Editing Switch (section)

==Actuator==
The moving part that applies the operating force to the contacts is called the ''[[actuator]]'', and may be a '''toggle''' or ''dolly'', a '''rocker''', a '''push-button''' or any type of mechanical linkage ''(see photo).''

===Biased switches===
A switch normally maintains its set position once operated. A biased switch contains a mechanism that springs it into another position when released by an operator. The momentary [[push-button]] switch is a type of biased switch. The most common type is a "push-to-make" (or normally-open or NO) switch, which makes contact when the button is pressed and breaks when the button is released. Each key of a computer keyboard, for example, is a normally-open "push-to-make" switch. A "push-to-break" (or normally-closed or NC) switch, on the other hand, breaks contact when the button is pressed and makes contact when it is released. An example of a push-to-break switch is a button used to release a door held closed by an [[electromagnet]]. The interior lamp of a household [[refrigerator]] is controlled by a switch that is held open when the door is closed.

===Rotary switch===
{{main|Rotary switch}}
[[File:Rotaryswitch.gif|thumb|A three-deck stacked rotary switch. Any number of switching elements may be stacked in this manner, by using a longer shaft and additional spacing standoffs between each switching element.]]

A rotary switch operates with a twisting motion of the operating handle with at least two positions. One or more positions of the switch may be momentary (biased with a spring), requiring the operator to hold the switch in the position. Other positions may have a detent to hold the position when released. A rotary switch may have multiple levels or "decks" in order to allow it to control multiple circuits.

One form of rotary switch consists of a spindle or "rotor" that has a contact arm or "spoke" which projects from its surface like a cam. It has an array of terminals, arranged in a circle around the rotor, each of which serves as a contact for the "spoke" through which any one of a number of different electrical circuits can be connected to the rotor. The switch is layered to allow the use of multiple poles, each layer is equivalent to one pole. Usually such a switch has a detent mechanism so it "clicks" from one active position to another rather than stalls in an intermediate position. Thus a rotary switch provides greater pole and throw capabilities than simpler switches do.

Other types use a cam mechanism to operate multiple independent sets of contacts.

Rotary switches were used as channel selectors on television receivers until the early 1970s, as range selectors on electrical metering equipment, as band selectors on multi-band radios and other similar purposes. In industry, rotary switches are used for control of measuring instruments, [[switchgear]], or in control circuits. For example, a [[radio control]]led overhead crane may have a large multi-circuit rotary switch to transfer hard-wired control signals from the local manual controls in the cab to the outputs of the remote control receiver.

===Toggle switch===
[[File:Electronic-Component-Four-Switch.jpg|thumb|A toggle [[DIP switch]] with four inputs and outputs]]
[[File:Nova1200.agr.jpg|thumb|Bank of toggle switches on a [[Data General Nova]] [[minicomputer]] front panel]]
[[File:Toggle switch logic.jpg|thumb|Toggle switches with the shared cover preventing certain forbidden combinations]]
{{Redirect|Toggle switch|computer user interface element|Toggle switch (widget)}}
A '''toggle switch''' or '''tumbler switch''' is a class of electrical switches that are manually actuated by a mechanical [[lever]], handle, or rocking mechanism.

Toggle switches are available in many different styles and sizes, and are used in numerous applications. Many are designed to provide the simultaneous actuation of multiple sets of [[electrical contact]]s, or the control of large amounts of [[electric current]] or [[Mains electricity|mains]] voltages.

The word "toggle" is a reference to a kind of mechanism or joint consisting of two arms, which are almost in line with each other, connected with an elbow-like pivot. However, the phrase "toggle switch" is applied to a switch with a short handle and a positive snap-action, whether it actually contains a toggle mechanism or not. Similarly, a switch where a definitive click is heard, is called a "positive on-off switch".<ref>{{cite book|last=Gladstone|first=Bernard|title=The New York Times complete manual of home repair|date=1978|publisher=Times Books|pages=399|isbn=9780812908923|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q9VGAAAAYAAJ&q=heard|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329030338/http://books.google.com/books?id=Q9VGAAAAYAAJ&q=heard|archive-date=2014-03-29}}</ref> A very common use of this type of switch is to switch lights or other electrical equipment on or off. Multiple toggle switches may be mechanically interlocked to prevent forbidden combinations.

In some contexts, particularly [[computing]], a toggle switch, or the action of toggling, is understood in the different sense of a mechanical or software switch that alternates between two states each time it is activated, regardless of mechanical construction. For example, the [[caps lock]] key on a computer causes all letters to be generated in capitals after it is pressed once; pressing it again reverts to lower-case letters.