Rotary switch

An electromechanical switch that selects among multiple electrical circuits or contacts by turning a shaft or knob. Its positions connect different contact combinations.

Electrical contact: A conductive interface that allows electric current to pass between components. The rotor and stationary terminals meet at contacts to complete selected circuits.
Electrical circuit: A closed path through which electric current can flow. Each switch position changes which circuit paths are complete.
Rotary encoder: A device that converts shaft rotation into electrical signals representing position or movement. Unlike a rotary switch, an encoder reports rotation as signals rather than directly selecting contacts.
Toggle switch: An electrical switch operated by moving a lever between stable positions. It selects circuits through lever movement rather than rotation across multiple positions.
Wiper (electrical contact): A moving conductive contact that slides or rotates across stationary electrical contacts. Many rotary switches use a wiper to bridge the common terminal to selected outputs.
Conductive material: A material that permits electric charge to move through it readily. Conductive contacts carry current across the switch's moving and stationary parts.
Selector switch: A manually operated switch that chooses one of several operating modes or circuit paths. A rotary switch is a mechanical form of selector switch with rotational actuation.
Slide switch: An electrical switch operated by sliding an actuator between positions. It offers mechanical circuit selection with linear rather than rotary motion.
Detent mechanism: A mechanism that holds a moving part in one of a set of discrete positions. Detents make the switch stop reliably at each selected circuit position.
Insulator (electricity): A material that strongly resists the movement of electric charge. Insulating layers keep neighboring terminals electrically separate.

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Knife switchCompared with: Its rotational contact motion offers multiple positions instead of the knife switch's blade action.