Vandal resistant switch

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Vandal resistant switch

Vandal resistant switches (sometimes referred to as vandal proof switches) are electrical switches

Switch

In electronics, a switch is an electrical component which can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the Electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another....
designed to be installed in a location and application where they may be subject to vandalism

Vandalism

Vandalism is the behaviour attributed to the Vandals, by the Ancient Romes, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything Beauty or venerable....
, harsh environmental conditions or simply operated very frequently and expected to survive. Pushbutton vandal resistant switches are manufactured by several companies

Company

Generally, a company is a form of business organization. The precise definition varies.In the United States, a company is a corporation—or, less commonly, an association, partnership, or union—that carries on an industrial enterprise." Generally, a company may be a "corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, Inv...
.

They are frequently constructed of stainless steel

Stainless steel

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Encyclopedia

Vandal resistant switches (sometimes referred to as vandal proof switches) are electrical switches

Switch

Vandalism

Company

Stainless steel

In metallurgy, stainless steel is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10% chromium content by mass. Stainless steel does not stain, corrode, or rust as easily as ordinary steel , but it is not stain-proof....
because of its durability and modern appearance. Such switches are often designed into panels that are also made of stainless steel, making them blend into the overall aesthetic design. The height of the button above/in front of the panel is often minimized to make it blend in better and more difficult to pry out.

Most, but not all vandal resistant switches are momentary types; that is to say they only open or close a circuit while being depressed and revert to their inactive state when the button is released. Piezoelectric

Piezoelectricity

Piezoelectricity is the ability of some materials to generate an electric potential in response to applied mechanical Stress . This may Piezoelectricity#Crystal classes of a separation of electric charge across the crystal lattice....
vandal resistant switches usually fall into this category, but generally provide a pulse signal rather than staying continuously activated during the time pressure is applied, unlike their mechanical contact-based counterparts.

Latching (Push-on/push-off) type vandal resistant switches with mechanical contacts are also available, and are often used as the power switch for equipment that is used very frequently or subjected to abuse.

Applications

Public interactive kiosks
Interactive kiosk

An Interactive kiosk is a computer terminal that provides information access via electronic methods. Most kiosks provide unattended access to web applications such as HR, Benefits, Informational and Loyalty....
Elevators
Elevator

An elevator or lift is a vertical transport vehicle that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building. They are generally powered by electric motors that either drive traction cables and counterweight systems, or pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston....
Call-in door switches
Parking lot ticket machines
Ticket machine

A ticket machine is a vending machine that produces tickets. For instance, ticket machines dispense train Paper#Applicationss at train stations and tram tickets at some tram stops and in some trams....
Moderately extreme environments
Extreme environment

An extreme environment exhibits harsh and challenging environment conditions of climate and landscape such as extremes of temperature, far outside the boundaries of what a human can comfortably tolerate....
Food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
and food service equipment
Medical electronics
Electronics

Electronics refers to the flow of charge through nonmetal electrical conductor , whereas electrical refers to the flow of charge through metal electrical conductor....
devices
Heavy duty cleaning equipment
Automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
dashboard
Dashboard

A dashboard, dash, "dial and switch housing", and sometimes fascia is a Control panel located under the windshield of an automobile....
controls
Hobbyist-customized Personal Computers
Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator....

Characteristics

Electrical Characteristics

Vandal resistant switches are often low-voltage, low current, so-called "signal" types intended to trigger a change in state, perhaps from "off" to "on" and vice-versa. The mechanical types often have gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
-plated contacts that don't corrode to allow reliable low-power switching.
A few types are capable of switching 120 or 220 Volt

Volt

The volt is the SI SI derived unit of electric potential difference or electromotive force, commonly known as voltage. It is named in honor of the Lombard physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery ....
AC power at several Amperes. These types are better suited to on-off switching of the AC power to a device than the gold-plated contact switches. They often have silver

Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
or silver-plated

Plating

Plating describes surface-covering where a metal is deposited on a conductive surface. Plating has been done for hundreds of years, but it is also critical for modern technology....
contacts to handle the higher currents that they are specified to switch. Piezo switch

Piezo switch

Mechanical Characteristics

Vandal resistant switches share a few general mechanical characteristics. They are made of durable materials such as machined brass

Brass

Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin....
or stainless steel

Stainless steel

Potting (electronics)

In electronics, potting is a process of filling a complete electronic assembly with a solid compound for resistance to shock and vibration, and for exclusion of moisture and corrosive agents....
to make them waterproof. The International Electrotechnical Commission

International Electrotechnical Commission

The International Electrotechnical Commission is a Non-profit organization, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies ? collectively known as "electrotechnology"....
has produced a standard, IEC 60529, which categorizes products' degrees of protection from liquids and dust using IP codes. A DIN

Din

DIN or Din or din can have several meanings:-* A din is a loud noise.* Deen , an Arabic language term meaning "religion" or "way of life"....
extension of the IEC

IEC

IEC may refer to:In education:* International Education Centre* Information, Education, and Communication* International Electrotechnical Commission - An international standards organization dealing with electrical, electronic and related technologies....
standard, DIN

Din

DIN or Din or din can have several meanings:-* A din is a loud noise.* Deen , an Arabic language term meaning "religion" or "way of life"....
40050-9 further defines Degree of Protection IP 69K as being able to withstand high-pressure washing

Pressure washer

A pressure washer is a mechanical device that uses high-pressure water to remove mold, grime, dust, mud and dirt from surfaces and objects such as buildings, vehicles and concrete road surfaces....
or steam cleaning

Vapor Steam Cleaners

Vapor steam cleaners use a boiler to heat tap water to high temperatures causing the water to be transformed into a very fine, dry mist. The vapor is made up of about 5 to 6% water, so surfaces dry quickly....
. This capability is needed in some particular applications, such as dairy

Dairy

A dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk—mostly from goat or cattle, but also from bovine, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption....
milking machines, and is provided by some manufacturers' products.

Illuminated (Indicator) Types

Vandal resistant switches (like some other types of switches) can incorporate indicator lights or LEDs to indicate circuit activation, deactivation or fault conditions. LEDs are used for this purpose in this style switch, being available in several colors and operating at low voltages. Single and ring-shaped groups of LEDs can thus show the current status of equipment or machines. In some products the LEDs can have two colors to show multiple status conditions, such as On(e.g. green)/Off(extinguished)/Fault(red).

Non-mechanical Types

Although mechanical contact-based switches are most commonly used for general purpose electrical switching, switches that have no moving parts are generally longer-lived. This is due to the fact that moving parts tend to wear, and wear-out occurs ar the end of a mechanical switch's life. Piezo

Piezo switch

A piezo switch is an electrical switch based on the Piezoelectric Effect.The charge generate by the piezoelectric element in the switch is typically used to turn on an integrated semiconductor device such as a field effect transistor , causing the switch assembly's output to be active, or "on"....
and Capacitive switches are the two most popular non-mechanical switch types currently available.
One advantage they have over mechanical contact-based switches is that they have no moving parts to wear out. This makes them capable of lasting for tens of millions of operations.