What Is a Infinity Switch?
- A bimetallic strip is a thin sheet of two different kinds of metals coated onto each other. By adjoining two different sheets of metal, the strip gains the material properties of both types.
- Bimetallic strips are heat-sensitive, based on the properties of the two metals used to make the strip. Metals are extremely conductive to heat, and will expand or contract based on temperature. A bimetallic strip will therefore bend one way or another based on the amount of heat being applied to it. Electrical current also generates heat, allowing control over how and when it bends based on the current delivered.
- As a bimetallic strip is connected to a current, it will deform from the heat and bend away, disconnecting it. When it cools, it bends itself back onto a contact, repeating the cycle. Rotating the switch decreases or increases the distance between the contacts during a cooling state. The higher the setting, the faster it cycles, with the fastest setting permanently affixing both contacts together.
On a low setting, it takes more cooling to bring the contacts together. When off, there is enough distance that the contacts can't touch. - An infinite switch dial doesn't only toggle between off - low - med - high. It can be "infinitely" adjusted to any desired temperature between "off" and "high."
- Any temperature-sensitive device can be found with an infinite switch. They're commonly found on thermostats, allowing a user to adjust a room's temperature to the desired degree, as well as on toasters to adjust how badly carbonized you want your toast.
The knobs on electronic amplifiers also use infinity switches.