Name that switch

It's called a slotted opto switch.

Could be a microswitch - they come with all sorts of actuating mechanisms; levers, rollers, etc. It's not clear to me from your description whether the 'obstruction' causes the switch to switch, or something to be sensed (either other-than-mechanically).

Best to look at a few pictures of microswitches to see if this is on the right track.

J^n

As Grunff said a slotted opto switch commonly found on video recorders,perhaps you could salvage one from an old video? usually found around the take up pullys

Many thanks, I wouldn't have guessed that!

Optical sensor.

Nah, that's way too generic - it could mean an ldr, a photo diode, a reflectance proximity switch, or a slotted opto switch. It's a slotted opto switch.

Other items U can find them on are...

Floppy drive Tape data drives

Thang is are they all a common voltage?

Pretty much, as they comprise an infra-red led and an opto transistor. Forward drive current for the led varies and peak reverse voltage and max forward current for the transistor vaies, but as I say, they are all much of a muchness.

You can find them in the opto-electronics section of any supplier, including RS, Farnell, CPC, Rapid, etc. Couldn't find them in Maplin, though.

It's a shame, Maplins have recently opened around here but they seem to sell fekk all these days.

Is that you, Stooks?

In message , R D S writes

I might have one lying around somewhere ...

I don't think so, what's a Stooks?

I have a slack handful of those slotted optoswitches - I think they're in a cardboard box downstairs in the living room somewhere alongside a load of sweetspot emitters and photo-darlington sensors for which I convinced myself a few years ago that I'd find numerous applications...

It turns out I possibly didn't need them. I had a suspected cable problem so had fitted a new ribbon cable. The problem persisted so I changed the opto switches and the problem yet persisted. It seems that the original cable and the replacement one werent wired to the same pins in the plugs at each end, much cable codging later and it is running. The machine in question is of American manufacture, I guess each one is built to order and it is touch and go as to whether any consistensy is managed.

Also found in many ball-type mouses.

Owain