Power switch wiring explaination

Chef-009 · June 24, 2016

Hello,

I'm close to finishing a store ready product but it does need a power button (connected to a micro-atx board). I was looking for power switches but every store had different names, codes and labels for their products. And when I asked them what they mean with the written specs they didn't know it either.

So whats the difference between all the switches? Like 4, 5 and 6 pins and what kind of connection to the mobo they need, the LED in the switch itself (how do I know it stays on or off when the pc is off but still has power). And how do I recognize a momentory switch against... uhm... a not momentory switch. And how do I recognive the postive and negative pole. And finally, I think I saw somewhere a "3-pin H.D.D. LED" mobo connection, so when its a 5-pin switch, does that mean one of them is ground?

And if you have some time left: I'm looking for a 'normal blue' or a white colored (form of a circle) momentory switch. I don't think I want it be HDD connected because of the annoying flickering; but it does need to be off when to PC is off.

Thank you for your time and effort! It's really appreciated!

Enderman · June 24, 2016

this is what you need

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l2/g52/c341/list/p1/Switches-22mm_Vandal_Resistant_Switches.html

they dont sell them at most hardware stores

it should say in the specs if its momentary or not

switches do not have + and -, only LEDs do

and it will say either in the instructions or on the switch

usually engraved in the plastic

there is no such thing as a 3 pin hdd led

the led in the switch gets wired to 12v from your PSU

it turns off when the PC shuts off

dave01978 · June 24, 2016

27 minutes ago, Arend-009 said:

Hello,

I'm close to finishing a store ready product but it does need a power button (connected to a micro-atx board). I was looking for power switches but every store had different names, codes and labels for their products. And when I asked them what they mean with the written specs they didn't know it either.

So whats the difference between all the switches? Like 4, 5 and 6 pins and what kind of connection to the mobo they need, the LED in the switch itself (how do I know it stays on or off when the pc is off but still has power). And how do I recognize a momentory switch against... uhm... a not momentory switch. And how do I recognive the postive and negative pole. And finally, I think I saw somewhere a "3-pin H.D.D. LED" mobo connection, so when its a 5-pin switch, does that mean one of them is ground?

And if you have some time left: I'm looking for a 'normal blue' or a white colored (form of a circle) momentory switch. I don't think I want it be HDD connected because of the annoying flickering; but it does need to be off when to PC is off.

Thank you for your time and effort! It's really appreciated!

Kind regards,

Arend Galenkamp

what where the written specs? we could probably figure them out, most switches will show a voltage, or current raiting on them or show

SPST (whihc it Single Pole Single Throw) Has 1 pole (the number of circuits it can control Where throw is how many positions it could have

SPDTHas one Circuit but has 3 pins on common and will make or break either other position

DPDT has 2 circuits and will make or break the other connection

Also they have momentary (a single push will short the switch briefly)

and Latching pushing it will hold until released

For a computer you want momentary SPST (you could use a DPST if you wanted to and hook the other one up to something to do something,

ie, hook one end up to the pc, and the other to a doorbell so you know if someone turned it on, or hook it up to an Alarm to know someone turned it on etc.

Yes I know they are dumb expamples but could be done.

I have used this before and put it on a desk just to get people to be WTF

http://www.relcross.co.uk/product/121/KS_Series_-_Key_Switch/

Hope this helps

Chef-009 · July 5, 2016

Hey guys,

First off, sorry for the late reply, I thought the forum would e-mail me when I got an answer. Anyway, thanks a lot for the explaination of both of you, it helped me a lot! Now I know a lot more about the switches as wel as electricity. I'll post a link to the finished product here when it's finished.