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I'm playing around with my first circuit assembly on a project I'm working on.

It very basic, just three AAA batteries (4.5v) and several LEDs.
Everything is working perfectly in a simple, direct circuit.

I'd like to put a momentary switch in the circuit so that the LEDs only light while the switch is pressed. I've been googling, and haven't given up yet looking, but it seems many of the switches I'm finding are listed as 100v or 250v.

Can I use a higher voltage-rated switch in a mere 4.5v circuit? Or would they provide too much resistance and prevent it from working?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ You haven't writte you do, but make sure you have a series resistor with the LEDs. \$\endgroup\$
    – Golaž
    Apr 28, 2015 at 10:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Golaž - I don't seem to need them... I think the diodes may have whatever resistance built in. I had learned that the hard way with a laser diode, and it overloaded and burnt out. The LEDs I am using I extracted from some little Dollar Store flashlights. There was no circuitry in the flashlights so I gave it a try on one of them and it worked fine, without burning out, so I think I'm good there. Thanks for the tip though. \$\endgroup\$
    – eidylon
    Apr 28, 2015 at 14:34

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To answer your question, probably yes, but there are some caveats. However, for low voltage DC applications such as yours, you should check out some hobby sites like Adafruit or SparkFun. You can get momentary and slide switches for low voltage applications on the cheap!

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Oh wow, thank you for those sites! Definitely going to have to peruse through them. Clearly a much better selection for this application than eBay! \$\endgroup\$
    – eidylon
    Apr 27, 2015 at 21:42
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    \$\begingroup\$ eBay is useful if you know exactly what you're looking for (and of course if they have it). Otherwise find an actual distributor. \$\endgroup\$
    – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams
    Apr 28, 2015 at 1:59

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