Can anyone provide a diagram of how to wire a snubber into your switch to protect it when the switch is opened and closed. I know it consists of a capacitor and a resistor but am not quite sure of the ratings of them or how to wire them into the switch.
Protecting a switch from the arc when it is turned off or on
- Thread starter Todd Mulske
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Wouldn't hot glue or epoxy to seal the connections be easier and faster? 
Or is this something that actually goes inside a switch?
Or is this something that actually goes inside a switch?
Are you talking about arcing due to inductive flyback? One of the EEs here can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think a snubber will make any difference. The inductance in an atomizer coil, considering it's length, current, and loop spacing, shouldn't be an iota more than the straight piece of wire the coil was formed from.
If you want to experiment, a flywheel diode is the simplest snubber. You would put the banded end of the diode on the positive side of the coil and the other on the negative. This would be placed as close to the coil as possible. It's function is to allow the current a path back through the coil until the energy is dissipated.
If you want to experiment, a flywheel diode is the simplest snubber. You would put the banded end of the diode on the positive side of the coil and the other on the negative. This would be placed as close to the coil as possible. It's function is to allow the current a path back through the coil until the energy is dissipated.
You're correct, snubbers are required to mitigate inductive flyback which results in a big voltage spike when an inductive circuit is opened. It can destroy any switch, either mechanical or solid state. Snubbers are generally required only to switch circuits that include things like transformers and motors. E-cigs do not utilize any components that would require the use of snubber. If it's a matter of increasing switch longevity, then select a switch with higher MTBF or mean time between failure. That specification gives you an idea of a part's longevity. For mechanical switches, it can range from ten thousand to a million cycles. A ten thousand cycle switch would not last very long.
Can you suggest a switch that would work well with between a 3 amp and 5 amp rating. I would prefer a dc switch as opposed to an ac.
MOSFET's actually have MTBF. In fact, just about everything does albeit a huge number. The difference is a MOSFET's MTBF is very high when operated well within its current rating. The eGos use an under-rated MOSFET and it's not uncommon for the MOSFET to fail after a time. In any case, utilizing a MOSFET allows you to use virtually any switch you want since you only need to provide a low current signal to the MOSFET. When looking for high MTBF switches, it provides a much wider selection since you're no longer limited by current capacity.
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