huh? duds?

Retromaster · Post by **Retromaster** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:46 pm

I ordered some tactile switches off digi key and put them on a solderless bread board. I put a buzzer, a 3V battery pack, and the tact switch on the board in a circuit. once I put the other wire that separated the current from the buzzer on the switches other lead, it went off without me pressing it. no matter what way I put the wires on the switches 4 leads, it still went off without me pressing it. are the switches supposed to do this with 3v? are they duds? are supposed to do this? I am using these in my N. Gadget portable so please help.

Post by **gannon** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:04 pm

Are they N.C. tacts? Did you wire them wrong? (you should wire them on the leads diagonal of eachother)

Retromaster · Post by **Retromaster** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:13 pm

I have the pckage here and it says
P/N: CKN9018-ND
MFG P/N: PTS453SL38

DESC: SWITCH TACT 4.5 130GF H=3.8 MM

Post by **bicostp** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:35 pm

What happened when you pressed the button? (You did try that, right?)

If it turned off, you bought the wrong switches. (normally closed as opposed to normally open.)

Retromaster · Post by **Retromaster** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:38 pm

when it was going off, I wasn't pushing the button and when I did, it still went off.

Post by **bicostp** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:43 pm

Try hooking it up with alligator leads (wires with clips on the end). The breadboard may be causing your problem. (Take all the components off the breadboard. Don't use it for anything.)

(If you don't have any of those, get some. They're great.)

Retromaster · Post by **Retromaster** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:00 pm

OK something about what you said worked. I don't have any alligator clips any more because of my Idiotic electronics partners took them,
so I connected them with my hands. Last time I connected the positive or negative lead to the switch and it malfunctioned so I connected it top the opposite lead and it worked properly....I think. Thankyou to all.

Retromaster · Post by **Retromaster** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:06 pm

Ok I hooked it back to the board and it malfunctioned again, so it must be the board.

Post by **gannon** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:45 pm

Or it's what I said. Have you tried rotating the tacts 90 degrees in the board? I think your board is bridging the leads.

Krepticor · Post by **Krepticor** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:58 pm

have you traced you readboard down?

Make sure you are not accidently making an unwanted connection

Retromaster · Post by **Retromaster** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:04 pm

Yeah, gannon, I think that it is bridging the leads. there is metal visible through the holes. I don't know if I tried turning the tacts 90 degrees. Do solderless breadboards have hidden connections below the surface? Because I tried it on a regular board and it worked fine, at least for a little while, because I hooked it all up correctly where the buzzer worked on que, but then it died down in noise until there isn't any sound coming from it except clicks