Micro switch history

Micro switch ? technology has launched most sensing and switching products Sensing and Control produces. View early versions of micro switch devices, in addition to the legacy of micro switch products.

1942

In 1943, the V3 switch was named to represent Victory in Europe, Victory in Asia, and a Victory for micro switch products. The first class postage stamp at the time was an eagle with outspread wings in the form of a “V”. The cost was 3 cents. The V3 and postage size stamp of the switch all seemed to go together, so V3 it became.

1944

The development of the EN micro switch line was just in time to catch the front end of the jet engine age. Landing gear switches had become a particular problem since available switches filled with water. It was necessary in many cases to drill holes to allow water to drain out. The excellent sealed features of the switch, together with its size, operating features and circuitry, were just what the aircraft industry was looking for. The EN was soon established as Military Standard.

1951

The need for attachment of lead wires directly to the switch was met by designing and providing the E and V die cast switch enclosures. This enclosed switch became one of the most popular micro switch product lines, sold year after year in volume for literally millions of applications. The enclosures started out as zinc die castings which were changed to aluminum during WWII for weight saving in aircraft applications. This family of switches became known as the “die cast” line, which has persisted as part of micro switch terminology for years.


1953

Almost as soon as the basic switch was put into use, people began to find ways to use it as a pushbutton switch. Through the years, ’s micro switch push button line has been used for military aircraft (originally advertised as a unit that would allow aircraft to use wing and tail lights to signal to ground stations using Morse Code), military tanks, and firing switches for nuclear warhead torpedoes on submarines.


1955

A development in ’s Solid State Research Center in Minneapolis led to the development of “Hall” micro switch components, named after the phenomena known as the Hall Effect. Researchers discovered that when an integrated circuit chip was moved through a magnetic field (or vice versa), a minute electrical current would be generated. This development led to the introduction of keyboard pushbutton units for the first IBM? computers, technology predecessor to the keyboards we use today.


1956

Experience with unsealed switches on aircraft during WWII pointed to the need for a hermetically sealed micro switch design. Rapid ascent and descent of aircraft from humid ground conditions to cold flight conditions often caused switch malfunction which was traced to icing of contacts. A glass-to-metal seal was conceived, and the new technology quickly became widely used, and is still popular to this day.

1957

In 1937, the Explosion Proof micro switch family of products was introduced, ushering in a safer working environment in industrial settings. The switch was engineered to ensure that volatile gases that entered the switch and exploded would not ignite gases outside the switch enclosure. The configuration and size of the switches made it the smallest explosion proof switch on the market, a position it has maintained since its existence.

1971

pioneered the designs for basic, miniature, subminiature, heavy-duty and limit switches. These core designs are the standard footprint for most electromechanical switches manufactured by switch providers globally today.

1972

Sensing and Control maintains a global manufacturing and service footprint, with customer service and factory locations in North America, Europe and Asia. micro switch products are currently made in Freeport, IL, Galena, IL, Juarez, Mexico, and Newhouse, Scotland.