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
the best would be if you could do a parallel test of some switches to reduce the time you are watching the clicking.
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’m looking forward to seeing what happens. 
Let’s take a vote.
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.
I have a couple extra Omten 1288 lying around. You’re welcome to one if you’d like it for testing. Just PM me your info, and I’ll ship it out.
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.
The small white Convoy switch is an Omten 1288
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’.
I think the real value of this test is not in trying to find any ‘absolute’ reliability numbers, but in simply comparing switches A, B, C, D, etc. to each other. As long as they are all going to get the same treatment, the comparison should be valid. As for the reason, pflexpro is a flashlight modder/builder/seller. He has an interest in making the best possible product by using the best components within his reach. So, the comparative testing is going to help him know what to use, and will help all our BLF modders as well when he shares the info.
Thanks, pflexpro, for taking the time to not only do this test, but to share it with us!
Ahh, okay, I guess I didn’t realize that… thanks PD. and, never mind pflexpro! 
My intention for the test is to determine the durability of several ‘common’ switches that I (we) use on a daily basis…both electrically and mechanically.
I tried to choose a current, click rate and total click life that would represent a good balance between electrical and mechanical reliability.
The number of clicks* doesn’t really matter because, unless some number of the test switches fail, then the test is meaningless. I chose 20,000 clicks as a pass on the original test, but if no switches fail within that number of clicks, then I would perform a second round of testing with the original switches…it’s just, I would be happy if a switch makes 20,000 clicks running at twice it’s rating.
Since I will have the investment (both time and money) in the test rig, then it would be no problem to repurpose it for an additional ‘hot-rod’ test.
What I would need is some input on the basic test parameters…power, click rate and switch selection. It seems 10A may be good for the hot-rod test, but I’m sure, some my want the current even higher.
*I’m no longer using the term ‘cycle’ because it causes some confusion about what a cycle is…is it one click…is it on/off (two clicks)…so now I will just refer to it as ‘clicks’ and I think everyone will know what I mean.
Tail cap switches are sold separately and often require no soldering to remove/install so they are definitely easy to change. Just a retaining ring to unscrew.
I like this idea- we’ve had only sporadic empirical evidence of durability so far while other switch aspects have been covered much better.
I’m not ‘picky’ about most things but I am very picky about things functioning as expected to. I seriously doubt that I’ll ever wear out a flashlight switch but if there’s a ‘lesser’ switch in my lights I’ll soon know which one(s) could stand an upgrade and what needs to go in their place.
Subscribed!
Phil
Yes, this should be a great test.
20,000 clicks may sound like a lot, but I probably average at least 50 clicks a day across all my lights. Especially on electronic switches, there’s lots of mode switching, etc. If I used one light all the time, and did 50 clicks a day, it would only take a little over a year before I did 20,000 clicks on it.
I think electronic switches are built for well over 100,000 clicks. Mechanical ones probably a lot less.
It looks like the Omten switches are typically rated for 50,000 cycles…some are 100,000 cycles, but these numbers are based on ‘rated current’. On a good switch, I really don’t expect to see a mechanical failure at 20,000 cycles, but you never know. I’m not sure what effect increasing the current anywhere from 2.5 to 5 times the rated current will have, but it will definitely shorten electrical life and will probably shorten the mechanical life because of heat.