Buttons and switches

Switch sensors description

A switch is an all or nothing sensor that can take many shapes : push-buttons, buttons with momentary or permanent contacts, lever switches, slideswitches, rocker switches, sensitive floor-mats, ball switch, magnet contactor, limit switch, home-made set-ups with dry contacts...

Switches can be used in many different ways : either as a way to manage stage direction, switching from one set of effects to another, either to detect events. They can be placed on the floor, the walls, the furniture, in an installation, on an actor, in a costume, in a glove (such as in the image below), under an object,... awaiting the press of a hand, a foot or a door closing, an object moving, etc...

They are also proprioception tools for mecanical systems : letting one control the position of motorized objects with potentiometers.

Different buttons with momentary contacts

Amongst the many possible switches, we offer a standard set of various buttons and switches. The limit switches are described on a separate page, as well as the more particular switches (magnet contactors and ball switches) and the sensitive floor-mats .

They are all switches with momentary contacts, meaning a contact is made or maintained only while the switch is being actuated. On a button one is pressing, it means the moment one stops pressing it down the button is released and goes back to a non actuated state.

Our catalog's various switches

The table underneath indicates the standard assembly for a switch from our catalog. "Card" means it is soldered to a small PCB card that makes it easy to fasten to something by screwing, glueing or sewing it in. It also helps secure the connecting wires from being torn.

	Tiny button	Card
	Mini grey pushbutton	Card
	Mini blue button	Card
	Medium white button	Card
	Pushbutton	To be screwed
	Slat switch- Limitswhitch	Card
	Ball switch	Card
	Button - magnetic contactor	Card
	Sensitive floor mat	Placed on the ground
	Custom switch alligator clips	Costum fix up

Tiny button
Size : width 3,5 mm x length 6 mm x height 4,3 mm.

Example of a tiny button directly stitched into a fabric (without a card) and a standard version of it with a card.

Tiny grey pushbutton
Size : width 6 mm x length 6 mm x height 5 mm.

Stitched into a fabric/Standard version on a card.

Mini blue button
Size : width 7 mm x length 8 mm x height 5 mm.

Directly soldered to connecting wires / standard version on a card

Medium button
size of the square : 12 mm x 12 mm x height 4,3 mm.

A sensitive floor-mat, described more precisely here, is a switch that can have many different connection types as shown below :

Example of interactive gloves

There are 4 buttons per glove : 4 mini pushbuttons on the left one, 1 medium button, 2 tiny red buttons and one ball switch on the right one.

Connections and sensor quantities

You can find a description of these connector options and sets on our general information page.

To make things simpler, our switches with 3 pin connectors are no longer just on the end of connecting wires but soldered to the connector card. The card is plugged to our usual 3 way analog extension cords, which is bought separately while choosing the required length.

If the button must be separated from the connector and attached to the end of a wire, the standard connector type is the one with a flat ribbon cable. This makes the switch easier to integrate to an interface or a costume. The base length for these ribbon cables is 2 meters. To add length, select the option « 10 or 16 extra wires » (per meter) in the appropriate section Connectors/Digital Inputs /Ribbon Cables.

The « no connections » designation implies that the button is supplied on its own, as is, without a card or any connecting wires.

8 mini blue buttons assembled on a flat ribbon cable with a HE10 16 pin header.