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| Honeywell’s MICRO SWITCH™ technology has launched most sensing and switching products
Sensing and Control produces. View early versions of MICRO SWITCH devices, in addition to the legacy of MICRO
SWITCH products. |
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1942
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In 1943, the V3 switch was named to represent Victory in Europe, Victory in Asia, and a
Victory for MICRO SWITCH products. The first class postage stamp at the time was an eagle with outspread
wings in the form of a “V”. The cost was 3 cents. The V3 and postage size stamp of the switch all seemed to
go together, so V3 it became. |
| V3 |
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| BZ |
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| Cut-away |
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1944
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The development of the EN MICRO SWITCH line was just in time to catch the front end of the
jet engine age. Landing gear switches had become a particular problem since available switches filled with
water. It was necessary in many cases to drill holes to allow water to drain out. The excellent sealed
features of the Honeywell switch, together with its size, operating features and circuitry, were just what
the aircraft industry was looking for. The EN was soon established as Military Standard. |
| Cut-away |
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| HS |
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| EN |
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1951
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The need for attachment of lead wires directly to the switch was met by designing and
providing the E and V die cast switch enclosures. This enclosed switch became one of the most popular MICRO
SWITCH product lines, sold year after year in volume for literally millions of applications. The enclosures
started out as zinc die castings which were changed to aluminum during WWII for weight saving in aircraft
applications. This family of switches became known as the “die cast” line, which has persisted as part of
MICRO SWITCH terminology for years. |
| SM |
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| BZRN |
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| LS |
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| BZE6 |
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1953
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Almost as soon as the basic switch was put into use, people began to find ways to use it as a
pushbutton switch. Through the years, Honeywell’s MICRO SWITCH push button line has been used for military
aircraft (originally advertised as a unit that would allow aircraft to use wing and tail lights to signal to
ground stations using Morse Code), military tanks, and firing switches for nuclear warhead torpedoes on
submarines. |
| SM |
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| XE |
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| SX |
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| HM |
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1955
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A development in Honeywell’s Solid State Research Center in Minneapolis led to the
development of “Hall” MICRO SWITCH components, named after the phenomena known as the Hall Effect.
Researchers discovered that when an integrated circuit chip was moved through a magnetic field (or vice
versa), a minute electrical current would be generated. This development led to the introduction of keyboard
pushbutton units for the first IBM® computers, technology predecessor to the keyboards we use today. |
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1956
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Experience with unsealed switches on aircraft during WWII pointed to the need for a
hermetically sealed MICRO SWITCH design. Rapid ascent and descent of aircraft from humid ground conditions to
cold flight conditions often caused switch malfunction which was traced to icing of contacts. A
glass-to-metal seal was conceived, and the new technology quickly became widely used, and is still popular to
this day. |
| PH |
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| PB |
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| TOGGLES |
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1957
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In 1937, the Explosion Proof MICRO SWITCH family of products was introduced, ushering in a
safer working environment in industrial settings. The switch was engineered to ensure that volatile gases
that entered the switch and exploded would not ignite gases outside the switch enclosure. The configuration
and size of the switches made it the smallest explosion proof switch on the market, a position it has
maintained since its existence. |
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| EX |
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1971
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Honeywell pioneered the designs for basic, miniature, subminiature, heavy-duty and limit
switches. These core designs are the standard footprint for most electromechanical switches manufactured by
switch providers globally today. |
| V3 and SM |
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| SM |
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| SM |
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| GLS |
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| DIN |
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| HDLS |
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1972
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Honeywell Sensing and Control maintains a global manufacturing and service footprint, with
customer service and factory locations in North America, Europe and Asia. MICRO SWITCH products are currently
made in Freeport, IL, Galena, IL, Juarez, Mexico, and Newhouse, Scotland. |
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1978
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1981
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