There is disclosed a paddle switch operated by pushing on the lower portion
of a rocker paddle to turn the switch "on" or "off". The lower edge of the paddle
pivots in and out about its upper edge. The switch includes semi-rigid spiral wound
driver means having a conical end coupled to be driven by the rocker paddle. When
the rocker paddle is pushed in, the paddle urges the semi-rigid driver means to
rotate a cam means in a first, clock wise direction, or a second, counter clock
wise direction. Alternate rotation of the cam drives a slider member having a cam
follower back and forth along a linear axis. A shaped leaf spring cooperates with
the cam follower to assist in the movement of the slider and determines its rest
positions. An indicator such as an LED is used to indicate the state of conduction
of the switch. When the rocker paddle is released, it is biased by a spring to
pivot back to its initial position. The rocker paddle of the switch is not located
within a frame and has a surface along its vertical axis of positive first differential
and zero second differential, comprised of a combination of splines which extend
between points of varying distances from a datum plane. This surface has zero second
differential when the rate of height increase of individual splines is constant.