Large Model Association Forum

In this modern age, I am told that the humble slider on off switch for the airborne radio is a thing of the past, standard, or heavy duty versions, and electronic switches are the in thing, so, what variants of these are people using?

Powerbox, inbuilt soft switched that operate as part of the receiver or the locking toggle switch!
Cary

Hi Alan I’ve used slider switches for over 30 years and - touch wood never had a problem.These have been used mostly with various sized petrol engines.I’m not saying they can’t fail but so far so good,I always have used the h.d JR type ,which are now unobtainable I think.
The new magnetic / electronic switches may well be a so called improvement so when they’ve had 30 years proving time ,I will change perhaps to them.Mind you that’ll make me 110 so it seems a little unlikely.

Pete

Peter, if you look inside one you will realise how lucky you have been...

Perhaps I am lucky Bob but many modellers used toggle switches,which petrol engines can vibrate them to fail drastically.I was in the mower business and many chainsaws and strimmers were fitted with these and I was constantly replacing them due to falling to pieces internally.
The electronic and magnetic switches are relatively new and very expensive comparatively -still prefer to stick with what has served me well ,perhaps I’m of the dinosaur breed.

Pete

me too Pete, but I always use two switches in parallel. That way if one goes iffy, it all still stays in the air.

Peter Siggins wrote:The electronic and magnetic switches are relatively new and very expensive comparatively -still prefer to stick with what has served me well ,perhaps I’m of the dinosaur breed.

Pete

Relatively new, the Multiplex electronic safety switches have been around since 2010.

A question.
If the multiplex safety switch continues to supply battery power to the rx if the mechanical switch fails, how does it sense the difference between being switched off, and switch failure?
Cheers
Steve

Agree with the two toggle switches Bob, I always use two batteries with a double pole switch with each one. They are both wired in parallel which in effect means that you have four switches operating. Because of the hard contact action when
switched there is a self cleaning action. The slide switches have the potential to retain any foreign body or oil with the sliding action and there is no self cleaning potential. Any devout slide switch enthusiest should take one apart when it has seen some use and it might put doubts in there mind. I have personally had a genuine futaba on/off charge slide switch harness fail but forunately it happened on the ground. This was a long time ago and over forty years of use my toggle switches have never let me down.
As for vibration, if the aircraft is vibrating so much that it can damage a toggle switch then problem there is something wrong with either engine or prop balance or maybe a combinationof the two.
Nuff sed

PS. I wrote my car off today at 7.45 am just one mile before I would have reach the Gaydon show. Had over a grands worth of stuff on board for the bring and buy.

Steve Mansell wrote:A question.
If the multiplex safety switch continues to supply battery power to the rx if the mechanical switch fails, how does it sense the difference between being switched off, and switch failure?
Cheers
Steve

Steve, I'm no expert but as I understand it the mechanical switch acts on a FET, so the switch has two "on" positions, FET on and FET off, if the mechanical switch isn't making contact then the FET remains in it's last condition, so the only way to cut power is to have the switch disengage in the FET on position and engage in the FET off position. If the mechanical switch has failed in flight you'd notice on landing that you couldn't switch power off, or next time you tried to switch on it wouldn't.

The downside of this type of switch is that they take a very small residual current, so if you forget to disconnect the battery and leave it for a couple of months then you will have a completely flat battery.

PS. I wrote my car off today at 7.45 am just one mile before I would have reach the Gaydon show. Had over a grands worth of stuff on board for the bring and buy. Tony, hope you
and your stock was ok, what a horrid day you must have had!

Thanks Frank, and hope you're ok Tony.

Crikey Tony. Take care mate, nobody hurt?
As for the toggle switches, yes, they are ten times better than the miserable little slide switches we used to use. I tend to use the big slide switches, but as I said, I use two. SM Services showed me once the difference and I was was shocked that the standard Futaba switch was not capable of handling the current we were putting through with the (then) large models. The toggles are not easy to come by these days.

Thanks for the concern lads. I wasn't physically injured But suffered very bad shock and was in the ambulance
for an hour all wired up and more. Wasn't too good at all although thankfully the wife was OK.
However it didn't end there. I have been suffering from Trigeminal Neuralgia ffor a long time and it has been
in remission for quite some time but the shock triggered it off again. Cannot eat solids, have to drink
through a straw and cannot wash my teeth. Talking is another thing I cannot do as the pain suddenly happens
and I find myself on the floor.
Google for trigeminal neuralgia.
Just looking to get through this and get back to my modelling.

Christ Tony, don’t know what to say, get better soon, what a horrible end to what was to be a good day,

Sorry to hear that Tony. Yes, get back to modelling as quick as you can.

Futaba slide switches were always poor.The large JR 'PCM 10' switch were and are the best std type switch, still available today. But the daddy is still Powerbox's large slide switches (if you don't use their electronic fail to on types-like 95% of jet modellers!) these are capable of handling decent current.
I have a couple of the SM services latches switches with wire if anyone has a need.

Tony is obviously a 'proper bloke' going through that and still posting!

Hi Dave I’ve always used the JR heavy duty switches but am finding them hard to get.My local hobby shop has runout.

P.M.sent

Thanks Bob