Would you use this switch in the signal path?

[sanaka]

Digikey Part# SW102.

It is cheap and really tiny and low profile. The conductive parts are all silver plated copper and specs seem to read about as good as say the E Switch mini toggle switches, except for life cycling durability. I was thinking of using them for low use selections like hi/lo gain, crossfeed on/off, and class A biasing on/off. The open contacts just seem iffy to look at though.

What do you think?

Peace,
Sanaka

 

[tangent]

I don't have a strong opinion on your switch either way. My main objection is that it will be hard to cut nice-looking holes for it, and I'm not wild about the esthetics of the two mounting screws you'll need. But, it should work just fine.

Regarding the open contacts, every Atari 2600 ever made uses four or six similar slider switches (much larger, though), and the Atari case has many holes and vents in it to let in dust. Now, 20+ years after they were manufactured, many of these Ataris are being brought back to life with either little or no cleaning and maintenance. Most of the maintenance goes into other parts, like the joysticks and jacks.

 

[sanaka]

Cool, thanks Tangent. I guess I'll give them a go then. Yes they will be finicky to mount nicely compared to a toggle which just needs a round hole. Luckily I have more skills for that type of work than I have electronics skills - shouldn't be too bad.

Peace,
Sanaka