I was watching an F3J video from Les Stockley from NZ and he showed that he replaces his slider radio switches out for heavy duty toggle switches. Claims cycles move from 5000 to 50000 by moving to a high quality toggle.

http://electrical.hardwarestore.com/...-switches.aspx

My question is do any F3J guys use these and do you use a three pole or two pole and not hook up a charge lead through the switch as traditional.

RCSoaring.co.nz - How-To Series - 2. 'Servo Installations' (6 min 34 sec)

Any advice would be appreciated, I know the slide switches are not good but what are some of your experiences.

Thanks

I use plugs, like the Deans two pin connector myself. They are simple, change them out yearly, and are small.

Marc

I put one of these in my Sprite 2M: http://www.frys.com/product/2860284

In the off position I wired the charging jack; the on position goes to the RX. Feels very solid and easier to use than a slider.

Here's somebody elsr that uses a toggle http://kevin-newton.blogspot.com/2001/01/switches.html
Seems like a good idea.
Dave

Slide switches themselves are not bad, any switch that has contacts that "wipe" during opening and closing are really good, it keeps the crud off. Some toggles do not, some do a little.

The most important thing in a switch (other than the mechanicals) is the material of the contacts. This alone will make a switch a good one or a bad one.

So how do you know which is better, I really do not know other than the spec sheets and the price. Generally you get what you pay for.

Jack

Oh BTW, same goes for relays. I used to do electrical in the auto industry and it was a constant fight with the budget to keep high quality switch gear and relays in the car. Relcalls are really expensive in that industry so we used high reliable stuff.

Jack

Thanks for the help. Looks like three pole is the way to go if you want to use a charging jack off the switch. I did notice on the blog he used epoxy to cover the solider joints. I have heard this breaks down over time and could cause issues. I looks the pole switches as they seem a strong on/off position vs a slider.

Gosh, made that vid ages ago for a sponsor. I still use them, still make them myself, have thrown one away recently due to being suspect, when they cost only a few $ to make its not worth it unless you are 100% sure of them.

The one linked a few posts up looks good, you'll note its rated to 60000 cycles. Personally I just use SPDT though, dont worry about double pole. I was in the air force until recently so had access to electrical potting epoxy and silicon compounds etc, now I just use heatshrink.

Wiring them is easy, use a female rx and 2 male rx leads. Positive of the female goes on the middle terminal, positive of a male lead goes on each of the outer terminals. All 3 negative leads get wired and soldered together. So one side of the switch will put power to the rx, and the other side when switched off will provide charging access via the other servo lead. If its not clear I can post a pic/circuit diagram for you.

Regards, Les.

Well here is something new and interesting I ran accross at Planet Soaring

Magnetic switch

http://zepsus.com/magnetic-switch/

Thanks Les, your discription is good enough!

Hmmmm,,,, 5,000 cycles vs 50,000 cycles ??

Maybe if I sat at home flicking the on/off switch every night for a couple of hours while watching the telly then this might be important. Changing a switch harness (along with the rest of the wiring) every couple of years is cheap insurance against broken wires and corroded plugs as well as possible switch failure.

I suppose the other main issue is the voltage drop across the switch, but without testing the two switches back-to-back it would be impossible to comment.