Talk:Kill switch

Musical Killswitch
All of those who are listed as killswitch users are actually using the Toggle Switch of the guitar except for buckethead who's using a killswitch that it's purpose is to silence the sound briefly, when the toggle switch's purpose is to shut or turn the electricity of the guitar. Hexxagonn (talk) 01:27, 4 April 2010 (UTC)


 * From your description, it sounds like buckethead's switch isn't any kind of killswitch either, just another toggle switch. The whole point of a killswitch is to cause a sudden full shutdown of the equipment; a guitar killswitch (if it exists) would need to completely cut the power to the guitar, the amplifier, and all of the accessories being used, so that they each need to be turned back on by hand. A temporary silencer is obviously a useful feature, it just doesn't have anything to do with what killswitches are about. TooManyFingers (talk) 14:15, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

Internet
Anybody wants to help me out create an 'Internet' section for this article? --> http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/06/23/relax-president-obama-will-not-flip-an-internet-kill-switch/

Thanks! P@ddington (talk) 00:52, 24 June 2010 (UTC)
 * IMO it should be split off into its' own article. I've added a split tag. -- Gordon Ecker (talk) 08:26, 26 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Also, there should be more information on China's internet kill switch, and any other current or historical internet kill switches, I've added the globalize tag. -- Gordon Ecker (talk) 08:35, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Oh absolutely. I knew it would eventually become its own article, but I kind of wanted to start it here. I think now might be the right time to split. Do you think the new article should be include the software bit, or should it be all about the Internet Kill switch? P@ddington (talk) 17:20, 26 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Btw Gordon, I have a random question... about skipping lines on Wikipedia. Let's say I want to skip a line between the tags you added and the text of the article (for appearance purposes.) How would I go about doing that? Seems like just skipping a line in the code doesnt quite do it... Can you help me out? Thanks! P@ddington (talk) 17:52, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Yes definitely. CMTucker (talk) 23:07, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

Hardware
Too low info. 2.94.94.228 (talk) 19:09, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

Deus Ex (and other media)
features a very famous killswitch. why is it not in this article?!?!? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.183.126.95 (talk) 15:37, 28 April 2011 (UTC) Not only. Generally, this article lacks section "KillSwitch in popular culture", mentioning such importnant facts, like it is often depicted in works of science-fiction as device used to control and emergency kill people(!). This happens very often (like in mentioned DeusEx). Second very popular depiction is showing it as security measure for controlling AI (like depicted in book "Neuromancer" , XFiles episode mentioned in article also uses phrase in this meaning.)77.253.23.158 (talk) 17:38, 7 May 2011 (UTC)

Elevators
Is this an American reference? I've only ever seen a stop button in hollywood films, never in an actual lift 94.247.241.90 (talk) 20:49, 10 May 2014 (UTC)

In modern elevators, the stop button is replaced with a key switch, to prevent misuse. Older elevators had stop buttons, although many have had the stop button replaced with a key switch.199.184.205.88 (talk) 04:29, 28 January 2015 (UTC)

Update Needed
The article appears to be behind the times insofar as it speaks of smartphone kill switches as something not yet in use. How a kill switch is activated when one no longer has the phone in one's possession would be useful information. Orthotox (talk) 17:24, 20 June 2014 (UTC)

kill switch - emergency switch
I see it as problematic to talk about a kill switch as the main overriding category and redirect emergency stop or emergency stop switch to kill switch.

There are different categories of an emergency switch or emergency stop switch as they work differently. - kill switch, taking off the electricity to the machine - a switch implementing a controlled stop, as for example active braking of dangerous components falls under emergency Stop.

There is also a difference between emergency switching off (kill switch) and emergency stop.

I also have not seen the use of the word "kill switch" in ISO 13850, there the talk is about Emergency Stop.

My proposal is, have a page emergency stop, redirect rather kill switch to it, and explain the different ways to implement an emergency stop.Jochum (talk) 14:53, 9 February 2015 (UTC)


 * I am inclined to agree. All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 20:57, 1 April 2017 (UTC).


 * I also agree. "Kill switch" is not the correct name for this article, nor should it be used throughout the article to describe the function of an emergency stop or emergency shut off. In my personal experience (which is not to say it's the final word on the matter, only as an example), the only context in which I have ever heard the term "kill switch" used was to refer to a disabling switch that prevents a vehicle from being started by a thief, by opening the starting circuit in a hidden location hopefully known only to the rightful owner. Usage of the term "kill switch" to refer to an emergency stop or process halt is slang or colloquial at best. I think this article should be retitled "Emergency stop" (or similar term we come to consensus on) and all instances of the phrase "kill switch" in the article should be changed to that, except for the very short section that actually talks about the vehicle disabling switch, which is a completely different thing. Darkest Tree   Talk  19:24, 18 May 2017 (UTC)

I agree with Darkest Tree's comments and with Jochum's proposal. There should be a separate "Emergency Stop" entry which could be referenced by this page, simply because "kill switch" is a popular misnomer for an emergency stop. I would be prepared to contribute to an emergency stop page. I didn't want to just wade in and start hacking and slashing without the other users involved in this page being OK with it. I've written a whole series of referenced articles on this topic, see https://machinerysafety101.com/series/emergency-stop/. Macadk (talk) 17:57, 16 July 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Kill switch. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20110928054647/http://content.honeywell.com/sensing/prodinfo/rail/technical/railglos.pdf to http://content.honeywell.com/sensing/prodinfo/rail/technical/railglos.pdf

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"Machinery" section
Using a normally-closed switch will NOT stop accidental activation of the kill-mechanism. It will actually ACTIVATE the kill-mechanism if the wire breaks. This being preferable, an emergency stop when it isn't needed, to the alternative, pressing the button and nothing happens. That's the nature of a normally-closed switch. Pressing it breaks the circuit, as breaking the wire would do.

The same system is used on burglar alarms, at least the older type, not necessarily computerised ones. Sensors are all in series in a loop, all normally-closed. When a sensor trips it opens the circuit, as will a burglar trying to cut the wire to disable it. These two systems are common users of normally-closed circuits.

188.29.165.199 (talk) 09:55, 25 August 2016 (UTC)

I'm happy to help with improvement to thsi section as well, as this an area of my expertise. See https://machinerysafety101.com/series/emergency-stop/ for backup.--Macadk (talk) 17:59, 16 July 2017 (UTC)

Minor removal
"On machinery controlled by a programmable logic controller, the emergency stop is designed in a way that it overrides the output of the controller."

This is certainly not universally true. For example, many machines I worked on had a separate process, running on the PLC. dedicated to the E-Stop which would kill the other processes and put the machine in a safe state.

All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 20:53, 1 April 2017 (UTC).

Willing to work on this section as well, as this is a part of my professional expertise. --Macadk (talk) 18:01, 16 July 2017 (UTC)

IBM PC Big Red Switch
Big Red Switch redirects to this page, but there's no mention of the BRS on the IBM PC and close relatives. The BRS had two interesting characteristics: (a) it was occasionally the only way to recover from a software crash, and (b) there was some sort of anti-bounce logic such that a quick power cycle would leave the system off; you had to turn it off for several seconds before turning it back on.

It was replaced by a white switch on later models. I thought it was on the PC/AT, but shows a red switch. Maybe it was on the PS/2. Rumor at the time had it that the change was due to European regulations that said that you could only have one red switch in a computer room and it had to kill power to the room.

I don't know where to find referenceable information, but if it could be found it seems interesting.

Jordan Brown (talk) 22:44, 23 March 2020 (UTC)


 * The only mention I know of of how the IBM Big Red Switch relates to this article is the wiktionary entry for molly guard, and it only relates because Molly Guard redirects here too, despite te incredibly brief mention of the concept. 185.163.103.83 (talk) 22:04, 26 May 2021 (UTC)
 * ...Aaand the wiktionary entry's link for the BRS took me ehre again. Feeling kinda dumb 185.163.103.83 (talk) 22:07, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

The BRS sounds as if its actual function is not particularly interesting - it's just a reset switch, right?

I think its "main claim to fame" is the fact that it ended up needing a guard put on it, and that guard happened to receive a cute nickname, and the nickname may have been applied to other switch guards. TooManyFingers (talk) 14:00, 3 August 2021 (UTC)