The difference between single pole and double pole switches when you wire a switch to a 120 volt circuit it functions to interrupt a single hot wire. It is a switch that provides a simple connect or disconnect capability across two terminals.
Types Of Switches
Single pole switch definition. It is commonly used in onoff applications such as switches for light. Sp and dp refer to single pole and double pole st and dt refer to single throw and double throw. Pole refers to the number of circuits controlled by the switch. This is something you will not find on three way or four way switches. It is commonly used for onoff applications such as light switches. A double pole switch is referred as a double pole single throw switch.
A single pole single throw switch serves in circuits as on off switches. This means it only has one input terminal and only one output terminal. A single pole single throw spst switch is a switch that only has a single input and can connect only to one output. The single pole switch is the general purpose workhorse of switches. It is a switch that provides a secure connection or disconnection over two terminals. A characteristic feature of a single pole toggle switch is that it has on and off markings on the toggle.
The terms pole and throw are also used to describe switch contact variations. Single pole switch is referred as a single pole single throw switch. A single pole switch usually refers to a single pole single throw switch spst. It is used to control a light receptacle or other device from a single location. Dp switches control two independent circuits and act like two identical switches that are mechanically linked. For example a 2 pole switch has two separate parallel sets of contacts that open and close in unison via the same mechanism.
A double pole double throw dpdt knife switch. When the switch is closed the circuit is on. Single pole switch definition is an electric switch having only one blade and one contact. The number of poles is the number of electrically separate switches which are controlled by a single physical actuator. It has only one pole which is another way of saying it has a single pair of connection terminals. Sp switches control only one electrical circuit.