I recently found a great deal on some SMD push button switches, 400 for 5 bucks so I grabbed them. Now they are supposed to be rated 12VDC 50mA. Since they only cost a penny a piece I figured I could experiment and see what they can handle. So I hooked one up to an ugly ecig test mod, 3.7VDC 2Amp. I have been using it all week and it's still working great. Can someone tell me why it hasn't given out yet?

 

A switch is often rated to do a 1,000,000 cycles at its rated voltage/current.

In your application it may live through a 1,000 cycles (just a guess). How many have you done?

 

A switch is often rated to do a 1,000,000 cycles at its rated voltage/current.

In your application it may live through a 1,000 cycles (just a guess). How many have you done?

How is a cycle rated? Still learning, just started learning basic circuitry. Is a cycle when the switch is momentarily pushed?

 

Is a cycle when the switch is momentarily pushed?

yes
A cycle is a complete push/release actuation of the device.
And a switches voltage/current rating is based on a multitude of factors/tests.

Rule of thumb... Trust and do not exceed a devices ratings.


But for destructive fun..sure..beat the crap out of it just be aware of what could happen in a failure. melting/shorting/fires,etc..

 

What else could I use with these switches to keep the rating safe? Someone mentioned I could use a mosfet.

 

What else could I use with these switches to keep the rating safe?

Any one of a million circuits that you need a switch with 12V and under 50ma

But yes you can also use the switch to turn on a relay or transistors/mosfets,etc.. or any device where it just takes a small "control" voltage to switch a larger load.