Total noob cant make switch work

[tvance929]

So I am pretty much a total beginner. I bought a solderless breadboard, tore apart a toy for a power source. I have 3 AA's in my power source ... I've attached a resistor and an led. This worked as well as a second led and even a little motor.

I was pretty happy with my little victories but now I'm stumped. I purchased a small little toggle switch and thought that I should be able to stick it in the same row as one of my led's and just turn it on and off but I cannot get it to work. The led stays lit no matter what I do with the switch.

I was just sticking the switch onto the breadboard then thought that maybe it wasnt going in deep enough so I attached wires...but NOTHING.

I tried just running a single aa as a power source to tried turning my little motor off and on but NOTHING.

I cant seem to make it break the circuit... what am I missing?

 

[Arouse1973]

If its a standard switch with three contacts. Connect the middle pin to one side of the battery and anyone of the other contacts. If this does not work can you send a picture of the switch.
Adam

 

[davenn]

hi there
welcome to the forums

you have probably placed it along some tracks so its effectively getting shorted out

show us a sharp and well lit pic of your breadboard construction so we can help identify the error

cheers
Dave

 

[davenn]

If its a standard switch with three contacts. Connect the middle pin to one side of the battery and anyone of the other contacts. If this does not work can you send a picture of the switch.
Adam

no its not see the link

just a 2 pin one

OHH and those pics will be too big to push into a standard BB you will need to solder some short lengths of wire onto it first
if you try pushing the switch contacts into the BB you are likely to damage the BB contacts


Dave

 

[tvance929]

Here's one -- I put a bigger version here.

ALSO YOU SAID "OHH and those pics will be too big to push into a standard BB you will need to solder some short lengths of wire onto it first
if you try pushing the switch contacts into the BB you are likely to damage the BB contacts" -- DaveNN ... Im assuming you are talking about the pins but they are not very long at all...and the red case stops them from going in to deep... I was actually worried they were not going in far enough and that is why I added the jumpers.

Just an FYI.

THANKS FOR YOU HELP BTW!

 

[Arouse1973]

Yeah sorry dave, the blue was quite faint, missed that. I wish they would just put the link to the component in full. Gets me every time.

 

[tvance929]

Is it possible the switch could be bad or could my voltage have anything to do with it? (too low maybe)

 

[Arouse1973]

I think you need to move the lower wire and the link to the top of the resistor over one space. Looks like the swich is shorted I.e they are on the same line. Have not used bread board for 25 years so might be wrong

 

[tvance929]

That was it! Thanks so much guys! I had to move the switch outside of the resistor and it probably needed to have one end outside the row as well... I guess.

Heres a working pic.

 

[davenn]

that's better .... well done

you can now see how the boards are wired and why I suggested earlier that you probably had the switch shorted out

BB's are great for testing and experimenting before using a more permanent circuit board like Veroboard or an etched PCB

Dave

 

[tvance929]

Thanks again! Im loving this stuff...I'll be back soon! ....especially once I get my raspberry pi!