Idiotic Rocker Switch symbols for ON & OFF

[Paintedcow]

Here is a picture of a rocker switch designed by idiots.

Instead of putting the words ON and OFF on it, they put a LINE and a CIRCLE. (Which means absolutly nothing). Both words ON and OFF begin with an "O". If that circle is an "O", it's worthless. Or maybe it's a number zero. "0".

And what the heck does the LINE mean? (To me, it means nothing. Is it a lower case letter "L" or upper case letter "I", or number "1", or just a plain meaningless line.

Whoever began labelling switches this way, should be fired from their job, and be sent to prison for the rest of their life, for creating a dangerous product.

Why cant they just put the words "ON" and "OFF" on the switches? If the full word wont fit, them put "N" and "F" (oN & oFf).

I have a power generator with this kind of switch, which is for turning on and off the engine. Because those symbols make no logical sense. I can never remember which is ON and which is OFF. I just start to pull the rope on the generator and if it wont start, I flip the switch to the other position. Hopefully it will start in one of the positions. That's of I dont flood the engine from pulling the rope with that switch on the wrong position.

Since I dont use the generator often, the next time I need it, I'll once again have to play the guessing game to determine which is ON and which is OFF. And of course this always occurs in the dark, because thats when I need the generator.

I finally bought a permanent paint stick yesterday. The next time I get that generator started, I'm going to write ON and OFF in big letters above and below that switch.

And if I ever find the moron who labelled these switches with a LINE and a CIRCLE, I think I'll give the fucker a black eye, knock out a few teeth, and embed a LINE and a CIRCLE on his forehead with my pocket knife!!!!

[Ed Pawlowski]

International symbols that anyone (except you) can understand no matter their native language. Build a machine in the USA and write "OFF" and the citizens of Albania, Chine, Russia, Lithuania, will have no clue what it means. They all figured out the I and O a few decades ago.

Just like the symbols for the mens room.

[Paintedcow]

Like I'm supposed to convert this to computer code, when it's not a computer. Do you really think those other countries, which are probably computer illiterate will understand this? I doubt it.

MENS ROOM 8===>

WOMENS ROOM (o) (o)

This says it like it is.......

[DerbyDad03]

They don't use a 1 or 0 on restrooms...but they could. ;-)

[Dean Hoffman]

The people with multimeters could run a continuity test. A cheap automotive circuit tester with a battery will show off from on. The people with neither will flip the switch off and on a couple times to see what happens.

Some cut.

[DerbyDad03]

Wow! That's all, just Wow!

Not always.

[Scott Lurndal]

The digits one and zero. They should be obvious to anyone.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Nah, the transgender crowd will complain about it. But I guess they can pee where they feel more comfortable.

[gfretwell]

Not anymore Caitlin has a dick.

[Ralph Mowery]

They may not have had much choice. I don't know about the offical standards, but in the US for years it was red for off or stop and green for on or run.

Then the European standards at some time was the opposit. When the equipment was shipped in from Europe it came the their standards. Doubt the company would have had much say.

Most of the large equipment was ran on the US standard of 480 volts 3 phase. We got in some of the European equipment in a very large plant addition and it was 380 volts (think that is it, but could be off a few volts) three phase. I was on the checkout crew after the construction company finished installing it. No one told us about the 380 volt equipment. As part of the check out was to calibrate some heaters we could not get the controlers to put out 480 volts like the other parts of the plant. Measured the in comming and found out it was 380. Just love it when the 'standard' changes and no one is told about it.

[EXT]

I once went to a restaurant in a marina, the washrooms were labeled "inboard" and "outboard", you figure which one you belong in.

[notbob]

Easier sed than done.

It's very difficult to spec every component. This gives sub-vendors a lotta room to wiggle. I recall when our company subbed out it's custom PCBs to an award winning vendor. Figured a nationally known company that had won awards for quality/excellence to provide quality products. We soon discovered, since we had not fully spec'd every component, the vendor could substitute sub-std parts to improve their profit margin. In short, we began receiving substandard PC boards that failed. Hadda go back and spec individual component parts. Either way, it costs us $$$$.

nb

[dadiOH]

It isn't really computer code, it is the binary number for the condition of a bit (a switch).

And I suspect people in other countries are much more binary and/or computer literate than are Americans. I was in China in the mid-80s and the only thing I could find on TV was a program teaching Z-80 assembler.

[Paintedcow]

While I know that about binary, I never even considered that on a power switch on something that's not computer related. I did not even see it as a ZERO and a ONE. I only saw a circle and a line.

[Vic Smith]

What kind of switch is that? Nothing can stop an "electrician" from wiring it wrong anyway. Had a plumber in my house replacing my lift system pump, which has a wall switch controlling the power. Told him I'd flip the breaker for safety, and run a extension cord for light. "Nah, I'll just flip the switch." He got slightly zapped, because the damn switch is wired backwards. Had me flip the breaker. I never trust that a switch is wired correctly.

[Doug Miller]

Vic Smith wrote in news: [e-mail]:

A switch that Paintedcow can't figure out how to use.

How can you wire an on-off switch "backwards" ?

[rbowman]

Short shaft outboard?

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

Could that mean switching the neutral, or just one pole of a 240V circuit?

[Ed Pawlowski]

I think he meant it broke the neutral, not the hot. Could be interpreted as backwards.

[Paintedcow]

You cant!

You can switch the wrong wires, and you can put the switch upsidedown (from the standard way they are installed, but it's still working the same way. It can only be ON or OFF (if it's a single pole).