Some Electrical Switch Dimensions
By Craig Brougher
Colin Hinz offered to see what he could find out for is in regard to replacements of the antique electrical switches and wanted to know the dimensions. I don't have all the dimensions of all switches, but I can tell you this much, Colin, almost all of them have a threaded collar and fit inside of a box-- either wooden or cast iron. Here are a few dimensions, the largest is the old Duo-Art, which is the most used switch for the duo-art. The smallest was taken off a Welte.
Old Ampico (Stoddard) 1-1/4 "L. X 7/8" W. X 1" D. Uses threaded mtg. collar 3/8" dia x 1/2" long. Pull-- on.
Ampico, (a toggle with a drilled offset bat handle) 1-3/8" L. X 3/4" W. X 1-1/4" D. Hard to find because most metal bat handles are hollow and have a spring in them. This switch has mounting ears which are 1-7/8" on centers.
Duo-Art ceramic shell switch 2" L. X 7/8" W. X 1-1/2" D. Has a pull-on threaded wire which is attached to a 1/4" stem that pulls out of the casing about 1/2" when on. (No threaded collar, but if we kept the depth the same, the collar could possibly be used to mount the switch, instead. Plenty of room.).
Old (stencil) Welte and other motorized uprights 1-1/4" L. X 3/4" W. X 1/2" D. wires attached. very small switch with large collar measuring 1/2" dia threaded and 1/2" long. Pull travel is short-- about 1/8".
Colin, I really believe that most of the bad switches are either of the pull type with the bi-cone design and that stupid rolling spring ring thingy that breaks, or those ceramic shell Duo-Art switches, in which the rivet that holds the insulated metal washer wears out and drops the washer off the end of the traveller. I have tried for hours to fix both kinds without success. I would guess that if we could just find a pull-on switch of reasonable dimensions, with a threaded collar about 1/2" long that could be drilled and fitted with a threaded stem, then we could retrofit it to just about anything that used the pull type.
The first size switch given here (old Ampico) shouldn't be too large for just about any application, and if the switch is smaller, it won't hurt anything, so I am thinking about two kinds of switches, generally. One is a pull-on switch that can be drilled, the other is a bat handle toggle that can be drilled.
Craig B.
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(Message sent Wed 14 Aug 1996, 14:05:20 GMT, from time zone GMT.) |
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