What is the difference between illumination only and colored illumination?

With illumination only, the color of the operating surface and the LED are the same. With colored illumination, the operating surface is white and a different colored LED is lit to emit color.

For example, if a red LED is used with illumination only, the switch will be red both when lit and not lit. With colored illumination, however, the operating surface will be white when not lit and will be red when lit.

The following diagram shows the A16 component configuration.

Illumination Only

Example: Red Illumination