How Does a Proximity Switch Work? That's the question of the day for me. I'm looking for a simple explanation of how and why they work, nothing too technical! I guess a detailed explanation of a  proximity switch wouldn't hurt but I'm looking for simplicity when it comes to the circuitry.

Thanks in advance!

I have compiled a list of proximity switch brands. Anyone care to comment on these? Any prox switches i should stay away from? Looking for some input as I will be soon to design some controls that could be mass produced if all goes well. Here are the brands I found:

• Baluff
• Contrinex
• Eaton
• IFM
• Pepper Fuchs
• Schneider Electric (SQD)
• Turck
• Baumer
• Allen Bradley
• Omron

Which is the better choice: inductive or capacitive proximity switches? If capacitive proximity switches can read almost anything, why not just use them for all applications. It seems like the capacitive switches are more versatile, yet inductive switches seem to be more widely used.

If I were to design a control circuit from scratch, should I use an AC or DC Proximity Switch? Is there an advantage to using DC? Is there an advantage to using AC proximity switches? Does one perform better than the other? Looking for some advice on the matter.... Thanks!

Hello All,
I just joined. I like to ask questions on these forums because i have gotten different answers in different places. I figure if this is an industrial maintenance forum I may get the technician point of view on my questions.

Looking forward to some conversation regarding all kind of electronics and all kinds of good industrial stuff.

What is the difference between a flush and projecting proximity switch?

Hoping for a short answer because so far I'm not seeing much in terms of advantages for one versus the other.