Glossary of Terms
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- Bezel Mount:Switch mounting method from the front of the panel that has an attractive portion of the switch exposed on the front panel.
- Bifurcated Contact:A wiping movable contact consisting of spring fingers that grip the fixed contact. Typically found in slide switches.
- Blade:The moveable component of the switch used to complete the electrical circuit. (See Figure 1)
- Boot:A rubber part used to protect a switch from water or dust. Usually found between the button of a switch and the case inside of the switch. An external boot can be placed over a button or toggle lever to protect the switch from water or dust.
- Bounce:Rebounding of moving contact from the fixed contact during contact transfer (during switch operation).
- Brass:An alloy of zinc and copper
- Break:An interruption in a circuit. Denotes the number of pairs of separated contacts the switch introduces into each circuit it opens.
- Break Before Make:The moving contacts of a double throw switch interrupts one circuit before completing another circuit.
- Bus Bars:Rigid conductors serving as a connection for two or more circuits.
- Butt Contact:A contact mechanism in which the movable contact makes contact with the stationary contact without wiping motion between the surfaces. Typical of toggle and pushbutton switches.
- Butterfly:The snap-action mechanism in a switch composed of the spring guide, two switch blades and extension spring: a double break mechanism.