Compact rotary switch construction

In a plural section multiposition rotary electrical switch having at least a pair of stators, each comprising an insulating substrate bearing a set of electrical contact pads arranged in multiple concentric rings on a surface thereof, at least a pair of rotors including one operatively associated with each stator, each rotor comprising a disklike insulating body mounting electrical contact means for simultaneously engaging selected pads in different rings of the associated stator's pad set to interconnect the selected pads, said contact means comprising a multifinger wiper, and means including shaft means supporting said rotors in face-opposed relation to the pad-bearing surfaces of their associated stators for rotation relative thereto upon axial rotation of said shaft means, the improvement wherein

• each rotor's insulating body includes means on a face thereof for mounting said wiper thereon in either of two different operational orientations, the fingers of said wiper extending in one rotational direction when mounted in one of said orientations and in the opposite rotational direction when mounted in the other of said orientations, and
• a multifinger wiper is mounted in a selected operational orientation on each of said rotors.

In a multiposition rotary electrical switch having a pair of stators, a pair of rotors, each rotor of said pair being operatively associated with a different stator, and means including shaft means supporting said rotors for rotation relative to their associated stators, said shaft means including a pair of axially aligned shaft sections, each supporting a different rotor,

• means intermediate said rotors enabling selective rotation of either rotor independent of the other, comprising means releasably coupling said shaft sections together for conjoint rotation and means for decoupling said shaft sections upon axial movement of one shaft section relative to the other.