Anyone on the Forum using Latching Reed Switches?

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

I purchased a package of 10 Latching Reed Switches off eBay in October 2014 and I have run out of them. I can’t find them anywhere. I use them in my passenger cars and cabooses to turn on and off the lighting.
Any information on a supplier would be appreciated.

Mel

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

Bakersfield, California
&n

2

(edit) - sorry, those weren’t latching …

Mark.

3

Maybe you could send a note to Jason Shron & gang at Rapido?

Their “Eazy-Peecie” battery/LED lighting strips use latching reed switches for on-off operation. Maybe they can lead you to a supplier?

Jason is a model railroader and I’m sure he will be willing to help if he can.

http://rapidotrains.com/contact-us/

You might be better off calling if they don’t respond to the email.

Good Luck, Ed

4

Hi Mel:

Here is a supplier for latching reed switches. I used his switches in my caboose fleet and they work quite well. You have to practise a bit to move the magnet across the top of the cabeese in the right way but once you have it down their operation is quite consistent.

http://www.trainelectronics.com/LED_Articles_2007/LED_103/index.htm

I haven’t contacted him is quite some time so I hope he is still in business.

Dave

5

If you get really desperate you can make your own. You need a regular reed switch and a small magnet. The trick is to palce the magnet close to the switch, not close enough to activate it, but close enough to hold it once activated. The extra power of the external magnet closes the switch and the magnet mounted near the switch holds it. Waving the external magnet the opposite polarity cancels out the internal magnet and allows the switch to open.

–Randy

6

Dave:

I had that link too and he no longer has any in stock.

Randy:

I tried making some latching switches before I found the ones on eBay and they were never very reliable, I guess it takes a knack that I don’t have.

The eBay seller that I bought them from doesn’t have any listings at all now but I sent him an enquiry anyway.

Thanks for your input guys.

Mel

7

I tried one. Worked great, then worked n olonger. Maybe my magnet was far to powerful and damaged it. Magnets of LION come from old Hard Disk Drives. Very Powerful.

ROAR

8

Digi-Key

$6.07 each but maybe they’re a little more robust than the average glass tube type. $5.28 for ten or more.

http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/switches/magnetic-reed-switches/1114199?k=&pv130=586&FV=fff40011%2Cfff80057&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25

As far as I can tell, that is the only latching reed switch out of the 855 different ones that DigiKey stocks.

Good Luck, Ed

9

I didn’t find that one at Digi-Key, thanks for the input Ed.

I found some at the Standex-Meder site and ran their part numbers through a Google search but they are all out of my price range.

Mel

10

Randy I found some 1mm diameter Neodymium magnets on eBay and I’m thinking about giving a standard reed switch another try. I have more than a dozen standard reed switches on hand.

This is a link to the magnets.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/D1x1mm-Mini-Cylinder-Rare-Earth-Neo-Neodymium-Strong-Industrial-Magnet-100pcs-/161606749897?hash=item25a0834ec9:g:PFkAAOxy69JTGoD9

Do you think it’s doable?

11

Here’s the deal (and goes hand in hand with Lion’s post) - you probably don’t want a super strong magnet. Like the cheap ceramic buttons Radio Shack used to sell (talk about a pain - when we did inventory we had to count Every Single Magnet). Even for operating a regular reed switch - a super strong magnet like those from a hard drive will much more quickly permanently magnetize the little leaves in the reed switch, making them stick always on. This is where BLI messed up for their chuff sync. A reed switch is not great for long term reliability. For continuous oepration liek happens in the locos, a Hall effect sensor is a much better option. Hmm, might want to check a site liek Rob Paisley to see if he has a Hall effect toggle circuit, you could use that instead of a reed switch to turn something on or off.

–Randy

12

I just got a reply from the seller, he had a few latching reed switches left and he listed them. There a bit higher priced than I wanted to pay but I figured by the time I screwed around trying to make some myself I’d probably have more tied up in them than the eBay price so I bought a 10 pack.

The eBay listing is: 231911628787

Mel

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/