question about MAINTAINED PUSH BUTTON LED ILLUMINATED switches

ok new to electric stuff in general. but saw the push button switches on auberins and automationdirect and was saddened by the price. i found these on ebay:
2PCS 16MM GREEN ROUND MAINTAINED PUSH BUTTON LED ILLUMINATED 110V 5 PINS

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2PCS-16MM-G...372?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27dbb7c504

and I am wondering if I can use them. I want to use them to switch on and off a line into an outlet (it will be controlling my pump). Would I need to purchase anything else with them? how does wiring one of these compare to a wall switch?

Thanks for any advice!

Sure you can use it if your pump consumes less then 100Watt.

i have a chugger. not sure how many watts. it says 115v 1.4a, 50/60hz

BrewingChemist said:

i have a chugger. not sure how many watts. it says 115v 1.4a, 50/60hz

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Watts = Amps x Volts

Jim

Yup, that'd be 160W. You'd likely need that switch to control the primary side of a relay with the pump on the secondary side.

hm ok! Thanks! so I need to look for one that has at least 160W! Thanks everyone!

it says in the desc it is a 3A switch. if your pump only draws 1.4 amps it will work fine.

On the switch is is listed at 3A for 240v 1A for (looks like) 30 VDC

Cheers
Jay

I didnt zoom the picture, you are correct. I wouldnt use this without a relay then. (which kinda defeats the cheap price)

Minbari said:

it says in the desc it is a 3A switch. if your pump only draws 1.4 amps it will work fine.

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I have a few same switches in my possession. Yes, they marked 3Amp, but I wouldn't trust that rating considering how this switch is manufactured. It's a very fragile.

Brumateur said:

Sure you can use it if your pump consumes less then 100Watt.

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Where do get the 100W limit from?

The specs on the switch say if using AC it support up to 3A at 240VAC, and if using DC it supports up to 1A at 30VDC.

Since your pumps are 120VAC / 1.4A, the switch should work fine.

I can't speak for the quality/durability, but 1.4A is less than half way to the 3A limit (when using AC).

DC current ratings are typically always lower (as the specs mention).

Kal

I appreciate all the input! I want to do a cool switch like this but am on a tight budget!!

check out newark.com

they have hundreds of switches like that for about $5-8 from reputable manufacturers. I get most of my electronic parts from there.

kal said:

Where do get the 100W limit from?

The specs on the switch say if using AC it support up to 3A at 240VAC, and if using DC it supports up to 1A at 30VDC.

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Do you mind to read my post located just above your question?

This 3A at the switch spec is chinese 3A. I wouldn't trust this.

Brumateur said:

Do you mind to read my post located just above your question? This 3A at the switch spec is chinese 3A. I wouldn't trust this.

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I did read that post. You wrote:

Brumateur said:

I have a few same switches in my possession. Yes, they marked 3Amp, but I wouldn't trust that rating considering how this switch is manufactured. It's a very fragile.

Click to expand...

Perfectly fine for you to question the quality of the switch. But before that you wrote something that was very black and white:

Brumateur said:

Sure you can use it if your pump consumes less then 100Watt.

Click to expand...

It's one thing to say "I don't think the quality of the switch is any good so be careful and don't run it near the rated capacity". But you stated that the switch should only be used at 100W or less like it was a hard and fast number that you somehow calculated (the OP admitted he's new to electric stuff and doesn't understand current/volts/wattage).

So to help the OP, I think you'd agree that what you really mean is something like:

"I've used these switches and I find the quality of the contacts lacking, so you'll probably be ok if your pump consumes less then about 100 Watts or so, but that's just my opinion. I would not use it for higher current devices."

Given he's new to electric stuff (per his original post) that would probably be less confusing and not have him wondering where your numbers came from. I'm an EE and I found it confusing why you'd state that.

Kal