Two-way back driven electric switch

[drozovs]

I am curious if anyone knows of a two way mechanical switch that can be manipulated via a person and an electrical signal?

I want to be able to activate the switch but back drive it to reset it if no user is present too. I can clarify and my apologies if I have missed a detail. Thank you in advance!

 

[flexoprinting]

Hi drozovs

What is the switch for? On machinery a latching relay might do what you want. One button would energize the circuit and another button will open it. Google latching relay circuit.

Chuck

 

[drozovs]

Thank you Sir,

I am looking for a switch similair to this:

http://www.xurui-electronic.com/9-toggle-switch/1-16c.jpg

It is for a technology demo. We want a user to be able to throw the switch and sense its position however we also want to ability to change the switch via a computer. Does that make sense?

 

[drozovs]

In looking at it more... it would effectively be a motorized switch... either rotary or toggle. Any inputs from anyone? Thanks in advance!

-David

 

[ScottyUK]

You can buy motor actuator kits for circuit breakers. I haven't used the type for MCBs but the types for the much larger and more expensive MCCBs are effective. Here's the Schneider remotely operable MCB:

http://www2.schneider-electric.com/...s/product-launch/acti9/acti9-reflex-ic60.page

 

[flexoprinting]

Hello drozovs

In my field it's not really practical to use a motor to operate a switch, this would add unnecessary expense to the process.
Since you also would like remote computer control this complicates things further What you propose would
best be done with a PLC (programmable logic controller) or relay logic since voltage difference
and communication between your switch and computer input might be substantially larger this would require
rather elaborate circuitry in between switch and computer. I don't know of any switches available like you
describe, otherwise Scotty's solution is expensive but might be the best. Possibly someone else has a solution.

Chuck

 

[drozovs]

Thank you all for the responses!

From a practical perspective I completely agree that this is not the way to do it. My problem is I'm going for a "Disney" type solution in that the user can manipulate the toggle but I can back drive it too. Hard to explain in full here but I'm hoping I'm giving enough information. Thanks in advance to everyone!

David

 

[jraef]

Are you looking for something akin to a light switch then? I have seen solenoid operated toggle switches in the past, they were used as a form of remote control lighting. I haven't seen those in a decade, maybe two.

Edit:
I found these. The solenoid only works to reset the switch after being manually engaged.

http://sensing.honeywell.com/index.php?ci_id=55430

Googled "solenoid operated toggle switch". Looks as though they have many military and aviation applications.


"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals" -- Booker T. Washington

 

[drozovs]

Very close! I need to be able to toggle it either way. From what I can tell this has a "release" capability but it's only one way. I full realize this may not exist, just wanted to see if people smarter than me had any ideas

 

[ScottyUK]

The Schneider product above is about £90 in the UK, and it's likely to be cheaper just about everywhere else on the planet than in the UK. Over here £90 doesn't buy much engineering time, but I guess that doesn't apply in all locations.

 

[drozovs]

Haha. Understood. I found a motorized auto switch over switch from abb but I think the cost is about 10 times that of the one your recommended. I still need bi directionality but it simply may not exist.

 

[jraef]

Square D (part of Schneider) makes a fully operable circuit breaker, but it's for use in a panel/load center, not stand alone (AFAIK). But it has a little 24V motor that can remotely turn it on and off. If you need a bunch of them in a group, it might be worth using a load center bus system for them. As a breaker it's more than just a switch, but it is still a switch.

http://www2.schneider-electric.com/...ive/FAQS/228000/FA228072/en_US/1210CT0201.pdf

"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals" -- Booker T. Washington

 

[ScottyUK]

drozovs,

I think both the one I linked and the one jraef linked in the post above are bi-directional. I've attached a proper datasheet for the Acti 9 unit. It appears to be bi-directional unless it trips on a fault, which makes sense to me.

jraef - that looks very busy inside that MCB casing!

 

[drozovs]

That looks great but from what I can tell the switch isn't moved, just the status. It may work. I don't have to execute till this Wednesday so I'll keep my ear close to the ground invade anyone has another idea though this is top on my list now. Thank you J!

 

[BrianPetersen]

What's wrong with using a latching relay circuit and pushbutton start/stop, with the circuit fed from a PLC output (or whatever it is that you are using to overrule the pushbuttons) so that the PLC can kill the circuit if it wants to?

Or simply use the switch status as an input to the PLC and have the PLC do whatever you want it to, whether the user is activating the switch or not. This may be appropriate if it is not a safety-critical application.

 

[drozovs]

There is nothing "wrong" with that method... it just doesn't fit the "disney" magic need we are shooting for. We want to be able to move the switch, the physical movement is an "effect" we are going for.

 

[BrianPetersen]

Aaaahhh you want the switch to visibly move, as a visual effect. Nevermind then!

 

[davidbeach]

Take the switch apart and build a new mechanism that you can move as needed. Use microswitches to sense the position and open/close based on that position. Just because it looks like a standard light switch on the user side of the face plate doesn't mean it has to on the business side of the face plate.

 

[drozovs]

That's my fall back . The time frame for getting this ready is far shorter than I hoped for if there was nothing out there. I'll report back what we end up doing.

 

[BrianPetersen]

It also presumably means it doesn't even really have to be a switch! It can be a completely dummy mechanism behind the face plate. It just has to move on demand.