Switches are Clicky; Here's Why

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Click clack I was taken aback. Wonderin’ ‘bout those switches of light, yeah.
Let’s find out what the point is of all that clacking, shall we?
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[@FoxDragon]

"Everything conducts electricity if you try hard enough" as an electrician, can confirm LMAO

[@theclangers8567]

This is a truism for all users of large amounts of electricity. :)

[@rickyanthony]

Huh. So how much electricity to get killed by leaning against a plastic table for example?

[@TalesOfWar]

@@rickyanthony To the point it melts I guess?

[@rickyanthony]

@@TalesOfWar Plastic will melt because of heat, so that won't take much electricity.

[@sinpi314]

Electroboom intensifies

[@Connorses]

did... did he get through all that without saying "click subscribe"? my man

[@theclangers8567]

This is the first KZbin channel that I have subscribe to, for this very reason.

[@deivedux9342]

As someone who's been on KZbin since early 2012, I grew very tired of those people that say anything remotely do that. It even makes me cringe whenever I make myself say it.

[@deivedux9342]

@DEEJMASTER 333 This is a brand account, something that doesn't accurately represents my KZbin experience as a whole.

[@mr.nazareth4501]

Memento Mori, brother

[@Crashid3D]

Maybe he was afraid someone could bring his subscribe button in a half on / half off state

[@GazzaJAnimal]

As a UK resident, I love how US plug sockets look eternally surprised.

[@obeseperson]

That’s why we made them like that

[@g9eclipse136]

Exactly the look you'll make if you stick your hands too close to the prongs!

[@hazeltree7738]

@@g9eclipse136 If only there was a system to stop you touching the shocky parts x) (This is just light hearted by the way)

[@aerofiles5044]

I can't unsee it now.

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

They're probably surprised hearing how the humans around them keep talking about "switches", when almost any other region calls them by what they actually DO: cut off the current to nothing, not switch between two alternate options for the current to flow. A rail switch is a real swich, because there IS another rail in the other position.

[@jaromirandel543]

Nice click sound is also good positive feedback. The positive feedback is very important in the human design. It makes things intuitive and giving you info "you doing it right"

[@bocasuja22]

he touched on that topic brifily when talking about computer mice in the very end

[@nova_supreme8390]

It is like parking a car. You really want to hear that sudden thump to know you are close enough to the other vehicle.

[@milo5315]

​@@nova_supreme8390 Wait a minute...

[@ClaytonDorris]

Agreed. The silent mercury based switches that were in my house when I bought it were a little awkward. Before I realized they were mercury I thought they were worn out and I really missed that 'click'.

[@QHawk7]

If I didn't click, and there's some electricity outage or defected bulb/ device. People would have just keep pushing it, thinking it haven't reached the end and closed or opened the circuit. It's a nice feedback.

[@maxstevens9643]

I flicked the switch as hard as I can, but the joycons still drift.

[@billert]

Then get a free repair from Nintendo (continental america only)

[@dominickbryant851]

R/Wooosh?

[@lewtds]

Haha. Joking aside, get a can of electronic spray cleaner and spray directly into the opening under the stick's flap. It'll dry up in 5 seconds and immediately clean the circuit up. Worked very well for me.

[@dominickbryant851]

I got a warranty for them ao i get free joycons for 2 years if one breaks

[@maxstevens9643]

@@lewtds i did that a long time ago with wd-40; I don't know what everyone is sending them in for when it's that easy.

[@sypwn]

Awwww, you didn't mention turn signals! The "click, clack" of turn signals used to be caused by the relay that controls the bulbs toggling on and off. Now cars use solid state relays, so the clicking sound is produced artificially by a speaker under the dash.

[@Ravanger3]

Not all cars. Some cars use solenoids, some cars do the speaker thing.

[@envisionelectronics]

Sypwn Yeah even my 2001 Saab has a speaker for this as well as the other dash warnings.

[@two_number_nines]

some cars have a piezo speaker making the ticking noise.

[@AceSkates]

@@Ravanger3 my motorcycle is completely silent when it comes to turn signals. Which is good, because I can't hear anything over the wind noise anyway

[@NathanaelDuke]

Used to specifically be a bimetallic strip that heated and disconnected and cooled to reconnect on a regular cadence. My 2015 car actually plays the turn signal sound through the stereo speakers. ^_^

[@OfficialMaxBox]

I can't get enough of your subtle humor. "Professional driver" got me giggling good

[@typodoeseverything]

Didn't expect to see you on a TC video!

[@ahrikoito2210]

Wtf you're the last person I would expect to see here

[@YesIAmSmarterThanYouPleaseCope]

His puns are painful and they better stay that way.

[@HxTurtle]

for added fun .. turn on closed captions and you'll get to read even more of his dry humor

[@williamjones5367]

I honestly laughed my ass off at the constant "OoooO lets do that again!" while pulling the plug out of the wall. You have a great way of satirically promoting safety because I can totally see children literally playing with that.

[@ChaseHeeler]

I'd just do it as an adhd fidget 😭

[@andreib302]

The fact that a video like this exists makes me love this channel even more

[@bulbman2564]

this video was uploaded 1o mon ago but youtube says its 2 days old

[@OnlyKelp]

Bulbman256 it says 25 mins old for me but comments go back like 2 days

[@MacPhantom]

Bulbman256 Video was probably private for a month.

[@elijahk.7501]

Or maybe early access for patreon subs

[@nettgyver]

Wow not what I expected. Talk about click bait!

[@DanceTranced]

When I was young I used to try get the very old switches to sit in the exact middle. I now understand why I caused so much damage and got in so much trouble.

[@darkmagician1184]

we had a 3 way switch on our stairs, to annoy our other siblings we would put the bottom one in the middle position so they couldn't use the switch at the top. being a dumb kid, we didn't think we were doing anything wrong. it wasn't until I moved into my own house and had a really poor switch in my living room that would "fizzle" when you turned it off that I realized what I had done as a kid.

[@krypticviper1613]

@@darkmagician1184 I’m an idiot what does that break?

[@Sannerr]

@@krypticviper1613 watch the video and you would know

[@schnizzyfizz7832]

@@krypticviper1613 Electric arcing happens. That tiny spark is really really hot and eats away at the contacts inside the switch. You want zero resistance in the switch. But as damage and burnt gunk builds up, that resistance can increase and eventually you got a fire hazard.

[@Noah-Lach]

The l

[@zombie-process7025]

1:56 - When Technology Connections and Electroboom have a crossover episode.

[@scottneulist9495]

I'm ashamed to say I jumped at that

[@rashaseden7062]

Just behind the house where I grew up (about a mile from a power plant), there are a series of high tension towers, with dozens of power lines heading out over the region. We used to stand beneath them with fluorescent tubes and play light saber, because they would light up as you held them. Don't know why this memory came to mind, but these videos always make me think.

[@realsushrey]

That sounds rather dangerous. In India there have been incidents of people getting electrocuted because of standing in the fields below the high tension power line. Max high tension power lines (11,000 Volts) are now built on absolutely gigantic monster poles to maximize distance between the ground and wires.

[@WyvernYT]

That's an old Navy prank, too. You round up some new guys for "lighting maintenance" and collect a bunch of fluorescent tubes from anywhere they won't be missed for a few minutes, then go up to the aft deck. The seasoned seaman explains that they just need to give the tubes a vigorous shake to loosen the stale phosphors, demonstrates - and his buddy up at the radar controls hits the beam for a moment, making the tube light up.

[@realsushrey]

​@@vg6761 I am not an electrical engineer so take this with a pinch of salt. However, as far as I know, energy carried by electricity per unit time is given by the square of voltage divided by resistance, or current multiplied by voltage. As far as I know, high amount of energy going through the body in the form of electricity can cause severe internal burns.

[@jesx]

Switches: exist Humans: balance the switches in the middle so the light starts flickering. Switches: *bruh*

[@Archgeek0]

In fairness, that can be a useful way to trick fluorescent tube lights with dying ballasts into igniting properly. The sudden current cuts and starts can play into the magnetic tomfoolery of the ballasts in such a manner that you can push the voltage over the hump to get the ionization going full-bore, or at least half-bore, which will often self-correct in a few minutes. It's terrible for the ballasts, but they're dying anyway if you're resorting to this.

[@kruemmelbande5078]

I... Think your nintendo switch is broken

[@flurgy22]

I did that once on accident by half ass throwing the switch. I was perplexed by the way the light was acting figured the bulb was loose. Took the globe off the light and checked the bulb and it was tight. Figured I had a bad connection under the fixture. So I go to turn off the switch and it is making an angry 60hz buzz and was VERY warm. I'm guessing here but I can only imagine I had the switch on just enough to sustain an arc across the contacts. And I went right to the hardware store and got a new switch immediately.

[@jonnathan1869]

Tbh it's kinda hard to do

[@DiosPerroSandia]

At my high school, we do that in the bathroom and smoke comes from inside the switch

[@MillRunner]

"Let's do that again" -Famous last words

[@tazzydev3455]

That or what does this button d...

[@oiseauxfeu]

As an electrician, i really like it when you explain basic everyday stuff using explanation with knowledge in reasonable order. Keep up the good work!

[@raydunakin]

When I was a kid some houses had silent switches that had a vial containing a small quantity of mercury. Two metal contacts were at one end of the vial. When the switch was off, the vial was tilted so that the mercury was at the far end. When it was on, the vial was tilted the other way, and the mercury would complete the connection between the two contacts.

[@S.P.B.222]

Older or mechanical thermostats are a perfect example of this 👍

[@gasolinekiss]

Some video game controllers in the 80s also used those mercury tilt switches to attempt to simulate motion controls. Some actually worked pretty well, but if you broke the controller, you're gonna have a bad time.

[@stephensnell5707]

@@gasolinekiss it's good that switches don't use Mercury anymore as Mercury is extremely dangerous

[@HexagonThatReallyLikesVinegar]

@@gasolinekiss *throws ps5 controller in rage* *tries to pick it back up and gets mercury poisoning*

[@Eavolution_]

Where I'm from they used mercury switches on car bombs, when the car started accelerating the mercury would be pushed back in the vile onto the contacts, completing the circuit, blowing up the cop or whoever it was being targeted

[@IlliterateSage]

"Hey honey, the thermostat guy made a video about why switches click!" Unlike these switches, she's very quiet right now.

[@WalterJamesComedy]

Karen took the kids

[@locke103]

murdered her, didnt you?

[@pekinggeese]

@@locke103 This got dark, fast.

[@locke103]

@@pekinggeese i apologize for clicking the lights off.

[@IlliterateSage]

Plants Tho Yeah. I don’t even try. It just happens.

[@BlueSewist]

I never thought I'd find someone who'd explain science things with words like "swinging thingy" because it's exactly how I want things explained

[@Highlandword9]

Yeah I love his way of teaching us

[@peteedwards]

Also i worked in a firm designing fuzes (yes that how its spelt) that made missiles operate and that was always explained as "the thingy that makes it go bang" to the people above our pay grade

[@LordPhobos6502]

And in fairness, in context that was an accurate and helpful description 😁

[@Thor_the_Doge]

Ah, a fellow layman's terms enjoyer

[@yungrich6188]

the best teachers use the simplest language

[@realevilcorgi]

At 3:05 an awesome line would have been "if this grown man is this amused by this, imagine how amused a child might be"

[@scubaman2546]

Oh... I'M SO SHOWING THIS EPISODE TO MY GRADE 9 SCIENCE STUDENTS. This was one of the most clever episodes I have seen in a long time. The arc images that you captured were particularly interesting. Well done, sir.

[@sorry-ko8jb]

never thought there would be a 15 minute video on the sounds of light switches but i’m not complaining

[@AndyK.1]

bot did he ever answer the question.

[@rhamby3470]

@@AndyK.1 yeah. It's the stuff that contacts the wire moving really fast to minimize arching. Hits hard and makes a click sound

[@MedicSound]

"Let's do it again!" Label: "WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE"

[@EgoShredder]

Yep blow the lighting fuse to your whole house by dontcha!

[@rashidisw]

Yeah for a moment i thought he gonna do the ElectroBOOM/Mehdi route.

[@asailijhijr]

@@EgoShredder why* don't ya

[@chopyouup]

I just take those tags off, I live my own life the way I want! *Electrical fire intensifies*

[@yosefmacgruber1920]

@@EgoShredder Fuses and circuit breakers only detect overloads and short circuits, not bad/loose connections and sparking, well except for the newer arc-detecting circuit breakers, which are not all that widespread yet? But do those very often trip off for just no reason? Modern digital lamp timers and digital thermostats, use a relay or mechanical switch mechanism which provides that instant-on, instant-off snap action that a switch is supposed to do. Hopefully, they would be rated for at least 15 amps, and use a heavy-duty relay that can handle switching on a window air conditioner or heater, and not merely a low-current lamp. Even though the most common usage would be to control a lamp.

[@CaitieLou]

Over Christmas, my parents and grandparents were talking about how back in the 60's they tried installing rubber power outlets. After that, the found whenever there were storms those plugs would spark so badly that they could see it arcing halfway across the room. My grandpa didn't believe them at first, until he saw it himself. Needless to say they immediately switched those rubber outlets back out.

[@ericwright8592]

In the home I grew up in, my dad specifically installed silent light switches everywhere. They used a drop of mercury and gravity to open and close the circuit. Yikes. I remember playing with them as a kid, moving the switch as slow as possible to see just when the lights would come on.

[@zyad48]

Man I wish Mercury wasn't so toxic :( It's honestly super interesting and has fun properties but it's so dangerous that it's not viable for commercial applications.

[@Freak80MC]

@@zyad48 Maybe once we all move over to robotic bodies we can start creating stuff with those pesky products which are too toxic to be anywhere around mushy biological meat bodies

[@vibaj16]

@@zyad48 As far as I know, gallium is no more toxic than any other metal, but it'll stain your skin. But I guess it doesn't have the chemical properties of mercury.

[@Halinspark]

@@Freak80MC Fun fact: (working on the assumption robot bodies would likely be largely aluminum for weight and corrosion concerns, as well as general machinability.) Mercury does bad things to aluminium, so it would still be toxic to a lot of the robotics.

[@Killamarshian]

The tiny arcing is the reason why you should never turn a light on if you smell gas in a building. Excellent video as per usual.

[@subscriber6181]

and because of that, you have to light a match to see where you're going. Please DO NOT ATTEMPT

[@garethfairclough8715]

Instructions unclear; junk stuck in toaster.

[@unlokia]

It's the reason you SHOULD, if you're on a Hollywood set.

[@thiesenf]

Don't forget that whatever you do you're always charged up to about ~1000V

[@helloofthebeach]

@@subscriber6181 I'm a professional in someone else's home, it's fine.

[@alishaker9001]

Me at 3am: I think I wanna sleep My brain: don’t you wanna know why does light switches produce sounds

[@coooclmmaann12]

Literally me right now at 3:14

[@DumStrung]

@@coooclmmaann12 Same at 4:37... Goddamit fml

[@smallsthetimelord4066]

"I don't need sleep I need answers!"

[@adenarrington7607]

11:07 at 9% battery

[@pinekel1081]

@alysdexia This is the internet not a book or essay you asshole

[@pinkajou656]

“Well, a switch is a handheld game-“ “No.” “A switch is a mechanism used to divert rail cars for-“ “No.” “A switch is the simplest mechanism that can control the flow of electricity.” **ding ding ding**

[@somenerd4572]

A switch is a person that both- I’ll stop there everyone knows what’s next

[@rami-succar7356]

@@somenerd4572 I don't, tell me

[@ShonaDudley]

@@rami-succar7356 "No."

[@rami-succar7356]

@@ShonaDudley Plez

[@alextheumbreon1363]

@@rami-succar7356 A person who likes to take either the dominant or submissive role in a relationship that offers said roles. Sometimes both, if their partner is also a switch.

[@szymusu]

1:24 you forgort to mention "Switch is an active network device controlling no"

[@maritoguionyo]

Yes

[@Ralesk]

"A Switch is a handheld..." - They've got us in the first half, I'm not gonna lie.

[@Ralesk]

Also re: somewhat safely and completely safely - is there going to be a nice rant about NEMA sockets somewhere down the line? :D

[@clarohernandez6689]

Me: 3:00 AM... I need to sleep My brain: No, you need to know why switches click.

[@hi-its-matt]

Claro Hernandez I don't need sleep, I need answers!

[@rubyswan917]

@@hi-its-matt Basically the electricity used by humans is artificially condensed and appliances that make heat have a high microferit resistance on the hot wire.

[@ahsamv1992]

Me rn

[@disarmyouwitha]

Hey, it's me right now!

[@ming3706]

It's literally 3:01 am and I have a class at 8 am

[@tylerdun6627]

"A switch is a hand held game- no." I have never felt something more than that on simple phrase in my entire life

[@therapgame1091]

2:47 Close your eyes and just listen 🤐

[@TheNdoki]

"Even Edison knew that." Now there's a quote.

[@DigitalMoose]

After Tesla explained the concept to Edison.

[@videowhat614]

@@DigitalMoose This stupid anti Edison shit is absurd. He’s one of the most brilliant inventors of all time.

[@GrosvnerMcaffrey]

@@videowhat614 it was a group effort Tesla Edison and Westinghouse all deserve credit it's just Edison was out for glory and the hate comes from him trying to step on people to get it even his associates

[@TortillaChip521]

@@videowhat614 okay, but Tesla was still brilliant-er 😂

[@kai325d3]

@@videowhat614 Lol, no.

[@tomg5516]

Please do dimmers next, and why some bulbs can or cannot be dimmed.

[@legominimovieproductions]

Look at ElectroBoom's channel XD

[@prometheus575]

@alysdexia You cannot dim a fluorescent bulb. Pay up :P

[@WowIndescribable]

Yeah I have 'switch dimmers' and don't really understand how the work, technically. It's all about timing. If I hit the switch quickly, the lights go on (or off). If I press and hold, the dimmers oscillate between high and low and will stop wherever and whenever I release the switch. How do these work???

[@checkoutmynewchannel6708]

It turns them on/off extremely fast

[@greenaum]

@@WowIndescribable There's a little computer chip that's reading the button and controlling the triac that's varying the current to the lamp. If there wasn't a computer, you could do it with an electronic circuit with a few dozen components. But fortunately there are single chips now, with a computer, memory, and program storage, as well as input / output, all on one little chip, costing just a few pennies. Actually they've been around since the 1980s, it's why there's a lot more smart stuff about now. As computers, they don't compare to a PC or a tablet, with only a thousandth the RAM and CPU performance, but that's still plenty for a light switch or a microwave oven timer. The slightly more expensive ones, but still just a handful of dollars, have Wifi and Bluetooth on board. Hence all these Wifi house plugs and video cameras and stuff that are all over the place recently. These ones compare to PCs of perhaps 20 years ago, that still got on the Internet, except they're optimised for what they do, not needing graphics and disk drives like a PC has.

[@slipknotfya]

I can't believe how something so simple is actually a very well thought out mechanism. I was genuinely amazed haha

[@JadeNeoma]

this in my opinion is why it's good that UK plugs have switches built into the wall. You switch it off, then unplug it. This ensures that even things without their own switches, there are some things, don't cause a spark. The main things I can think of that do this are chargers and computers. My PC's power supply is still live when the computer is turned off, with a switched out,et I can turn it off at the wall before unplugging it. One of my PC's has a switch on its PSU but one of them doesn't.

[@sierra_R]

the super detailed information along with the near constant deadpan humor makes your channel my absolute favorite

[@unlokia]

"Dead pan"? I'd say contrived.

[@brendancurtin679]

unlokia I mean... isn’t that what deadpan is? Delivering a joke while pretending you’re not?

[@unlokia]

@@brendancurtin679 Being TRULY "dead pan" means that only those who pick up on the cleverly crafted, EXTREMELY subtle nuances of the joke, will get it. Tech Conn's is a nice guy, but FAR from "dead pan", far TOO obvious that he's tried too hard, almost to the point of being cringey, sometimes.

[@jameswalker199]

unlokia How about "dry" humour?

[@sierra_R]

@@unlokia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadpan

[@Chef_PC]

I really need a 17 minute video of, **spark** “OOOh, let’s do that again!” **spark**, ad nauseum.

[@gamingmusicandjokesandabit1240]

*Electroboom has joined the chat*

[@cezarcatalin1406]

Gaming, music and jokes! *and a bit of cooking* * Electroboom set the outlet on fire * * Electroboom left the chat *

[@cezarcatalin1406]

* Electroboom joined the chat again * (this time with slight burns on his fingers)

[@NathanNGM]

It warms my heart to read someone else use "ad nauseum" as well, in 2020.

[@okkomp]

*tw* New led lights won't damage even the worst of switches..

[@coralieofjumpwithnofear]

I just have to tell you how much I love your closed captions. I don’t _need_ them, but I do so like them! And the spelling of your displeasure vocalisations (‘eugh’, for example) is marvellous.

[@jonjohnson3027]

One more detail: the contacts in switches are made of a material that resists damage from arcing (unlike the brass or nickel plating of a plug and receptacle). One common material is phosphor bronze.

[@Beastw1ck]

Honestly, this is one of the best channels on KZbin. I don’t even know the creator’s name but his ability to entertain and educate at the same time is up there with the greats.

[@MrMustacrackish]

I'm pretty sure it's Alex or Alec but you're right

[@macstevins]

@@MrMustacrackish it's Alec

[@S.P.B.222]

Agreed, he would make an awesome electrical lab instructor. It's an art form being able to paint a picture in someone's mind, no matter what level of understanding they are starting from, but assuming they know nothing about what you are teaching them. 👍

[@Youtube_Stole_My_Handle_Too]

Also I like his dress code. Most youtubers dress as if they targeted toddlers.

[@K1OIK]

Honestly? If you don't say that you lie?

[@WigWoo1]

I just figured the clicking is the plastic slapping against the back of the switch when you push it, because if you push them very gently there's no click

[@pauls5745]

yes there are different ways the common toggle switch is made. cheapies can use a plastic arm that bends and slaps. might only work 10,000 times or less then the arm fatigues and tho the switch will still work, it's not clicky any more

[@lancethrustworthy]

There's still a click, you've just constricted the motion such that it doesn't report like it would otherwise.

[@annoymouse890]

No

[@ctrlaltdebug]

If I push switch gently, I hear popping from electricity arcing.

[@Heywoodthepeckerwood]

It ain’t a woman..

[@mattsparks3546]

I love how many references to other videos you make, and sure enough, a card (for the most part) appears

[@cdurkinz]

12:13 what kind of monster are you? Align those flathead screws with each other vertically! haha

[@qlvinc]

Next video: *_Why doesn’t the sun make a click when it turns day time_*

[@RedwoodRhiadra]

It does, we just can't hear it through the vacuum of space :-P

[@stephensparks9350]

It's on a dimmer. Dimmers don't click. He covers this in the beginning.

[@radioanon4535]

no, you are all wrong *It takes light from earth, focuses it, and shines it back*

[@russellhamner4898]

The Sun doesn't even exist. You're just another one of Big Astronomy's sheeple. BAAAAAH!

[@astracrits4633]

@@RedwoodRhiadra Fun fact: if we could hear all the noise the Sun generates, we would probably all die due to the vibrations. Fortunately, the vacuum of space protects us from that!

[@LMacNeill]

1:46 -- Handling bare, live wires with your bare hands. Alec is the new ElectroBoom! ;-)

[@neomaster341]

Loose wires. Avoid them.

[@HedgehogStudios1]

Alectroboom

[@rogerwilco2]

It is staged. The light even turns on a second before the wires touch. The magic of video.

[@Sinjinator]

Maybe he's been watching BigCliveDotCom

[@lordmuntague]

@@Sinjinator Indeed, and he'll probably get some serious sarcasm off JW.

[@amazing7633]

A hundred years ago they were even louder. Our old house had switches with a porcelain body, and the switching mechanism (yes, a spring and some brass and bronze connectors) was what we could call "long throw, double-wiping, double break". Long throw means that breaking the circuit was not merely a movement by a two or three millimeters but 20 mm or more. Loud as heck. Descriptions of double-wiping contacts and double break can be found on some internet somewhere, and are left as an exercise for the truly curious.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

As a hobby welder, I have a "cracklebox" from Harbor Freight that proves quite handily that regular house current is enough to jump a formidable air-gap and sustain an arc... AND yes, AC will weld metals together quite well, too... Just pointing it out, as it doesn't seem like quite enough people really get the differences meant between "somewhat" and "completely" when uttered in regards to safety of any kind. It's worth pointing out that the arc of a welder is supposedly some 8,000 F or so (according to the heat chart in a Pocket Ref)... SO yeah, those arcs can get REALLY friggin' hot... Steel melts around 2500 F... AND you ruin the temper (if it's hardened metal) at around 500 F or so... when the steel turns bluish. If you've ever seen a "pro" sharpening anything with a powered grinder, you know NOW why s/he kept a small container of cold water nearby and periodically dipped the blade into it... ;o)

[@JerryDodge]

"A switch is a device which routes network traffic between devi... no..."

[@106640guy]

Switch is a little game my uncle once taught me...you stick one of your fingers in your...uhh nevermind

[@ReverendTed]

"A switch is a colloquial term for a limb or branch that your grandmoth...no..."

[@muffinproject]

A switch is when a skater changes how their fee... no..

[@Camwize]

A switch is someone who likes to be dominant and submissive in bed, depending on how they feel in that momen.... no...

[@jkdking12]

A switch is the menu option, in most jrpgs, you press when you want to switch party memb....no....

[@flyingcatpack]

seeing how the lamp switch works through that clear housing made my day, thank you!

[@ICasinI]

It also opens up an interesting discussion about how the sound made by practically any product you can imagine is, generally speaking, fully designed to be consistent with what a consumer would likely expect to be present.

[@CuriosityCore101]

That was fascinating! Although now I can't help but look back on when I was a kid and I would sometimes play with the rocker switches in my grandparents' house because I was curious about the tactile aspect of holding them halfway between on and off and also curious about the point at which the light would turn on or off. But I only did that a couple of times so hopefully I didn't cause significant damage.

[@gamemeister27]

Using an arc to do damage to contacts is how electrical discharge machining works. You can use it to bore holes straight through anything conductive

[@absalomdraconis]

With sufficient caution, you can also use it "in reverse" to plate material onto a conductor, though admittedly a more conventional version of welding will usually be better.

[@StefanoFierros]

@@lilylopnco Thats what she said

[@Unreissued]

this comment sounds so metal

[@TheNightstalker80]

Yes conductive drilling and cutting is an industrial standard since quite a while and it allows for precise and quick results. And as mentioned, the reverse thing is light arc welding, it works mostly the same.

[@IanTester]

Oh yeah, the other "EDM".

[@Dodgerific]

came for clicking noises, stayed for accidental lessons in arc welding

[@AquaFan1998]

Thats what makes these videos so good :)

[@STRIKER9001]

I live in a house built in the year 1900, and we have those heavy switches you were talking about. They were installed around the 20s, and up to the 60s at the latest, and yet they all still work splendidly.

[@Nathaniel._.]

I love the little chime he used at 1:39 for the correct answer. Yay

[@nathanielgregg543]

This is the best video about light switches I’ve ever seen. Incredible.

[@eamartig]

Nathaniel Gregg even better than every YIAY ever?

[@greenaum]

It's in my top ten, certainly.

[@the_hoagie5463]

I think "everything conducts electricity if you try hard enough" might be my senior quote

[@LookAlikeFilm]

The_Hoagie Also, every machine is a smoke machine if you try hard enough.

[@mikelieberman6924]

@@LookAlikeFilm Everything 'electric' runs on smoke and only dies when the smoke leaks out.

[@quadrplax]

Also everything is flammable if you try hard enough

[@donaldendsley6199]

@@quadrplax as Apollo 1 found out.

[@absalomdraconis]

@@quadrplax : Hydrogen Fluoride actually _isn't_ flammable, which is probably the only "safe" thing you can say about it, since it can even react with metals to produce flammable hydrogen gas. Still, Hydrogen Fluoride itself actually isn't flammable!

[@jimaanders7527]

You explained the mechanical operation of the switch very well. Fast action is very important. The "click" sound itself is important for a lot of people (like me) to give us a warm feeling that we really did operate the switch and didn't just wave at it. I used to have a mercury wall switch and I sometimes wondered if I had toggled it completely. The keyboard on your cell phone has an option to make a sound when you touch a key. (It's nice to have an option.) You can get a mouse that makes a click or not. PC keyboards come with different amounts of "clickyness". I like a little bit of a click sound and some tactile feedback. .

[@judethedude96]

8:00 lmaoooo that transition made me laugh so much thanks man you made my night I'm subscribing

[@hgbugalou]

Edison knew bare wires are dangerous, but Electroboom sees it as A feature.

[@nicksGLI]

@@blitzwing1 I doubt Topsy thinks AC was glorious!

[@vega1287]

o knew a comment like this was going to be made

[@simonstergaard]

And Photoninduction didnt care

[@walkermorales337]

I usually turn off lights slowly (without hearing a click) since I figured the clicking was worse than no clicking in terms of wear, turns out I was really wrong.

[@ClaytonDorris]

Instead of a click you just hear a sizzle.

[@AlexanderNash]

Seriously you were worried about wear of a $10 switch? what a stupid thing to worry about.

[@goofyiest]

your videos are quite fun and informative, and your outtakes are fab.

[@anishkhadgi6822]

I am in love with the content of this channel, why didn't I find it before? was suggested after watching many videos of techmoan

[@JARJCC97]

many thermostat unpluggings later: (the house starts to catch on fire) OOOOOO LETS DO THAT AGAIN!!!!

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

My Outer Persona: ... My Inner Pyromaniac:

[@zephyfoxy]

Wrong. A switch is a network devices that intelligently forwards frames to various devices based on MAC address.

[@bookaltd]

Wrong. A switch is what my ma' ordered me to fetch when I was naughty.

[@deivisony]

@@bookaltd I don't get it. Care to explain to a Brazilian who learnt British English?

[@primethread]

Archival Copy “physical child abuse”

[@kr4zyy]

@@deivisony it's a networking joke, go google Switch Intermediary Device

[@EliteFlight]

Okay Dwight

[@vanhalenbr]

I am commenting after watch the first minute or so, just to say the switch sounds are so nice to hear, I cannot explain and it’s nice how it was recorded to capture the feel

[@AnotherNerdHere]

This made the subject click. 😀 Your channel has a unique way of making things I never really thought about interesting. Thanks.

[@MarceloGosling]

“Nothing is a perfect insulator” Interestingly, not even “nothing” is a perfect insulator. A vacuum is one of the better ones, but it still has a breakdown voltage =)

[@richardwild76]

There is no such thing as a perfect insulator. How's that?

[@BlankBrain]

@@richardwild76 If you put a high enough voltage on electrons, they can jump into free space via field emission.

[@moonrock41]

@@BlankBrain does that mean we could make electrons jump from the Earth to the Moon if a high enough voltage could be created?

[@nitePhyyre]

That question popped into my mind when he was talking about prefect vacuums. I'm glad to have it answered. Thanks.

[@tomasdvorak7307]

@@nitePhyyrethe effect of field emission was being utilized in the electronic lamps (predecessors to present day transistors). Despite their demise in 60s, 70s and 80s, I believe those lamps are still being used in some rare special applications; an electrotechnic engineer could perhpa advise more. Yeah, x-ray machines also come to mind. And other electronic gadgetry. As for vacuum, a perfect vacuum is just theoretical concept which can't be achieved in real live. The electronic lamps would contain something like good-enough vacuum, subject to technological and economical constraints, yet subjecting their void to space-level vacuum wouldn't probably affect (improve) their performance one bit.

[@davidm8371]

The 10 year old me remembers holding a light switch half way and watching the lights (and the ark) flicker.

[@kyleflicker]

Triggered

[@PedroHenrique-ih1fl]

i burned a switch while doing that, smoke came out and i got really scared lmao

[@theinacircleoftheancientpu492]

Does the 40 year old you remember too?

[@tamber5977]

@@kyleflicker switched*

[@monad_tcp]

​@@kyleflickerthe best possible use of triggered.

[@niftyspock]

Grew up in a split level house built in 1955 and it had those old switches that were loud that you talked about. We replaced most of them overtime but a few stayed

[@foxxiangel6384]

i love the old clacky switches SO MUCH. i love clicky sounds and god that clack gets me SO GOOD

[@GraceAction]

*I got so anxious while he played with the plug* 😂

[@legominimovieproductions]

With the "plug" ;)

[@oktalon]

*“Ooh. Let's do it again!”*

[@VinceMcLennon]

If that made you nervous, do not look up Electroboom on YT

[@arnemaeschaelck5012]

same... this is why I always close my eyes plugging this in or unplugging them lol... and electroboom literally gave me a decent amount of heart attacks in the past...

[@mrsqueakthecat.8061]

Never come to my shop. I have 240 VAC 100 amp sockets for my big shop equipment. You wanna see a big arc pull one of those out when running one of my bigger machines!

[@darkwinter6028]

You know what you’ve got when you’ve got two wires that don’t separate quickly? An arc welder!

[@Scottish_WalkieTalkie]

thanks for the video, used to love holding the switch at its tipping point n have the light strobe effect when i was a kid, didnt know i was damaging it at the time lol

[@Andrei-xl1xe]

@11:40 You talked about chosing clicky, rigid light switches in another video... I learned why, the hard way. When light switch is elastic it leads to damage: 1)on the switch 2) I was working on my lamp after I pressed the switch off. Only to find out it was in the middle. Good thing it was 1.5mm copper cable, but it was annoying as hell.. I got a little shock, like a taser but fortunately that was all. I'll change this worn out switch.

[@KarthikVishwamitra]

Me: I'm an adult who has a real life and important things to do Also me: watches a 15-minute video on clicky switches

[@vappyenjoyer24]

15.5*

[@3bydacreekside]

I gave nothing better to do

[@GoodElectronics]

Better than learning for an exam :)

[@3bydacreekside]

*halve

[@3bydacreekside]

*mave

[@tamburlaineman]

You should do a follow up video on dimmer switches, how they work, and why some lamps create a buzzing effect on them.

[@VideoGuy84]

Because all modern dimmer switches use a component called a Triac to essentially "chop up" the AC waveform so the light being dimmed doesn't see the full AC wave and thus appears dimmer. It's called PWM or pulse width modulation. I'm sure TC would do a MUCH better job explaining it though so I hope he does.

[@somedude2492]

@@VideoGuy84 what you say is correct, but a triac/diac type dimmer does not use PWM. It is really similar, but it's defienetely not the same. Pwm alternates between 1 and 0, a triac just lets some amount of the wave pass and stops the rest.

[@VideoGuy84]

@@somedude2492 I stand corrected. I'm probably thinking of low voltage LED controllers which do use PWM.

[@brantisonfire]

What about why CFL and some LED bulbs are not compatible with dimmers? I’m probably gonna answer my own question by assuming it’s because they are ballasted lamps that need the full current of a hot wire to power the ballast, so their either completely off or completely on. But that wouldn’t apply to dimmable LED bulbs.

[@wisteela]

@@brantisonfire Big Clive has done a video about this.

[@matthewharris-levesque5809]

Yet again, I am floored by how a topic that sounds stupid obvious has so much that isn't obvious. Mr. Technology, you are a genius teacher. Thank you for being you.

[@J.DeLaPoer]

I live in a 19th century home with the old "push button" light switches. They're at least 100 yrs old and still work perfectly; incidentally they also make a hard snap you can hear and feel. I always wondered why we went away from these switches with the 2 buttons and toward the modern toggle/rocker type.

[@anotheruser9876]

"Don't do this at home" So I went over to my buddy's house and did what you did with live wires there.

[@bigboilover6936]

another user oooh very clever, haven’t heard that one before

[@KevinT3141]

"While this specimen continued to be amused by the spark..." Love it! Never change Alec.

[@ceres_mars8137]

its crazy how this guy manages to keep my attention with some of the most mundane video topics such as light switches, toasters, and ac units.

[@stevenmartinez5531]

Very interesting! I grew up in a house from the the mid 50's. All light switches were that old loud style click! I hated those switches because my bedroom was near the living room and I always felt my Mom could hear the time I turned out the light. No matter how slowly I tried and covering the switch plate, I was always unsuccessful to muffle the annoying sound. My parents have now passed and I have the house. All switches have now been replaced all but one......memories!

[@shelvacu]

1:41 Aww man, I was hoping you'd describe a network switch

[@denshi-oji494]

shelvacu I was trying to figure out what type of network switch he was going to talk about that clicked...

[@FrothingFanboy]

Denshi-Oji I've got one. It's a 2-port switch (of sorts) integrated into a big multi-port analog video switcher. The whole box works through relays, so instead of both ports being active, a button has to be pressed to switch between them, emitting a click in the process.

[@DasGanon]

I'm a little sad that there wasn't "A switch is a piece of networking equipment that can organize traffic packets depending on if it's managed or unmanaged... Wait." But the IT Gods will give it a pass.

[@ethanpoole3443]

Actually, the switching layer predominantly routes the individual packets to their intended destination port(s), effectively a very primitive router, switching between ports on a per packet basis as well as resetting the timing allowing for longer runs between two points (up to 200m max path versus 100m). As differentiated from the dumb repeater hubs of ole that simply broadcast every packet to every possible port (though such are/were very handy for snooping all traffic).

[@kusog3]

I'm also sad that there wasn't "A switch is a type of selection control mechanism used to allow the value of a variable or expression to change the control flow of program execution via search and map."

[@Zed.TheReaper.McCormick]

And: "A switch is a type of branch that is used for disciplinary action." was also missing

[@rebmcr]

@@ethanpoole3443 Switches don't do anything at all to packets, they operate with Frames.

[@ethanpoole3443]

rebmcr You got me! I do appreciate the correction as I was drawing a blank earlier when trying to recall the correct term - my memory isn’t quite what it used to be!

[@dzymslizzy3641]

The San Francisco house in which I grew up had mercury switches. They were absolutely silent. The downside? When we had an earthquake, the lights in the house flashed on and off rapidly as the mercury sloshed around in its capsule! (Luckily, this was a rare event!)

[@shoresy6927]

Legit made my heart race at the "pull the wires apart joke"

[@PunishedCreepswork4]

cool, now im going to be hyper aware of light switches and how they click in every place i go to. thanks mr technology connections!

[@zzschulzz]

LOL, used to feel a little guilty that I tend to “punch” those flat switches. I’ll just keep doing it and use the excuse that it’s safer.

[@isaachenrikson3197]

Pathetic. I've broken electrical boxes by punching so hard

[@aidancommenting]

@@isaachenrikson3197 *punch* "Where'd the power go?"

[@isaachenrikson3197]

@@aidancommenting they still work too lol

[@tinmann7187]

@@isaachenrikson3197 that sounds less safe.

[@fridaycaliforniaa236]

@1:55 you bastard, I jumped off my chair ! 😂😂

[@EminencePhront]

I came here from a video on silent mercury switches but I didn’t fully understand how the clicky kind had these issues. This changes my understanding of so many things.

[@JoshColletta]

"1500 watts, in fact." And that, folks, is what we in the business call a "callback."

[@charlescampuz5812]

alysdexia “Hick” is a pretty bold insult, at least in the States.

[@oddixgames6704]

was looking who else's noticed :)

[@RokiEdita]

Switchs are clicky 1.2M people: *Interesting.*

[@TheTazyDemon]

called this meme before i clicked on the video

[@altuber99_athlete]

Curiosity is great.

[@_narrows]

you're so funny.

[@severeanaltrauma]

imagine liking clicky switches lol this meme made by linear and tactile gang

[@Ironstarfish]

I used to flip it slowly like at night so I wasnt being loud and wondered why I would hear an arc....very informative

[@MortenSminge]

i didnt plan at all to see this video, and even though i knew some of the techniques it was interesting to watch. great video!

[@theshellacstation78]

I love how you include things like: [professional recreation]

[@mialemon6186]

Also if you don't watch with captions on, you're missing out. It's delightful.

[@OriginalPineapplesFoster]

I definitely read "recreation" with the definition of 'leisure activity' at first, and wasn't even confused. 😛🍍

[@OriginalPineapplesFoster]

@@mialemon6186 Gosh darn it, now I've got [a legitimate excuse] to re-watch every single video on this channel. Thaaaaank you. 👍🍍

[@prof.poopypants8671]

This video has been popping up in my recommendations for weeks, and I was always like “meh...no thanks”, but after giving in and watching it, I can honestly say that it is one of the most genuinely interesting things I have seen in long time. Thank you for clearly explaining the importance of something we all take for granted!

[@itskdog]

That's this entire channel in a nutshell.

[@retrorebootmusic]

Holy shit, ive been really watching a lot of your videos lately, but i just realized Ive watched this particular video years ago before i had actually started watching your channel specifically. Wow.

[@Liquid2142]

I know this is 3 years old now but I just gotta say I'm really liking you're channel and that was awesome you just start talking about Nintendo, then trains.