Boy, toggle switches are sure expensive

[Digital Larry]

I'm looking at models by NKK and C&K and Switchcraft.  About the cheapest I can find from US distributors (Digikey, Mouser) is roughly $2.50 in small qty.  I need 3 of them for my board at least for prototyping.  That doesn't really bother me but it's pretty steep for commercial use.  Slide switches would be OK but it's a challenge to cut rectangular holes in the enclosure.  I wouldn't mind alternate action pushbutton with mechanical or LED indicator, just haven't dug into those enough to see what costs are.

Anybody found something affordable, sturdy, and easy to work with?  I would like to hear your experiences or suggestions.

[Ben Lyman]

I'm not a big fan of using mini toggles at all, "more switches and knobs equals less music"
but these are 47c at Tayda so I keep a little pile of them around for experimenting with my own pedals:
https://www.taydaelectronics.com/electromechanical/switches-key-pad/toggle-switch/mini-toggle-switch-spdt-on-on.html

not sure where to get the good stuff if I need it,  is Switchcraft the best or is there some other brand I should be on the look out for?

[EBK]

not sure where to get the good stuff if I need it,  is Switchcraft the best or is there some other brand I should be on the look out for?

Taiway is a decent brand.  That's what Smallbear sells.

[davent]

The NKK i usually end up with are usually around $6 cdn from Digkey if i recall correctly.

I've found a local source for nice small sliders ~$2 each and in a soft aluminum enclosures it's real easy to cut the slots if you have a correct layout, 'good' tiny files and a jewelers saw can be handy.





dave

[anotherjim]

Miniature panel mount toggles from Salecom or SCI. These can be 4 to 5 times cheaper than NKK.

[Mark Hammer]

You generally get what you pay for.  I've found some cheaper toggles don't hold up well to high heat, and easily result in wibbly lugs.  If you are going to go "economy", make a point of scraping the solder lugs so they're shiny, if they don't come that way, tin whatever you want to solder to them, as well as the lugs, and wipe a little liquid flux on them.  YOu want to get in and out of there with the least heat possible.

[EBK]

What Mark said, plus let it cool a bit between soldering each lug

[Digital Larry]

I replaced a toggle for a local guy and heated it a bit too much.  It was stuck.  I pried the clips off and disassembled it (being desperate, didn't want to wait another week for a new one to show up - plus that mofo was twelve bucks).  Put it back together, put super glue on the sides and a vise grip to hold it in place.  Recovered and works now, but I really don't like doing that sort of thing.

[Beo]

A buck fifty here:
http://www.bitcheslovemyswitches.com/#!/Toggle-Switches/c/5027543/offset=0&sort=normal

[Ben Lyman]

I love BLMS and I always buy all my jacks and stompswitches from Lawrence.
Those mini toggles appear to be the same ones at Tayda for .47c and the only time I had one fail was one I bought from BLMS for $1.50

[GGBB]

I've been buying E-Switch as they come in about the cheapest from Digikey. They are as good as or better than anything else I've used - quite excellent.

[Digital Larry]

Thx for the suggestions.  BLMS "looks" like E-switch but they don't have spec sheets online so it's just a guess.  Think I'll order these thru Digi-Key, PCB footprint for SPDT seems common across a few brands.

Cheers,

DL

[GGBB]

The BLMS switches don't quite look the same as my E-Switches - Some of the BLMS pics show an underwriters labs symbol alone on one side of the body where E-Switch would have their "E". But a lot of them look very similar - E-Switch, Carling, Taiway, TE, C&K ... and who knows if the pictures are of the actual switches. My guess is that BLMS are unbranded which he sources out himself - and could be made by one of those brands.

[Ben Lyman]

Here's an assortment from BLMS that I bought at different times over the past year or so:

the 3-way (on-off-on) type on the bottom left is the only one that has failed so far.

[Ben Lyman]

Here's an assortment from Tayda, same purchase history:

As you can see, what you get all depends on what they can get at the time.
They all look the same to me (aside from a stamp) which is why I wondered if I should be looking around for something else

[EBK]

Never thought I'd be jealous over someone's collection of toggle switches....

[GGBB]

They all look the same to me (aside from a stamp) which is why I wondered if I should be looking around for something else

All of the E-Switches I have right now have the E-Switch logo on the opposite side of the switch position labels. I think most of the branded ones do this - Carling etc. Yours just have the underwriter's symbol which suggests unbranded to me. Could very well be from the E-Switch factory though - could be that many brands come from the same manufacturer.

[thermionix]

All made by the same nekkid 8-year-old slaves in China.

Or maybe not.

[bluebunny]

I've never had a problem with the cheapy ones from Tayda.  Managed to muller some more expensive ones from Farnell, though...     YMMV, of course.  Just go easy with the heat as others have already noted.

[anotherjim]

The only toggles I've had trouble with are the sub-mini type with plastic panel nut bushes. I've never actually broken the bush (though it's easy to damage the threads), but the contacts are very easily damaged by soldering heat.