Possible contact method: have the hammer engage two separate contacts like so:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/9IhyV3s.png)
The shape is a little more complex, but it's still just a single 90 degree bend for each contact. To ensure the top piece is not normally in contact with the bottom, add some height to the bottom of the switch here:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/nNR55Ff.png)
Obviously you'd want the hammer designed specifically to engage at only the two contact points, so you'd want to add or remove material to facilitate that.
Having two contact points doesn't make any different under ideal conditions, but when foreign material creeps its way into your switch, it can be the difference between the switch remaining fully functional and requiring repeated cleaning.
Possible contact method: have the hammer engage two separate contacts like so:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/9IhyV3s.png)
The shape is a little more complex, but it's still just a single 90 degree bend for each contact. To ensure the top piece is not normally in contact with the bottom, add some height to the bottom of the switch here:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/nNR55Ff.png)
Obviously you'd want the hammer designed specifically to engage at only the two contact points, so you'd want to add or remove material to facilitate that.
Having two contact points doesn't make any different under ideal conditions, but when foreign material creeps its way into your switch, it can be the difference between the switch remaining fully functional and requiring repeated cleaning.
I would stick with a single contact point, and cross style similar to Cherry. The cross point style is actually pretty efficient at self cleaning. And of course, I wouldn't go with anything less than gold plated, for both corrosion and electrical arcing problems down the road. Granted the current and voltage levels don't generally warrent these measures, but with potential switch life in your tens of millions of cycles, it can make or break.
Possible contact method: have the hammer engage two separate contacts like so:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/9IhyV3s.png)
The shape is a little more complex, but it's still just a single 90 degree bend for each contact. To ensure the top piece is not normally in contact with the bottom, add some height to the bottom of the switch here:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/nNR55Ff.png)
Obviously you'd want the hammer designed specifically to engage at only the two contact points, so you'd want to add or remove material to facilitate that.
Having two contact points doesn't make any different under ideal conditions, but when foreign material creeps its way into your switch, it can be the difference between the switch remaining fully functional and requiring repeated cleaning.
I would stick with a single contact point, and cross style similar to Cherry. The cross point style is actually pretty efficient at self cleaning. And of course, I wouldn't go with anything less than gold plated, for both corrosion and electrical arcing problems down the road. Granted the current and voltage levels don't generally warrent these measures, but with potential switch life in your tens of millions of cycles, it can make or break.
I agree self-cleaning is preferred over dual contacts (both would be optimal) but isn't the self-cleaning nature of the cherry mechanism nearly all due to the contacts being vertical? Seems like gravity is the real clean there.
With the hammer as the actuator, he's limited to horizontal contacts I believe. How are you envisioning him using the cherry contacts with the hammer?