!

Tom

[slashandburn]

You sometimes see (ON) OFF ON too - latching one way but not the other. I've never found a sensible use for such a rare beastie though!

That would be more use to me right now than the half dozen F*$*ers I have that don't latch in either direction.

Hopefully I don't make the same mistake again!

[EBK]

Buy some SCRs and latch electronically.   

(Not a very serious answer, but in the distant past, I had fun with those little devices.)

[highwater]

You sometimes see (ON) OFF ON too - latching one way but not the other. I've never found a sensible use for such a rare beastie though!

Tom

Killswitch on a single-coil guitar; non-latching side for stutter, latching side for when you set it down?

Of course, then you have to find a giant copper thing.

[anotherjim]

You sometimes see (ON) OFF ON too - latching one way but not the other. I've never found a sensible use for such a rare beastie though!

Sequencer reset.
Latch =reset & stop.
Momentary = reset & continue.

Computer. Single-step/stop/run.

[EBK]

One more example for ON-OFF-(ON): some car headlights.  High beams on / high beams off / (flash high beams)

[ElectricDruid]

Well, I'm awarding you all 10 points each for imagination.

T.

[bluebunny]

We need more pedals with headlights.      Just sayin'...

[slashandburn]

Fullbeam might make a good name for a booster pedal.

If these switches were easier to control with you feet then they might be handy for stutter or tremolo effects, I dunno. Glitch delay type stuff, maybe. Being mini toggles I guess their mostly useless for our purposes. Shame.