AVR-Chat

--- In AVR-Chat@yahoogroups.com, "Steven Hodge" <stevehodge@...> wrote:

> ... the Mouser catalog ... it's driving me nuts.

Don't rely on specifications in the Mouser catalog.  Obtain and read 
the manufacturer's data sheets.  Quite often there are transcription 
errors in Mouser's data.  Also, Mouser tries to force specifications 
into a pattern to drive their on-line part selection tool (which thinks 
that 200 mA, 0.2 A and 0.200 A are diffent ratings).

On the other hand, unless you are switching an inductive load, yes, a 
switch rated at 300 mA AC will be able to handle 200 mA DC.

The reason that a switch might be able to handle more AC current than 
DC is that AC drops to zero every half cycle, which would quench any 
arc across the terminals.  This doesn't matter for a non-inductive load.

Graham.