The 2×4 series structures include: Xiao Beibei switch / 2×4×3.5

3×3 series: H=0.35/0.7/1.5/2.0

3×4 series: Small turtle two legs, four legs; medium turtle four legs; large turtle.

3×6 series includes: 3×6×2.5 red head, white head; 3×6×4.3 and 3×6×5 plug-in pins, surface mount; with bracket; side press.

4.5×4.5 series: H=3.8/4.3/5/6/7/8... Structures include: edge three legs, plug-in pins, surface mount.

5.2×5.2 series: Structures include: no cover 0.8h, flat cover, copper head, plastic head 1.5, 1.7, 2.5, 4.3h.

6×6 series: H=2.5/2.7/3.1/3.4/3.8/4/4.3/4.5/4.8/5/5.5/6/6.5/7/8/9/12. Structures include: surface mount / plug-in pins / upper bracket / lower bracket / edge two legs / long edge four legs / opposite legs / middle two legs / square head / normally closed / red head surface mount.

12×12 series: H=4.3/5/5.5/6/7/7.3/7.5/8/8.5/9/10/11/12/13/14. Structures include: surface mount / plug-in pins / square head / airplane head / center with circle.

The size of tactile switches is directly related to their characteristics, including current range, travel, and operating force. For example, the smallest tactile switch size currently available from manufacturers is 0.50 inches x 0.236 inches x 0.197 inches (LxWxH). Although this tiny switch is suitable for detecting circuit status in compact circuit breakers, it typically can only break currents from 0.1 to 3 amperes (A) and has a short travel.

Applications requiring higher currents usually need larger switches. For example, in fuel tank applications, tactile switches used to detect liquid levels need to provide long travel and withstand high currents. Typically, in liquid level switch applications, the switch must directly drive the water pump and carry a large current. This requires a large tactile switch rated for 20A or 25A at 125VAC or 250VAC voltage.

Tip: The smaller the size of a miniature tactile switch, the shorter its travel and the smaller the current it can break.

Additionally, the physical size of miniature tactile switches also affects the operating force. Ideally, engineers want a switch with low operating force and high current capacity. However, a compromise is needed between these two parameters. To provide a large current carrying range while maintaining good contact, tactile switches require stronger springs, which increases the operating force and physical size. The operating force range can vary from 2 grams in boosted pneumatic applications to 8 ounces in solenoid valve applications (which require higher operating force). The largest switch size on the market is 1.94 inches x 0.69 inches x 1.3 inches (LxWxH).

Engineers working with miniature tactile switches should also pay attention to the differential travel—the distance between the switch trip position and the reset position. Its threshold varies depending on the application. For example, in temperature switch applications, the on/off operation points should be as close as possible, with differential travel as low as 0.0001 inches. However, in liquid level pump applications, too close a differential travel may cause the refill pump to start and stop too frequently, shortening the pump's service life.