Push-to-make (Bulgin) latching circuit interest?

Would you buy a circuit to make a push-to-make switch (like Bulgin) normal?

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willie92

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 29, 2005
Messages
296
I was wondering if there was any interest out there for a circuit that would make push-to-make switches (like the cool Bulgin switches) act more liken normal switches (i.e. push once to turn on, push again to turn off). I've got four Bulgin switches that I'm planning to use to control lighting in my case and so I've been in contact with a company to get a couple of boards made to control them. Here's a rough mock-up:

flipflopmolex-bar4-auto.jpg


It would use a standard molex to connect to the computer's power supply (the four spaces you see in the top center is where the molex would go, my rendering program doesn't have a molex graphic). The three sets of screw-down terminals on each side are for the following:

- One for the switch itself
- One for the switch LED (like the Bulgin)
- One for the load

One side of the circuit is for 5V applications and the other side is for 12V applications (like CCFLs). So you could use this circuit for nearly any computer mod you can think of.

I'm not trying to make any money off of this, but obviously the more units that are ordered, the more the per unit price goes down. Rough estimate right now is about $25 for each unit (but that's only based on an order of 10 units).

You're obviously not committed to buying anything, I'm just trying to see what the interest is.

Thanks!
 
To make a momentary switch into a latching switch, a pair of relays (one DPDT and one SPST) and transistor is all you need.

togrel.gif

see http://www.tfs.net/~petek/autoelec/simple/togrel.htm

Or you can just use four SPST relays and a pair of diodes to do the job
latchonoffsp.gif

see http://www.the12volt.com/relays/page5.asp

or even just use 5 SPST relays altogether.
latchonoffspnd.gif

see http://www.the12volt.com/relays/page5.asp

But wait, your not dealing with 20 amps you say. Well then you could use this,
latchingpowerswitch.jpg

see http://www.edn.com/article/CA472837.html
 
Very good point about the relays, but I'm looking for a little more elegent solution. Don't mean to sound snobbish, but you still get the clicking noise when relays switch over and they're still pretty bulky. That's why I'm going with a microcontroller solution. It may be a little bit of overkill, but what the hell... :D

Plus, with a Bulgin switch, you need to provide power back to the LED. Not that it would be hard to do that from any of your schematics.
 
wouldn't it be cheaper to find a place that can make bulgin-like switches and have them produce one that clicks instead?
 
Actually I don't want the clicking noise. And perhaps your right, but I think manufacturing a whole new switch would be more expensive (in set up costs anyway) than a PCB. Unless anyone knows of a switch manufacturer that I can talk to...
 
As I aside, I disassembled a Bulgin vandel resistant switch, and modded it for dual color, +/- = red -/+ = green.

It's controlling the overdrive mod in my Studebaker pickup.

Required a bit of epoxy to put it back together :)
 
It's in the truck dash :)

Maybe I can do something, I think I have one laying about that I can attack, I'll see about duplicating the mod and documenting it.

p.d.
 
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