I'm looking for a toggle or slide switch that has an off and two on positions and is spring loaded to automatically return to off, but one of the on positions is past the other one.
So instead of "on-off-on", I want one that is "off-on-on"
Or maybe "off-onA-onB"
And it should be momentary, so maybe that would be "off-(on)-(on)"?
So you push it to the first click to turn on the "onA" circuit, and then can push it further to turn on "onB".
For my application it would be fine if the second load is only an additional "on" (in other words, onA is also still on when we switch to onB), much like a car key ignition.
But if pressure on the switches is released, the switch automatically returns all the way to off.
Anyone know where I can find a switch like this?
Best Answer
Sort of, this kind of switch is commonly used as a shutter release for digital cameras. They are not the old style toggle type but they work more like tactile momentary type and rely on two different pressure levels to operate. A half press is used to activate the auto-focus and then fully pressing it will take the photo.
Questions about where to buy stuff are off topic but hopefully this gives you a starting point.
If you definitely require an old school up-middle-down lever style toggle then you can get units that are user configurable, where you need to open it up and move the contacts and springs to suit your needs. These are expensive of course.