ECS Normally Open/Normally Close TILT Switch

These switches worked fine for me. I actually ordered 3 of them as there were reviews commenting that some of the switches they received didn't function. All three of mine worked but the third one was loose, meaning if I moved the wires I could feel it move around inside. I copied an idea I saw on Phil's DIY to make a switch for my RAV 4 Prime SE that would allow the kick sensor I installed to open and close the hatch. Without the switch it would only do one or the other and the switch allowed the trigger wire to trigger only one at a time based on the tilt of my hatch. They come with sticky tape that I used to stick them to the mount I created. They've only been on there a couple of days, but so far so good.

So I bought a float switch at Walmart for automatic bilge pump on my jon boat. The metal piece inside it was too heavy and didn’t close the circuit to turn on the pump every time or once it did turn on it would not turn off. So I mounted this switch on top of that float and now it works every time and is more sensitive. I heat shrank the wires as a water resistant measure. Works great. Definitely prefer mercury switches than any other.

As soon as I applied a 12v load to this tilt switch it shorted to be constantly on. Spend the money on a quality part.

Works great.

worked perfectly to control trunk in 1967 Mercury

I had this switch connected to a power source and a light, tilting it to see at what angles it would open and close the circuit. One of the wires came loose, just broke right off. It would have been more of a hassle to request and wait for a replacement than to fix it myself, so I just popped it open, resoldered the wire, and plastic-welded it closed again. Inside the plastic housing is a tiny glass bulb, not even a centimeter long, with a little drop of mercury in it and two thin wires coming out one end. Each wire is connected to the shielded/coated outer wire with just a tiny drop of solder, and this is where the breakage was. In addition to resoldering the broken wire, I added some solder to the other one so it wouldn't break off in the future. I also filled the inside of the case with hot glue to keep the bulb and wires from vibrating and breaking. I found that when the switch is horizontal, it's not definitively going to be off or definitively on. Once it's at a 15–20-degree angle with the wires pointing downward, it will usually be on, but the quicker the switch is moved, the more reliable it is. When it's at a 15–20-degree angle with the wires pointing up, it will usually be off, and, again, the quicker the movement, the more reliable the switching. The bulb of mercury inside isn't necessarily at the same angle as the case. You could have the switch horizontal, but the bulb inside could possibly be at a 10-degree angle. I used this to make an engine compartment light for my car, attaching it to the hood hinge. It worked for a little while, but eventually, the vibration was too much to bear, even with the reinforced internals and the hot glue. If you plan to use a tilt switch for an engine compartment light, do not use this one.

The switch I received was defective, it never turned off. Considering the price, it wasn't worth returning. I popped the cover off, it was a simple mercury switch inside an old style LED bulb. The problem was that the two leads were touching inside the case because there was a semi-large blob of solder on one lead that was large enough to contact the other lead when run inside the case. The two bare leads ran right next to each other inside the case for about 3/8" without any insulation. There needs to be a separator between the leads inside the case (the plastic lugs placed there aren't working well enough), like a paper insulator, electrical tape or similar item. I had to unsolder one lead and put shrink tube on it to isolate it from the other lead. I also had to shim the switch because just mounting the switch level would not shut off the switch when it should have, it needs a few extra degrees for the mercury to go over center inside the bulb and disrupt the contact.

Used ony car as an underhood switch to control turning a light on and off. Nice compact design, worked perfectly.