Rotary toggle Switches

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Rotary toggle Switches

Tune Tone
hey guys
I'm aiming to play around and experience with Rotary switches. I would like to replace many potentiometers and maybe some resistors positions  in order to give several resistor values possibilities.
Some brief information about how to wire them would be great!
ex: if I want to replace a fixed resistors (2 lugs) I guess I have to have a 2 pole switch right ? I will wre the common lugs th the resistors positions and the rest (maybe a 6 toggle ) will leave me place for 3 position (each position needing 2 lugs). Is it correct ?
how would it be in a potentiometer situation ? will I need a 3 pole switch ?

thank's in advance!
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Re: Rotary toggle Switches

cylens
it would be much easier to explain with a schematic, but to me, you need only one pole for a fixed resistor:

the common of the switch goes at one end of the original resistor, one end of each resistor on the switch goes to each position on the switch and the other end of the resistors are all connected together to the other end of the original resistor.

like this (without the parallel resistor



and for a potentiometer (not wired as a variable resistor), you would need 2 poles
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Re: Rotary toggle Switches

Travis
Administrator
I tried to make a diagram showing some cap switching options and resistor switching options with one pole but DIYLC doesn't have a rotary switch icon so I got frustrated and rage quit lol

Thanks Cylens!

Although the diagram shows the resistors "flying" for clarity's sake, the preferable way to do this in practice is to design your layout so that the resistors are mounted on board, and each resistor has a wire going to the lugs of the rotary switch.

You can do the same thing for caps. Switching caps tends to be pretty cool for effects pedals.

With a 3 pole rotary you can even switch different transistors. If the emitter is grounded on all of the transistors for example, you could just leave the emitters all grounded and use 2 poles to switch the collectors and bases

Another great way to use them is to switch clipping diodes when applicable

There are lots of options. Rotary switches are cooler than normal toggle switches for a number of reasons, but they take up a lot more space
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Re: Rotary toggle Switches

cylens
about rotary switches taking space, look what i've scored :D

(i've ordered 20 like this, 2 poles, 21 positions):


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Re: Rotary toggle Switches

Travis
Administrator
Oh yeah time to get some super tall enclosures lol that's fuckin huge but pretty cool though
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Re: Rotary toggle Switches

Tune Tone
In reply to this post by cylens
ok
pretty helpful info so far thanks!
the main reason I want to try this would be on a Rebote delay clone where one resistor sets the maximum delay time. In case of putting a toggle switch on that position to simply set a fixed max delay time and in this case would be easier to play with the time knob

will let you know how it went so far
so I will need a toggle switch with one pole - ok