Experiences with Lorlin CK series rotary switches

[Ice-Tea]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these? Having some problems with a CK1060 switch. For starters the shaft is a bit wobbly. Not exactly a high quality feel, but OK. Problem is that if you wobble it a bit the connection is a bit wobbly too. Connected a DMM and the resistance goes from a few tenths of an Ohm (so dead short pretty much) to a few hundred killo Ohms. Which, you know, is a bit much for a switch.

Opened the switch up and there was no sign of wear, burn-in, mechanical failure or whatever.

So, this has me scratching my head a bit. Any ideas?

[dom0]

Never had such problems with them. On the contrary, I always feel like the CK series is very stiff and also has a too high torque to use with smaller knobs.

[Ice-Tea]

Well, it's not like they're too loose, as you say: a decent amount of torque is required to turn them. But rocking around the shaft a bit does make it wobble a bit. With the afforementioned nastiness that ensues.

[digsys]

Just pulled out a box of them (reasonably old stock). TIGHT as a fishes ***hole. No wobble, no slack, plenty of positive pressure. Never had a problem with them.
Maybe you got counterfeits? These are top grade switches.

[Ice-Tea]

In that case I need to have a word with Farnell. Would one of you chaps help me out here? Connect a DMM and see if you can "disconnect" the switch by wobbling?

[dom0]

The (very) little wobbling I can do on one of these doesn't affect contact resistance as far as my DMMs can tell. I'd say you got either counterfeit stuff or damaged goods.

[calexanian]

We buy switches from GS switch who I believe makes the ones for CK. We just had a run where the wiper in them had a high rate of on of the two little melt posts that hold them down breaking and leading to intermittent contacts. The reason arrears to be bad quality control and too much filler in the rotor material causing stress and failure. They admitted to it and replaced our inventory. The new ones are made of a clear material so we can tell there is no filler in them.

[MartinX]

How old is the switch? In the eighties I used Lorlin switches in some audio builds and they were terrible just as you describe them. In 2010 I dared try Lorlin again and those switches feel much better and they work perfectly so they must have done something to improve them.

[dom0]

The oldest CK switches I have here should be around ~2001. Those are okay (audio switching).

[calexanian]

They claim to be made in the UK in their datasheet. What a load of BS. Generally they are pretty good switches, but they do go bad eventually. Just get a replacement from mouser, farnell, etc.

[Ice-Tea]

Just figured I'd follow up on this. Ordered another three from Farnell, no issues there (ohmic value sometimes would go up a very little bit, but nothing like before). So, not sure what happened with that one. Perhaps been abused a bit too much, it did spend some time in a box with some heavy gear that may have crushed it somehow.

Gonna chalk this up to bad luck...