Which is the "Ground" on these buttons?

[hypergaming]

Hi everyone!,

just got these buttons with a kit I purchased. I noticed the buttons have a builtin microswitch, as you see, is not like the switches we normally use which have the Ground metal connector on top.

can anyone tell me which of the 2 legs is the ground on this button? please see image.

thanks for your help

[pbj]

Doesn't matter so long as you keep it consistent.

[hypergaming]

oh cool! I'll do that and see how it goes. thanks again.

[JDFan]

Doesn't matter so long as you keep it consistent.

^this -- If you are wiring to an encoder separately it doesn't matter at all  - if using a daisy chain for grounding several of them - just make sure the ground goes to the same prong on all that are chained together.

[PL1]

Doesn't matter so long as you keep it consistent.

FTFY.

There is no polarity on a microswitch any more than there is polarity on a piece of wire.

The "COM" marking on a 3-tab microswitch means "common", as in "common to both pressed and un-pressed button states", not as in "ground".

Being consistent when wiring a 3-tab microswitch is a good idea since it is possible to connect to the wrong tab (NC), but being consistent when wiring a 2-tab microswitch isn't an important consideration beyond wanting to make your wiring look good.


Scott

[Nephasth]

Doesn't matter so long as you keep it consistent.

FTFY.

There is no polarity on a microswitch any more than there is polarity on a piece of wire.

The "COM" marking on a 3-tab microswitch means "common", as in "common to both pressed and un-pressed button states", not as in "ground".

Being consistent when wiring a 3-tab microswitch is a good idea since it is possible to connect to the wrong tab (NC), but being consistent when wiring a 2-tab microswitch isn't an important consideration beyond wanting to make your wiring look good.


Scott

Don't promote bad/lazy wiring habits.

[PL1]

Don't promote bad/lazy wiring habits.

Not quite sure what you are referring to here.   

If you meant to point out that it is important to be consistent in making electrical connections, then we totally agree.   

Allow me to clarify in case anyone misunderstood my earlier post.

There is no polarity on a microswitch any more than there is polarity on a piece of wire.

This is a simple statement of undisputable fact.

The "COM" marking on a 3-tab microswitch means "common", as in "common to both pressed and un-pressed button states", not as in "ground".

This addresses a common misunderstanding since "ground" is sometimes referred to as "common".

Standard best-practice arcade wiring has the daisy-chain ground connected to the COM tab so there is less chance that a loose wire accidently shorts to the NC tab.

There are several instances where "reverse wiring" (ground on NO) is acceptable or necessary:
1. KADE Extended Mode "impossible" combinations
2. Pinball buttons "piggybacked" on player buttons

Being consistent when wiring a 3-tab microswitch is a good idea since it is possible to connect to the wrong tab (NC)

It's easier to avoid wrong connections if you keep your wiring neat.

being consistent when wiring a 2-tab microswitch isn't an important consideration beyond wanting to make your wiring look good.

Electrically, it doesn't matter if the ground is always on the left tab (or right tab) but it's better to keep your wiring neat and consistent.


Scott

[Nephasth]

The vast majority of newbs here are inherently lazy and misinformed. When it comes to wiring, structure and uniformity is a must. I don't give a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- if it matters or not, don't help the lazy remain so.

[wp34]

The vast majority of newbs here are inherently lazy and misinformed. When it comes to wiring, structure and uniformity is a must. I don't give a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- if it matters or not, don't help the lazy remain so.

How would you have answered the OP's question?

[Nephasth]

PBJ did a fine job.

[RandyT]

PL1 answered this question correctly.  It doesn't make a whit of a difference to which side the ground is connected, on a basic switch with only two terminals.  And quite honestly, it doesn't matter on a microswitch with three terminals, as long as you are using the correct two. 

But it's indeed good practice to keep things uniform, as it will help in troubleshooting later.

[yotsuya]

It's a good habit to keep some consistency in your wiring projects, especially if you turn around and sell it/give it away. I thought James' advice was spot on.

[ballboff]

I bought some of these recently.  I did the following:-

I connected 1 button and ground to check if it was working.

Made sure the buttons were screwed in very tightly so they didn't rotate easily.

I made sure they were all facing the same way.

I connected all my "live" wires to the left prong.

I connected all my "ground" wires to the right prong.

Tested them and they all worked first time. 

I'm in no way an electrician of any stretch of the imagination, but I always like to keep things tidy and uniform.  Like someone else has said, it makes it easy to diagnose a fault later.  I did have to tighten my spade connectors later on, so this came in handy.