While you may not have heard of them before, Reed switches can be a life saver in wet environments or when you need more switch cycles than your current electromechanical switch can offer.

Reed switches work by opening/closing based on a magnetic field – no direct contact necessary! This means the switch can be completely sealed from the outside environment.

*Some awesome uses for Reed Switches:*
- Switch whenever a cup is present in a cupholder (Liquid leak? No problem!)
- Fluid Level Sensing (Magnetic “donut” activates each “rung” on a Reed Switch “Ladder”)
- Count number of turns (a magnet in a spinning shaft activates the switch for a counter every time it spins by)

Have you used Reed Switches before? What other cool applications have you seen?