Inside Judco 10Amp Switch - Photos

[LuxLuthor]

I first found this switch from Mac's Torch.

The Judco switch is one of the only small push button switches that is rated at 10A 14V-DC, and has been pushed beyond that without failing. It has a nice, low 11 mOhm resistance reading on my milliohm testing setup.

It comes in a short or long stem, and screw on retaining plastic ring, red/black rubber cone shaped push boot screws on stem as extra item, and specific to stem length (PDF List). Uses 18AWG black wire.

Edit: I believe that PDF is gone, but looking up the old switch, I'm pretty sure this is the one we use. I have a bag of them if someone needs the exact part number confirmed.

It is click on, click off...so not the momentary Maglite switch feature, but that has a downside of easier electrical arc damage at higher voltage/current setups.

I decided to take it apart and take some closeups. Note there are short and longer push button stem versions that are both shown. Buy the short version.

 

[Northern Lights]

You always come in at the nick of time for me. Often our interests parallel. The last few weeks I have been on a switch quest. Thank you, LL.

 

[Fulgeo]

Wow LuxLuther is all I can say. I have just received 6 of these switches from Digi-Key this week. I was thinking to myself that this weekend I am going to have to take one apart and try not to destroy it in the process. I needed to see where I could safely trim a bit of the housing and maybe put a small mounting screw thru it. Btw the screws I was thinking of using were salvaged from my old cassette tape collection. Anyway sort of scary how alot of us on the forums are thinking the same thing. Must be a candlehead wavelength thing. Thanks for the recon!

 

[LuxLuthor]

Yeah, well I used the one that was in my Leef tailcap...mostly because I noticed that insulation on one of the wires had been abraded apparently when he screwed it into the tailcap hole...because it is a very tight fit. I wanted to see if there was anyway to get a little extra clearance, and you can see that some of the outside plastic could be sanded without impacting the contacts. The two halves of the switch did not appear to be aggressively glued together, as I gently pryed with utility knife walking around outside crack.

 

[pmath]

I have been using the little yellow buttoned Judcos in my bike lights for the last several years. They have proved to be very durable and reliable.

Peter

 

[mdocod]

Hey I have a question for anyone with experience with this switch...

I just bought a number of these, I am building a custom mag-switch/bi-pin tower assembly (all 1 unit) and am planning on using these switches.. but I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the maximum voltage rating, and whether it could handle more, like say, as high as 30V? I am planning on using it in an initial build at around 9.6V@7A, which should work fine, but I'm wondering if 30V@10+A is theoretical here, or if a bigger switch is a must? Any other ideas on a similar sized clicker that can handle more oomf?!

 

[Mr Happy]

I've seen a similar/same Judco switch rated at 125 V, 3 A.

I'd suspect in general you need to de-rate the current as you increase the voltage due to the larger amount of arcing at higher voltages...?

 

[rizky_p]

Lux the way the switch works look similar to a standar mag switch is this why Judco is a good replacement for standard mag? And since it has similar mechanism(rotating bits) that make it click can the switch be modified to a momentary switch like a standard mag does?

Thanks.

 

[Raoul_Duke]

When I built my 250W 24V mag ( 64657 ) I pulled open the copper crimps, and soldered new beefier wires into the copper contacts in the judco switch.....fiddly, and possibly not realy not worth it, but it is a minimal wire length mod, so it probably helps.

I think its a great switch, and could be trimmed down quite alot to fit in tailcaps etc....haven't worked out an easy way to mount it in a a mag switch, and still get to the earth screw on the chopped up old switch housing.

Great Pics!!

 

[mdocod]

I'm working on a way to make a mag-switch with this in it:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=192580
picts included

 

[Raoul_Duke]

Weird, pull apart a small threaded judco switch lux, they are differnt inside :thinking:

 

[Techjunkie]

I just built a tailswitch for a cutdown 1C Mag SST-50 thrower that I'm building, and the Judco switch that I used to make that tailswitch looks exactly the same inside as Lux's photos, but it's only rated at 2A. The big difference between mine and the one above is that the one that I chose has Mag-style action (tactical forward-click).

Thanks for posting the photos of the 5A switch unassembled, Lux. I feel a lot better now about running 4.2A across the one that I chose instead. (Even if I never saw your photo, I figure the Judco I chose is already heads and shoulders better than the KD forward click switches that I've already got running SST-50s in two other torches.)

 

[Therrin]

Ya'll are a bunch of nerds, and are probably all virgins.

But that's okay! Because this switch is awesome and I foresee personal uses for it. =)

 

[tobrien]

last i checked, allelectronics.com has them for like $.25 each or something iirc. i ordered about ten

 

[tobrien]

would this switch be possible to turn into a tail cap clickie?

 

[fivemega]

would this switch be possible to turn into a tail cap clickie?

Definitely.
This is an example using exact same switch.

 

[Swagg]

I know this is resurrecting an old post, but I have 2 failed Big LEEF tail caps, would you or anyone else be interested in installing a new switch in both? I'd of course pay for the work. Thanks

Yeah, well I used the one that was in my Leef tailcap...mostly because I noticed that insulation on one of the wires had been abraded apparently when he screwed it into the tailcap hole...because it is a very tight fit. I wanted to see if there was anyway to get a little extra clearance, and you can see that some of the outside plastic could be sanded without impacting the contacts. The two halves of the switch did not appear to be aggressively glued together, as I gently pryed with utility knife walking around outside crack.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Maybe I am reading your post wrong, but Leef's came with McClikeys.

Bill