Many devices have a single button for turning the power off and on. For example, your cell phone likely uses the same button to turn the device on and off. My battery powered calculator works the same way. In these types of devices, is power used when the device is off? Or is there a small trickle of power going through the power button contact waiting for it it be pressed?
I can understand how a switch can break the path for the electricity, but I’m not sure if these type of soft toggle buttons break the path or just go into a very low power state.
Yes, they use a very small amount of power, usually less than the self-discharge of the battery.
Traditionally, a toggle switch was a switch like a regular light switch - it mechanically toggles between a steady-state on or off.
Now, “power toggle” is a description of the function when alternately pressing one button will turn a device on or off.
The power switches in calculators and celll phones are momentary pushbuttons. They’re actually closing a path or circuit when pressed. What they do is give a momentary logic signal to the power control portion of the device, so yes, the unit is perpetually using a tiny amount of power to monitor this function.
Almost all electronic devices work like this now - TV sets, stereos, etc. Anything that can be turned on with a remote control will have some small power draw at all times to power the remote control receiver.