I have a hard wired, simple, Radio Shack alarm system. It uses small spring-button switches that go into the frame of a door jamb. You drill a hole about 3/4 of an inch or so, and install the switch in the hole.
Radio Shack no longer makes alarm systems, and thus they don't sell the switches. Can anyone recommend a place to buy them please ?
What I see a lot of now are magnetic reed switch type door contacts, I bet those would be easier to find than a pin switch. Pretty standard security stuff.
What city do you live in, that there still is such a thing as a ma and pa electronics shop? I haven't seen anything like that in about 25 years. All the ones I shopped at as a kid either went belly up, or morphed into something else, and none have the rows of racks and back room full of parts like they used to. An independent alarm equipment dealer could fix OP right up, if they are willing to sell retail.
Or look online- that is what actually replaced small local jobbers. Graingers, Digikey, or similar, probably carries it. MPJA.com is a good place to start, if you don't need commercial grade stuff.
I have come across a Radio Shack branded alarm, though I wouldn't call it a security system. Whether radio shack "made" them or not isn't really the point, they do exist . I think the reason you see so few mechanical plungers is they a far less reliable than magnetic reed switches.
Instead of sinking for money into this alarm , you may want to consider upgrading to cowbells hung from your doorknobs.
Yes, you can put them under the copper weatherstripping and they work just as well. My door was kicked in the first year I was here, between 6 and 8 on a summer Sunday, and I also bought the plate that wraps around the door under the doorknob, and the magnet part I put under that. So both parts were hidden but it worked fine.
Though, iiuc what the op is talking about, I used a roller plunger in my sliding door tracks. It doesn't show at all and it's put so I can leave the door open five inches and still set the alarm. (though I never set the alarm when I'm home, and even when it was broken I didn't always close the back door when I left.
OP, while in person some suppliers are wholesale only, on the web, most places do't worry about that.
I found a dentist supply store that sold rubber bands for braces. I think it was 2.30 a bag and 35 cents for shipping. I used them for eyeglasses, at the hinges. :)
Would a dome tight switch from an auto work ?? I put one under my hood and wired my horn to it. Never lost a battery after that. Did have to go out at 3:00 am once but they ran like hell when the horn went off ---- little bastards. Jr
There's a product from GE Security called a 3005 "Roller Plunger" contact which is probably the closest to what you have in terms of size, shape and function. I sell them online. So does almost every other online alarm store. Here's a link to the SR-3005 on my website:
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If the hole in the woodwork is too shallow for the 3005 you can use the "short" version of the same switch, called a 3008:
You can get different types of plunger switches from Lee Electric or any electrical supply house that carries theirs or equivalent products. The recessed closet door switches can be obtained with either normally open or normally closed contacts. You can print out a picture and show it to a salesman at any electrical supply company and they'll know what you are looking for. You need to specify open or closed contacts for when the door is open. Lee Electric has a catalog in PDF format that you can download that will show you the specs and pictures of the different switches.
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