Here is a preliminary schematic of the test setup.
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There will be a timed relay controlling a liner solenoid set at about 4 cycles per second.
The load will be split between parallel resistors and the LED… I’m shooting for about 5A.
I added an inductor to to the LED to make the output more consistent since my meter polls at 1 second intervals.
I also have a diode blocking the induction back to the switch. I have one resistor placed before the diode so the switch will see some induction which I think is typical in a normal flashlight circuit. The diode can be moved between the switch and all of the resistors (and inductor) if I want to remove virtually all of the induction from the circuit.
During the test, if a switch fails to latch, the light output will fall to about 1/2 output. If an internal problem occurs in the switch, the output will also fall…it should be obvious when everything is graphed out.
I will run the test for 10 minute intervals (about 2400 cycles). Once the switch has cooled, I will check the resistance of the switch and compare it to it’s initial resistance.
Please let me know if you find anything wrong with my testing logic. There are a lot of variables to consider and I may change some things when I start building and testing the setup.
4 cycles a second
Does that really mean 8 presses?
125ms to travel back and forth
Say 3mm movement in 67.5ms
The bang of stopping will be much harder then in ordinary use and fiction could raise temps also more.
I try to time and my max presses on a 2,55mm travel tail switch was 41 in 10 seconds.
~4 per second
~2 cycles.
This is going to sound interesting, please make a video.
I believe this test will give a good representative value of actual mileage we get out of these switches. Well thought out! Thank you for doing the test!!
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Though I have zero experience in any of this I was thinking 4 cycles a second seemed a bit extreme and might introduce variables that could hinder getting real world info.
In the original post, I said a cycle was one click (either on or off)…I’m not sure if this the right, but that’s what I’m calling it. Each second will consist of two ‘ons’ and two ‘offs’. I know this will be very hard on the switch, but it allows each test run to complete in around 2 hours. Also, the playing field is level…all switches tested will have the same rate, so it should be a good comparative analysis. If I’m testing 2 each of 5 switches, that will be about 20 hours total testing, plus several hours setup.
Aha
That video promesis to be good!
And well you know now that your choosen clicks per second can be done by humans, though two hours requires training lol
I don’t know if you have already built your test rig, but you might consider using a motor with a cam to activate the switch. Solenoids have a tendency to move very quickly and you may wind up breaking the plastic portion of the switch with the constant hammering rather than testing the electrical characteristics. It might be easier to build as well.
The light meter will be watching for me…I’m sure I will hear something different if a switch fails mechanically.
If it fails mechanically or electrically, the output graph will tell the tale.
It’s always going to be more difficult subjecting any product to an accelerated test of real life conditions when an operation of the switch and another one so quickly will have an accumultive effect with a build up of heat.
In real life you could operate the switch a number of times very quickly to cycle through the modes and at other times it might just be on or off minutes apart, it’s not easy to replicate but subjecting it to the worst conditions possible will definitely be a good test.
I believe that fast cycling at 5A will represent normal cycling at higher amps.
I am a little concerned about 4 clicks per second along with 5A may be too destructive.
Everyone let me know what you think.
Should the current be set lower?
Should the clicks be set slower?
Will this current and click rate cause all of the switches to fail early? An early electrical failure will not give a good representation to the mechanical ‘latching’ portion of the switch.
Should we expect more than 20,000 clicks?
All switches will be ‘playing on the same field’, so I still think the better switches will survive longer, but I don’t want to fry them with only a few hundred clicks.
Give numbers with your vote, so I can base the test on popular opinion.
Reply with something like ‘4A with 2 clicks per second’ (I really don’t want to go slower than 2 clicks per second)
Then, if applicable, test one of the switches that did survive until they enter failure mode. Multiply that number by 1.5, that will give you actual life rating of the switch. Or, what an actual user would expect to see before failure mode.
I wouldn’t set the current lower, infact I would set it higher than 5A.
8,9 or 10A would be good as that’s what they could see in a modded light. If you run the test at 4A or 5A we’ll still be left wondering what they’re capable of when they’re really pushed.
Two clicks a second is probably the speed you could operate the switch yourself so I think that’s good.
If the overall time of the test is a concern as you’re going to have to observe it then there’s nothing to stop you from from running it for 1/2, 1, or 2 hour’s, then letting them cool down and then continuing the test the next day. I don’t think it’s important to have a continuous test without any pauses.
There have been switch-failures with the hotrods that we are building. And without these type of tests we would still worship the McClicky and never have known how good our ultra-cheap and simple Omten switches actually were, even at absurd currents. Tests help getting the myths out of the air.
If RMM’s black Omten 1288 is the same as the ‘small white Omten’ found in Convoys, then I have plenty of those and already have them listed in the ‘switches to be tested’.
!