Latching 12mm Switch with Red Light Ring

Originally designed for 12V car use, but can be used in many other DC switching applications.

Description

These switches have a red LED light ring and were originally designed for 12V car use, but can be used in many other DC switching applications.

PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• Latching 12mm switch with red light ring
• Attaching nut

KEY FEATURES OF LATCHING 12M SWITCH WITH RED LIGHT RING:

• Self Latching.  Push ON / Push OFF
• Red LED light ring with built-in current limiting resistor
• 32V @ 2A contact rating

The switch is activated by depressing it into the switch body where it latches in place.  A 2nd press deactivates the switch and the button returns to being flush with the switch body.

The red LED light ring which is sometimes called ‘angel eye’ can be wired to be illuminated at all times or to come on when the switch is activated.

Mounting

This switch mounts in a 1/2″ hole in panels up to 10mm thick.  It fastens in place with the supplied nut.

Connections

The switch is used to switch the hot power lead (typically 12VDC) or control line to accessories.  The main switch power connections use solder tails for connecting to wiring.

The LED is wired separately.  It has a built-in current limiting resistor and just needs power and ground to illuminate.  A ground wire needs to be connected to the ‘-‘ lead of the LED.  If it is desired to have the LED always be ON, the ‘+’ lead can be connected to the input (hot) side of the switch.  If it is desired to have the LED come on when the switch is activated, the ‘+’ lead should be connected to the output side of the switch.

Our Evaluation Results:

I brought in a small quantity of these switches to check them out.  Construction is an attractive chrome plated metal and appears to be sturdy.

The LED light ring provides a nice even glow around the perimeter of the button that looks nice.

The LED has a built-in current limiting resistor and works down to about 3V and up to 12V where it draws about 10mA.  Max voltage on the LED is about 20V where it is drawing about 20mA.  For higher voltages, an external resistor of 470 ohms or so should be added to keep current down to a safe level.  You can also add an external resistor if you just want the LED to be dimmer.  The LED brightness will vary with the voltage it is driven off of.

The switch is rated up to 32V @ 2A.  We tested it up to 32V @ 5A and it seemed to handle it fine other than a little self-heating and no sign of contact resistance increase, but I would limit current to something closer to 2A to be on the safe side.

The main thing to consider on this switch is that the button has to be depressed into the body about 1.5mm to activate the switch.  The button itself is about 10mm across.  If you have big pudgy fingers, this might mean it is a pinky or pencil activated switch.  This might be a nice feature if you want a switch that is hard to accidentally activate or it might just be annoying.

Also note that the switch is listed as waterproof, but I think that is a stretch.  Water resistant is probably closer to the truth.

Notes: 

1. None

Technical Specifications