Is this a switch?

[ausnoelm]

Jesus, I'm glad you're not twisting words or splitting hairs....I think the "switch" to your brain needs testing, because there is surely something wrong!

[boscoe99]

My brain has no switch. It does have some serious sensors. Failing with the passage of years as they may be

Was not me that started this silly debate. There were a few that apparently were upset with Yamaha when Yamaha used a "switch" to sense the state of whatever it was that needed to be sensed, and referred to it as a "sensor". A metonym maybe?

[Jason2tpa]

If a switch being closed is on and a switch being open is off, what about a door?

Why isn't a door on when it is closed and off when it is open?

Isn't the English language silly as hell?

This concept drove me nuts when I began to learn about electronics. Turn the switch ON, thereby closing the circuit, turns the accessory ON. What?!? Not logical. But after realizing I'll never change this concept I just accepted it.

[boscoe99]

This concept drove me nuts when I began to learn about electronics. Turn the switch ON, thereby closing the circuit, turns the accessory ON. What?!? Not logical. But after realizing I'll never change this concept I just accepted it.

I would have said "close the switch, thereby energizing the circuit, turning the accessory on."

How's your mind?

What we have here is a failure to communicate. Who's on first?

[pstephens46]

Look on the bright side - Zeno made an appearance after a long absence....

[rodbolt17]

actually the pic with the lamp and the one with the meter prove it is a switch.
it is ON (closed circuit and current flows) or OFF open circuit NO current flows.
Voltage DOES NOT make a device work nor does voltage flow.
movement of the electrons make the device work and is commonly called current and is measured in amperage.
you can have a very high voltage with milliwatts of current, secondary ing system.
or you can have a relatively low 12V with 300+ amps, certain starting systems.
however to make the device,sparkle plug or starter actually work requires a current to flow.
a discrete signal is switched it is either on or off.
a sensor signal impies it provides a varying output voltage such as a thermistor or a potentiometer.
a transistor is a switch that can be turned on and off electrically, as can igfets and mosfets.
it is how you can take an analog sine wave and make a square wave.

[boscoe99]

A switch would in the past be regarded as having open circuit and then "switch" to very low resistance.
As the thing in question has relatively high resistance it would have been relatively useless as a switch. That is prior to electronics, that enabled "trans resistance" to enable any amount of resistance to be amplified to drive higher current uses.
I think it technically provides information to electronic gizmos to switch some thing that we can detect without further modification.
We have accepted that these things are all sensors or probes at one end and perhaps in this case it's output is interpreted as a switch, stablising the output resistance, as water resistance between salt, brackish and fresh varies greatly.

Where the hell have you been? It has been boring around here without you.

[cpostis]

I just looked up in Parker/Racor's "technical library". The component in Boscoe's original post is one component of many in the water detection kit. Racor calls it a "probe"

Here's an excerpt of the tech document:

"A water probe is only a component in the water detection system and will not work without an electronic water detection module. Water detection modules analyze electrical resistance at the probe tips and determine if water is present in fuel. If so, a low voltage circuit is completed and the warning light and buzzer are activated alerting the operator."

Here's a link to the document:

http://racorstore.com/racordocs/1297...ection_Kit.pdf

The component Boscoe refers to is not a switch.

Is that my final answer?
Yes, at least I hope so!

[cpostis]

I just looked up in Parker/Racor's "technical library". The component in Boscoe's original post is one component of many in the water detection kit. Racor calls it a "probe"

Here's an excerpt of the tech document:

"A water probe is only a component in the water detection system and will not work without an electronic water detection module. Water detection modules analyze electrical resistance at the probe tips and determine if water is present in fuel. If so, a low voltage circuit is completed and the warning light and buzzer are activated alerting the operator."

Here's a link to the document:

http://racorstore.com/racordocs/1297...ection_Kit.pdf

The component Boscoe refers to is not a switch.

Is that my final answer?
Yes, at least I hope so!

Well, here's another Parker/Racor probe diagram (different from what Boscoe refers to in his image):

[IMG]WIF.NoModule by Charles Postis, on Flickr[/IMG]

Almost like Fairdeal's diagram.

Here's the link to this tech document:

http://racorstore.com/racordocs/1440...ection_Kit.pdf

This is just for informational purposes, no debate!

[rodbolt17]

racor can call it a probe.
it is a switch.
it is on or off.
the light or alarm is on or it is off.
does racor give a resistance or varying voltage output spec?
nope.
it is ON or OFF.
I could call it a DOOHICKY.
does not mean it is still not a switch.
that probe does not detect how much water is in the filter.
it simply goes from an open state, ,no water detected to a closed state, water detected.

[zenoahphobic]

Where the hell have you been? It has been boring around here without you.

I come out when there is a lot of straying and BS going on.

In reality I have moved properly into retirement , very busy and stressful.
And I can't find anything .....and have purchased new stuff like IPad that I'm having difficulty with getting Internet on. All archaic copper here, no optic broadband although neighbourhood would be regarded as reasonably affluent.
Melbourne the most livible city?

[zenoahphobic]

I would have said "close the switch, thereby energizing the circuit, turning the accessory on."

How's your mind?

What we have here is a failure to communicate. Who's on first?

You have just added another word/ "term" in this naming debate.
When I first heard the term "energising the circuit", after it being explained made sense years ago, but now I think it is a vague term and not a precise term as intended. For example: the electricity distribution companies here describe a house etc. as energised when they turn on the power. However the consumer will regard the house as energised only when the main switch and one other switch is turned on. So "energising" can occur before or after any number of switches.

[zenoahphobic]

racor can call it a probe.
it is a switch.
it is on or off.
the light or alarm is on or it is off.
does racor give a resistance or varying voltage output spec?
nope.
it is ON or OFF.
I could call it a DOOHICKY.
does not mean it is still not a switch.
that probe does not detect how much water is in the filter.
it simply goes from an open state, ,no water detected to a closed state, water detected.

It all boils down to how or why some process is explained. Rodbolt, you have very clear in your mind what the end result is, expressed in simple terms is what matters.
Racor use another type of language, like their thingy "determines" whether there is water present. No it doesn't; it is predetermined by a set value (presumably resistance) when reached.
And yes if you want to express things that way, then it does detect "how much water is in the filter", atleast when the water has reached the volume or at the predetermined level set by the position of the probe.

[ausnoelm]

I can't believe this simple device has dragged on so long, so, let's be very clear here, a "switch" is a device that is on or off, now whether it gets turned on and off by your finger, a float, temperature, water, a stick, wind , computer, electronics or any other method someone can dream up to complicate things, it turns on and off (unless it's broken) nothing more nothing less.

[donsmarine]

Go to "WIKTIONARY"and look up switch or sensor or in the dictionary of your choice.