

| Subject: | Ignition switch -- construction |
| From: | David Beierl |
| Date: | Sun, 14 Nov 2010 02:06:22 -0500 |
The key-in switch would please Rube Goldberg or that British fellow. But other than that, it's quite a clever design. It's a break-before-make switch with a cam profile built into the perimeter. The brass rotating contact has a cam follower on the end, so it gets lifted off the 30 contact in between switch positions. Thus it makes wiping contact with the brass terminal ends before the chunk of silver in the middle is lowered onto the silver 30 contact with a (very) slight rotating motion. It is *not* snap-action, so the speed with which it makes and breaks contact with the 30 terminal directly depends on how fast you turn the key. On the one I just took apart (aftermarket MWO brand, all white plastic) the silver contact connected directly to the 30 terminal was worn concave in the middle, a bit pitted, and the contact area covered with black "stuff," parts of which had a burnished appearance. Some of it wiped off easily and some did not. It's my opinion that this represents contamination from grease used to lube the switch moving parts, but I can't prove it. Turning off your loads before switching off (especially big inductive loads like the blower motor) would probably contribute to the longevity of the switch as there would be less arcing between the contacts as they open. Yours, David
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