Continuing our discussion on flashlight switches.
Last time we talked about mechanical switches, which are the simplest type of switch. We’ll touch on electronic switches (e-switches) today.
The goal of any switch in a light is to break the circuit to turn it on and off. Mechanical switches do this by physically breaking the path that the electricity flows through.
E-switches do it a little differently. An e-switch isn’t placed in the circuit. IT’s placed beside the circuit (That’s very simplified but works for our purposes).
When the switch is pushed it sends a signal to the LED driver, like a key on a keyboard. The computer on the driver interprets that signal as power on or change mode etc.
So what are the advantages of an E-switch?
- They have way fewer moving parts so they last longer
- Probably the biggest advantage is that they are much more compact than mechanical switches. Space is always at a premium in flashlight design, especially when you get away from the basic tube design.
- They cycle faster than mechanical as well so mode selection can be quicker.
Sounds great! Why don’t more custom flashlight makers use them?
They have some significant drawbacks as well.
- Number 1 and, I think, the most significant is that an e-switch needs power to operate. This is called parasitic drain. Basically to operate there has to be a steady trickle of power going to the driver/switch in order for it to send signals. A well designed system has very little parasitic drain. BUT.
A poorly designed driver/switch will drain your battery over a fairly short time.
- They can be sensitive to interference by other things if they're not shielded correctly.
- When they fail they're toast. A mechanical switch can sometimes be revived by taking it apart and cleaning it. Although that's generally not practical.
So which switch is best?
Neither and both😂!
I prefer mechanical switches for their simplicity but eventually I'll be forced by design choices to use some e-switches.
What's your preference for switching your light on?