Magnets have a natural tendency to attract many things.

Though not perceived as a real

force, but it does attract human attention when a force acting invisibly draws things to itself.
By harnessing this power, humans have made wonderful inventions like the electromagnet
and discover lossless conduction phenomenon like superconductivity. Among these many
inventions, was the application of magnetism to switch from ON state to OFF and vice-versa
in precision devices. One such switching device, which works not by the principles of
electricity, but magnetism, is the Reed Switch.
Reed switches work like an electromechanical relay switch, while the latter conducts current,
the former conducts magnetic flux which is the quantitative measurement of magnetic field
on a surface. First Invented by Bell Laboratories, reed switches today have a length of just a
few millimeters and are used in numerous applications that range from a simple coffee maker
to rain gauge, and satellite TV positioning. Lets have a look on how this unsophisticated
looking device makes a difference.

Structure

Shown in the image below is a Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) Normally Open Switch. One
of the most common types, it is a simple switch that connects two terminals (SPST). When
not in use, the switch is open and does not conduct (Normally Open).
The structure of reed switch is quite clear right from the first sight. As shown in the image
below, it is an assembly of connecting leads and a glass capsule. The glass capsule is
hermetically (air tight) sealed It is achieved by partially annealing the capsule after the reed
switch is made. Reeds also undergo the process of annealing like the glass capsule so that
iron-nickel based ferromagnetic material does not retain any magnetism after the magnetic
field is taken off. Making the capsule air tight ensures that switch is least affected by variable
ambient temperature and pressure conditions.The process of sealing is usually carried out at
elevated temperatures so that reed switch does not break down at high voltages like 240V.

Inside the glass capsule, the leads are soldered to a ferromagnetic material, usually nickeliron. The glass capsule protects the ferromagnetic parts from corroding. The empty space
inside the glass capsule is filled by inert gases such as nitrogen so that the ferromagnetic
materials dont corrode with time and switch is able to handle high voltages. In the switches
that work at high voltages, vacuum is created inside the glass capsule so that no voltage is
induced that disturbs switching mechanism. Any unwanted stray voltage signal can cause
variable outputs especially at lower temperatures and when working at high voltage,
electrical breakdown of the air around the switch can disrupt normal switching due to loss of
magnetising properties of the reed switch.Materials when heated beyond a critical
temperature (called Curie temperature) lose their property of magnetism. The iron-nickel
parts are soft and are sputtered with very hard and less reactive metals like Rhodium or
Ruthenium to prevent fragments of reeds breaking out from their parent reed and sticking on
to the other reed. Coating with hard material ensures that the switch responds instantly and
also increases the longevity of the switch. Any material that makes regular contact with other

material gradually deteriorates due to friction and scratching. Such problems can lead to loss
of material through cold welding. This wear and tear is opposed by its inherent property
called wear-resistance. Rhodium and Ruthenium have a high wear resistance and they also
maintain metals property of responding to current. The contact areas overlap each other but
have a little gap and do not touch until there is a magnetic field above the threshold value. It
is the contact of these overlapping areas that allows the magnetic flux to pass through the
switch.
The connecting leads are plated with Copper so that higher amount of currents can be
handled as well corrosion protection is achieved.

What is a reed switch?

An ordinary switch has two electrical contacts in it that join together when you push a button and
spring apart when you release it. Rocker switches on wall lights (like the one in the photo up above)
push the two contacts together when the switch is in one position and pull them apart when the switch
flicks the other way.

How does a reed switch work?

Reed switches come in two varieties called normally open (normally switched off) and normally
closed (normally switched on).

Normally open
In a reed switch, the two contacts (which look like metal reeds) are made from magnetic material and
housed inside a thin glass envelope. (You can see this quite clearly in our top photo.) One of the
contacts (sometimes called "blades") is a magnetic north pole, while the other is a south pole. As you
bring a magnet up to the switch, it affects the contacts in opposite ways, attracting one and repelling
the other, so they spring together and a current flows through them. A reed switch like this is normally
open (NO) (normally off), unless a magnet is positioned right next to it, when it switches on.
Take the magnet away and the contactsmade from fairly stiff and springy metalpush apart again
and return back to their original positions.

Normally closed

You can also get reed switches that work the opposite way. The two contacts are normally snapped
together. When you bring a magnet up to the switch, the lower contact is attracted to the magnet, the
upper one is repelled, so the contacts split apart, opening the switch and breaking the circuit. Reed
switches like this are called normally closed (NC) (normally switched on), and they switch off when
you bring a magnet up to them.
Although reed switches can be designed in various ways, generally both contacts move (not just one)
and they make a flat, parallel area of contact with one another (rather than simply touching at a point),
because that helps to extend the life and reliability of the switch. Also, where I've exaggerated the
movement of the contacts to make it easier to see, real reed switches have contacts that are only a few
microns (millionths of a meter) apartroughly ten times thinner than a human hairso the movement
isn't visible to the naked eye.