CUI Devices’ Jeff Smoot explores tactile switches, answering what they are, the different types and features they have, and more.
An electrical switch, in the most basic sense, is a device that turns an electric current either on or off. If that was all you needed to know about switches, it would be a very short story. However, electrical switches come in thousands of styles, sizes, and ratings, while encompassing an even larger number of features, specifications, and footprints.
What are tactile switches?
A “tactile switch” is one type of widely used switch that completes an electrical circuit typically when pressure is applied to the device by the user, which then gives the user a perceptible “click” or haptic bump in response, indicating current flow. Current flow is turned off when the switch is released. To give a shorter definition, a tactile switch is a momentary action device whose operation is perceptible by touch. This tangible feedback gives some assurance to the user that the switch has operated and a signal has flowed. Tactile switch models are also available that turn off current when the switch is pushed and turn it back on when released. These “normally closed” tactile switches are also available from CUI Devices.
You can read the full blog, Tactile switches 101, on the Same Sky website.
