Electronic – 10 million cycle mechanical switch

switches

I've been working on my electrical switch with 10 million cycles lifetime, and changed the design from using mechanical contact to hall effect sensors as per the advice of stackexchange. However I can't stop thinking about the problem of making a mechanical switch with that sort of lifetime and find it to be an interesting experiment. Is it a solvable problem?

Here is a quick drawing to show my basic idea:

enter image description here

Plates A, B and C are 1 milimeter thick and made of conducting metal. Plate A is perhaps half a milimeter below B and C and thus never touches them directly. When the button is pushed in current goes from B to A and then to C thus forming a closed circut.

If the current is of low voltage (3 to 5 volts, Arduino digital port voltage) then electrical arcs should not form and thus no damage to the plates, am I correct?

The switch is sealed with airtight rubber to prevent moisture from getting in and thus the plates should not oxidize, correct?

What kind of metal do the plates need to be made of to survive 10 million cycles? Preferably something not to expensive.

Perhaps material would fall off from the casing due to wear and tear and fuse with the plates? If so could this problem be solved by placing the airtight seal right in front of plates B and C so that nothing inside the sealed area touches anything and thus no wear and tear there?

Am I missing something or would this work?

Best Answer

You might want to look at the data sheet for the Smartlock® Slide Retainer & Limit Switch which is specified as having a lifetime of more than 10 million cycles.