Ampacity of a 3-way blade switch

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Google won't tell me.  Seeing as these things actually carried a real voltage before Leo put them in a guitar made from a baseball bat and cutting board, I figured that info would be out there. 

I'm making a lamp out of a Tele body and want the layout to be electrically functional.  The other components are rated at 2 amps, roughly 240 watts at 120 volts; more than adequate for 2 compact fluorescent 60 watt equivalents.  If a guitar starts a fire in my house, I want it to be from my hot licks. 

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Not sure, voltmeter?

 

[pabloman]

Electroswitch says 1.5 amps. They are the manufacturer of the CRL three ways.

 

[line6man]

In the interest of safety, I recommend that you go about a different route. Instead of using a tele switch to switch the power directly, I would suggest using it to trigger a relay switch that can handle the high current load safely. This sounds complicated, but it's actually very simple.

Here is a picture of the inside workings of a relay. The part labeled "1" is an electromagnet that is powered by a low voltage and low current source. When there is a magnetic field, the part labeled "2" is attracted to the electromagnet, causing the part labeled "3" to mechanically switch the common lead from one terminal to the other, at "4."

A relay like this will cost you about $10, and will only require a simple wall wart style power supply, in order to operate. Look around eBay for a wall wart that will fit in your control cavity. It need only be 5V or 12V, at a few milliAmps.

There is usually a click sound associated with relay switches, but it's not any worse than pulling a chain or twisting a knob, to turn your lamp on and off.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Thanks everyone.

Never considered using a relay.  However practical, turning a lamp into a Rube Goldberg device isn't likely. 

Just knowing the switch is rated at 1.5 amps is what I was after.  Most likely, I'll calculate the amperage of tge bulbs and put an inline fuse rated higher than the bulbs but less than the switch.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

A one amp fuse (1amp = 120w/120v) should work fine.  Plenty of juice for lights and more than satisfies the code requirements for overcurrent protection being sized for continuous loads; the switch's integrity being the weakest link.

 

[Cagey]

A CFL with an equivalent 60W incandescent lamp output generally only draws 13W, so a pair would only be 26W. At 120VAC, you're only looking at a couple/few hundred mils. I doubt you'd need an isolation relay for that.

Something to consider, though, is that a CFL's lifespan is dramatically reduced by power cycling. You don't want to be turning them on and off all the time or they don't last much longer than incandescents. The thing to use is an LED lamp. They last dramatically longer as a matter of course, and don't care about power cycling. Plus, they use even less power than CFLs. Downside is, they're still kinda pricey.

 

[fdesalvo]

+1 on the relay idea..and a +1Bajillion on this lamp idea!

 

[mayfly]

HOLD IT!

the switch is only rated at 1.5 amps at 28VDC.  The rating goes down to 0.5A at 115VAC!

Use the relay!!  The relay is not that complex to work with.  I can help you through it.

 

[mayfly]

Here's a link to the spec sheet BTW:

http://www.electro-nc.com/rotaryus/e2.pdf

 

[Cagey]

Ah, the dreaded details! Thank goodness for conscientious engineers!

Never thought about degrading the thing. Glad you did. Hate to set the house on fire.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Use an LED bulb and half an amp will be more than enough.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Haven't started the project yet.  Thanks again for the input.  It's an MIM Tele body, and there's plenty room to route under the pickguard for a relay or 2. However, (2) 60 watt equivalent cfls are 13 watts each.So 26w is still less than a 1/4 amp.  1/2 amp inline fuse oughta protect the switch.