(From the elevator thread. This is important enough to be its own thread.)


Ooooh, I think I have hit the jackpot.

The company that first designed rotary solenoids is called LEDEX. They apparently made the combined rotary switches with the ratcheting rotary solenoids, to advance the rotary switch shaft one detent per solenoid activation.

Here's a surplus site that sells a variety of rotary switches driven by motors or solenoids:

Ledex Rotary Switch assemblies
http://www.surplussales.com/switches/SWLedex-1.html

Rotary Switch Wafers and Pieces
http://www.surplussales.com/switches/SWWafer.html

Ledex Switches: Motor Only
http://www.surplussales.com/Switches/SWLedex-2.html


.... though I still don't see what I'm looking for, a rotary switch that has a solenoid on each end so that rotation can be ratcheted forward or reverse.

It looks like what I need to search for is "rotary switch" and "avionics". This turns up a number of references to LEDEX, but the sites I have found are usually just part numbers with no images, or it references a scholarly document behind a paywall.

 

That is a pretty cool switch. They don't seem to be inexpensive though. Hmm... what could I use these for??? Evil mad scientist thought going through head right now...