Technical Documentation for Switches

The term 'switch' does not refer to the method of actuation, but to the making and breaking of circuits.

Hence you have a toggle switch (lever switch?), slider switch, push button switch, rocker switch, rotary switch, fly switch.

The first word denotes the operating mechanism.

Rocker switches can be operated by pressing or rocking.

I think the answer is to either simply say, switch it on using the on/off switch as shown etc.

Or be very specific and refer to the type of switch.

PS The fly switch is a joke....

Yes, we use that very type of latching pushbutton switch in our public safety dispatch center to take the telephone off hook, and when done talking push again and hang up the telephone, or go on hook. There are many levels of quality in those type switches, depending on application and cost.

The use of words do change over time and the changes are usually user or application driven.

Example:

Years ago cars had ignition switches and starter buttons. Today the starter button is incorporated in the ignition switch.

Multi function switch / button combinations are used quite a lot.

In the past we switched equipment on by trowing a switch. Today buttons are used to send signals to solid state relays to achieve the switching. This is done to enable automatic switching by internal or external sources.

The result of all the changes is that the original motivation to differentiate between switches, buttons etc are disappearing.

Some languages also lack enough technical words which further complicates correct translation.

The main purpose of the words is for the user to understand the purpose and use of the equipment.

One option might be to have a section in the manual defining the meaning of the terms used. (similar to law)

example:

"Emergency switch" means the red push button on the control panel.

"Power switch" means the green button on the . . .

Although this is in reply to comment #3, I just wanted to thank scradio (comemnt #3), Hendric (comment #2) and Del the cat/Clarence Darrow (comment #1).

They are all precious comments for me. Thank you so much.

Switch technically means a device for switching the signal or information from one state to another. The states could be zero and one or ON and OFF. Switching action may be a continuous change over or a momentary change over. What is being switched may differ considerably and is not limited to electrical AC/DC current.

Dear Guru Shaym:

Thanks for your comments. I greatly appreciate it.

P.S.: My indian friend wrote to me the phrases below using his mother tongue. Could you be so kind enough to let me know what it means? It is a comment about a vehicle maker.

extra ordinary services, that's why its called"Desh ki dhadkan'.

The direct translation is

Heart-Beat of Country (people).

There is one very common "switch" that is seldom seen by layman. The MICRO Switch. Your microwave oven has one, (connected to the door) and your printer, scanner, fax machine, etc. has one or more micro switches hidden somewhere....

Yes, there are some switches that are hidden and some work in non-contact way. LASER activated switches can be as far as few km away from sensing or activation points. Whales switch their path using echo from sea shore using their sonars. We can also make same thing for our own practical use. In automation switches function using sensors and in manual systems, human intervention forces the the switch action.

The only one funny switching also exists which we call AGC or automatic gain control, in which power or gain is switched linearly. Such switching action is often referred as control. These days PWM switching is used for speed control in motors, voltage and current control in power supplies and chargers, and temperature, pressure etc control in industries. Such switches are embedded in the systems. You also might have come across analog signal multiplexers, audio and video multiplexers, and communication channel multipliers, wireless transmitter and internet switches. These are also used in satellites.

Switches are also used as sensors. Micro-switches are often used as sensors. Keyboard of the computer is made of Micro-switches.

You can say that switch will switch something. what it will switch and how it will switch is to be defined separately. Easy way to say is that a switch switches some information or power.