Switches are the most-bought, least-thought-about part on the bench. Three types cover nearly everything: a toggle for power and mode, a tact button for input, and a limit switch for position. This guide picks the right one.
Toggle: SPDT mini toggle
The SPDT mini toggle switch is a 3-pin, 2-position ON/ON miniature toggle, MTS-102, rated 6A 125V AC, with a 6mm mounting thread. Ten per pack. Flip the lever to switch one circuit between two outputs, or wire it as a simple on/off by using one throw. Buy it for panel-mounted power switches, mode selectors, and anything you want to stay where you put it.
Tactile: pushbutton kit
The tactile pushbutton switch kit is 180 momentary tact switches in 10 values — 6x6mm heights from 4.3 to 13mm plus 7x7x14mm — sorted in a compartmented organizer box. Buy the kit once and you have the right button height for every Arduino, RC, and DIY electronics build. Momentary means the button is only on while you hold it: the right choice for inputs, resets, and menus.
Limit: KW11-3Z micro switch
The KW11-3Z micro limit switch is a snap-action miniature switch rated 5A 250VAC, with roller, arc, and straight lever actuator styles, NO/NC contacts, and a life of 1,000,000 cycles or more. Ten per pack. It is the standard 3D-printer endstop switch, also used for CNC, robotics, and DIY limit sensing. Buy it whenever a machine needs to know it reached the end of its travel.
How to choose
Stays on or off by itself: toggle. Press-and-release input: tact button. Machine hits a position: limit switch. Check the ratings before you wire mains voltage through any of them — the toggle is rated 6A 125V and the limit switch 5A 250VAC, and both are panel and machine parts, not toys. Check the product pages for the current options before you order.
All parts in this guide ship from NY, USA. See the full list of guides on the Drone Guides page.
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