Products Roller Ball Door Contact – Open Circuit Off – 24 Contact Volts, 1.27 Hole Spacing – For Security, Alarm Systems & Opening, Closing Low Voltage Circuits, Switching Applications

fast service.

Great little low voltage door jam switch. I used it to turn on a closet light when the door is opened. If the light is 110VAC you will need a relay to switch the AC line voltage like Amprobe RC-120S Closet-Type Remcon Relay Switch available on Amazon. The relay is kind of pricy and it is supposed to be installed in a metal box to provide additional heat dissipation, although if you are using a low wattage LED closet light like I did at 15W or around 0.15A the relay is rated at 6.5A so it should never be stressed and you probably could get away without the metal box, but used one to be safe, since I wanted it to last 20 years without needing further attention. A little extra effort and cost up front is preferable to trouble later.

Didn't quite work right

The roller ball switch was described as "Open Circuit On" When I tested the switch with my ohmmeter, it was actually "Open Circuit Off". I was disappointed and sent a message to Alexander Lighting. Within five minutes, I received a call from a representative of Alexander Lighting and he offered to replace the switches, but he also said that the "Open Circuit Off" switch could be converted to an "Open Circuit On" switch by reversing 2 contacts. I performed the conversion and now I have the switch that I need. The representative from Alexander Lighting saved me from the hassle of returning the switch and I am quite happy.

UPDATE: Just wanted to confirm this switch is still working well. It was installed in an RV to turn on LED lights in an pantry. So no frequent use like in a home.----------I tested this switch as soon as I got it and it worked perfectly. Then a couple hours later after initial install I tested again and it didn't work. After a couple minutes of playing with it I realized that that metal contact plates under the screws go in only ONE way AND they have to be aligned properly to make the correct contact and complete the circuit. These small plates have a "tab" section - a portion of the plate that is wider - and can easily get out of alignment when trying to hold the wire and tighten the screw.I consider this a design flaw. Things that can only go in ONE way should NOT move around so easily. That's why lowered to 4 stars.BTW, if you are having trouble with which switch to get, read the description like this "Door Open-Circuit On" = Normally Closed or "Door Open-Circuit Off" = Normally Open.Oh and a 3/4 inch spade bit was a perfect fit. I actually wallowed out the hole a little to give a looser fit (easier to pull out) and allow for flush fit because the hole wasn't perfectly perpendicular with the door jamb.

I used this to create a switch for my closet light. When you close the door, the ball is pushed into the cylinder, breaking the circuit and turning off the lights. When you open the door, the ball springs back to the position seen in the product photo. This is a low voltage switch, so not suitable for regular 110v lights, but perfect for this LED light system I purchased at Amazon: Lightkiwi® E7574 Warm White Dimmable LED Under Cabinet Lighting 4 Panel Standard Kit, 1120 Lumen, 3000 Kelvin, 24VDC, Dimmer Switch & All Accessories Included, Continuous Dimming, Aluminum Body. I did run into a small problem during the installation. When the door was shut, the ball wasn't depressed enough to engage the switch. My fix was to place an upholstery tack, aka hobnail, as a shim on the door. Finally, I used bell wire for wiring the circuit.

I bought the switch for my alarm system to replace a defective door switch. The switch has to be normally open meaning that when the door is open, the switch is open. The term "normally open" refers to the switch, not the door! The manufacturer offers switches in all configurations. Among the different types, the one called "Open Circuit Off Type" is the right one. What makes me speechless is the apparent lack of understanding what they are selling. According to the description, the item's dimensions are 5.4 x 5 x 1.3 inches. This is utter nonsense. Important would be to know the diameter of the switch. It turned out that this one was about 1 mm larger than that of the defective one and it wouldn't go into the hole. I ground off the diameter a bit und made the hole a bit larger with a chisel so that in the end the switch fit in. When I fastened it with the two little screws that came with it, the ball would get stuck when pressed in. Loosening one of the screws luckily fixed that problem. The other thing that sticks out is that when you buy one switch, it costs you about $14. When you buy four of them, you would pay $101. 1 star for that nonsense is still too much.

I needed this for an alarm and had to reorient the contacts to get continuity when the ball is depressed. The Customer Service Representative was very helpful in explaining how to accomplish this.