Where to source high quality (Taiwanese) slide switches?

[Russ314]

My pictures say it all, so I'll keep the text short. I'm looking for high quality miniature DPDT slide switches, with a standard 19mm screw spacing. I can't find a source for them in the United States. I've purchased or investigated every offering from Digikey, Mouser, eBay, Fry's, Radio Shack, and Amazon, and it's all garbage. I mean that in the literal sense; most of them I threw straight into the trash. There is no way I would EVER put such junk into my products.

So where can I find a high quality switch? I'm not looking for volume (at least not now), but I also need more than just a few samples. The only source of Taiwanese switches I know of is vintage Futaba RC switches, but they cost up to $10/each, and they're literally just $1 slide switches stuffed into a two-cent plastic housing:
https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?I=LXH460&P=7
https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?I=LXEXZF&P=7

Any help would be appreciated! I can't keep buying and gutting those $10 Futaba switches. My research has pointed me toward "Taiwan Alpha" and "Taiwan MEC" as high quality sources, but I can't find an American distributor. It's almost unbelievable that Taiwan doesn't export to the U.S. anymore. Most of the stuff that's made in America is also garbage btw; Taiwan is the highest quality producer I know of. They skimp on labor, not quality.


Here is the criteria for high quality:
1. Large fillets of red epoxy around the base of the pins
2. High quality base material
3. Wide steel legs that FIRMLY hold the base material against the metal housing (the Toy and Comax have very thin, narrow, and weak legs compared to the Taiwanese switches).
4. High actuation force (300 - 500 gf).
5. Contact resistance of 15 mOhm (the cheap ones are 30 mOhm)
6. Ball detent (as opposed to a spring return)
7. High cycle count (10,000+)
8. Metal frame thickness of at least 0.52mm (0.020"). The "Toy" frame is only 0.39mm (0.015"), whereas the "M" frame is a massive 0.62mm (0.024"). It's not a coincidence that the "M" switch has both the thickest frame and the best tactile feel.
9. At least two points of electrical contact per pin.

Here's an example of dimensions:
http://www.alpha-products.com/cd_catalog/new_catalogs/switches/std/slide/slide%20sw29.htm

[thm_w]

Wonder if its worth contacting a supplier on Alibaba and stating these requirements, to see what kind of quote you get.
I would try contacting Taiwan Alpha directly first though. If they are selling that assembly for $10, I'm sure they are paying less than $1 for the switch.

http://www.taiwanalpha.com/en/products/8

[Russ314]

Turns out you can buy those Futaba switches for $4 (NOS) from a few vendors on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Futaba-RC-Remote-Control-Airplane-Receiver-Battery-Switch-Futaba-J-Plug/391301416054

I bought a bunch of those for the time being. I'm still having a hard time accepting that Digikey/Mouser don't sell high quality switches anymore, but I guess that's just the world we live in now.


EDIT: Reduced URL

[SilverSolder]

Turns out you can buy those Futaba switches for $4 (NOS) from a few vendors on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Futaba-RC-Remote-Control-Airplane-Receiver-Battery-Switch-Futaba-J-Plug/391301416054?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item5b1b61c476:g:b9IAAOSwo6lWKWK1&enc=AQAEAAACUBPxNw%2BVj6nta7CKEs3N0qXl%2B1NTTVVT4oRSpVuuqWSCeY3h2Z1dEA0r7%2B5b9xXOwxqiBXZHG80mCa4UZNUbzKohxBLMLx2sQcUwaodRvM9AnWfRi9hbL2ZJJzGiu5gRAS0WtAM%2BaJ5yZvxvfL9SX0OdiMgcJx8w3Jx%2Bl7TtzPTvemNG5SUf1mHv5vreI%2BcvTG2myIuGI3jtJvxoNd5vG9N3hQXAU%2Fkhd0qQnD%2BY66gtM%2BJTXxXAWHDvOe2%2FpNhdvZiV8TNXyhtAltaGnyrots5ZOPBEdXHgu4OU0P0Q1tzprUSkV6A%2FaE7kbsxgDBuExRhKc9xr07B%2BBtgXDaU49tkpoF3JkmdDR8Z3h2R8YxnUHkGUisFUSd3T1DEQEs5oEw3mK%2BcsKTVXBgKHUTw0lM27w%2F%2BR0aJ3sB2B2mGs48TDIPek360INGraWmLMA8jE0vvFZvfsdC3158ziaxE7gUjWArLqL%2B6VlfX1cvPeCa57%2Fhhsph5ZtWgCW2B3QQtpzrlpU6SN2jw3nPqkuJ8sfT58wlHheGZkTGfkC7WxyKFBfXTYeU4gSMqQdU9WU4l5Q3AsRV7oWo19fwMbQD8gOCyHqaVQCnvGJ5t%2BdpjlDyr02c%2FUW2cz%2FzeVK77R1yX8Cp6vn0ELMZ3WXvixRmx3FwHi71AxALqHcvvkochunWH1RLrU235vU4q7YBfagyxyq6ozII3%2BX57nsKmqStydbcY7oYNDaPfMxX%2Bi2WYhSa4ZbW%2BPkfwyZGvLYMR3fsmQSsZRsauzPU487mYjjcBaeV8%3D&checksum=391301416054fc0e1515fb734082b7b8f7da70a8dfe7

I bought a bunch of those for the time being. I'm still having a hard time accepting that Digikey/Mouser don't sell high quality switches anymore, but I guess that's just the world we live in now.


EDIT: Holy Sh*t that's a long URL!

For eBay links, just cut out everything after the item ID.  It is just personal tracking info, searchterms, etc.

In this case:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Futaba-RC-Remote-Control-Airplane-Receiver-Battery-Switch-Futaba-J-Plug/391301416054

[I wanted a rude username]

And this extends to other sites, where if the URL doesn't encode something like a search string (e.g. "q=how+is+babby+formed" in Google), anything after the question mark is usually superfluous.

[tycz]

Russ314,

Taiwanese companies make great switches, it's true. I use Dailywell switches in my products and the quality is excellent, but I've not used their slide switches specifically.  I buy them from a Chinese distributor on Taobao that specialises in Taiwanese switches. Their 5M series looks similar to what you are using. https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=610249745769

[Russ314]

^ Good to know about the URLs. As for the switches - the ones I'm looking for have a 19mm screw hole spacing, which is what makes this a difficult search. Most switches in that particular size (15.5mm body) are very low quality, and meant for cheap toys.


Anyway, I have an update. The attached pics show what comes inside the eBay Futaba switches. What a bummer. I guess these are new switches, not the "new old stock" I had hoped for. These are from two different (highly respected) eBay vendors btw, so I think we can rule out the possibility of them being counterfeit. Comax/C&K is simply the new OEM for Futaba. I guess everything is made in China these days. I'll post back once I review them.

[Russ314]

I ended up purchasing 3 "vintage" switches on eBay. I'm not sure if these are actual Futaba brand. The seller couldn't even tell me what decade they were from... Either way, they are now tied for 1st place (along with T-MEC) as my favorite switches. They don't have quite as crisp a feel as the T-MECs (because the detent ball is smaller), but they make up for it with an overall more robust design. Aside from the one defective switch (which I fixed by grinding down the oversized pins on a surface plate and deburring/polishing them with 14,000 grit sandpaper), these switches are fantastic. This once again proves that all the old/vintage switches are amazing, and all the new ones are Chinese garbage.

I think I'm going to be a leading expert in switches by the time I finish this project... Btw, one thing about these particular vintage switches is that they had lithium grease on the pins/contacts. As a general rule, I always replace the grease (after cleaning) if it was included by the manufacturer. I know it's counter-intuitive, but the grease doesn't actually inhibit the electrical connection. Beginners (and even experts) often have a hard time accepting this. Here is a brief overview of the subject from Nye Lubricants:

https://www.nyelubricants.com/stuff

I'm not sure I'd spend $30 for a tube of their special grease though... I usually use a Q-tip to swab the contacts of a mystery switch. If the Q-tip shows the presence of an earwax-colored grease, it's probably standard "general purpose" lithium grease.