Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Discussions › Building an RCA switch box
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Building an RCA switch box

post #1 of 16
10/3/09 at 12:13pm
Thread Starter 
Hi guys i am after building a simple switch box to switch between my 3 dacs and my amplifiers. I need something that ideally allows me to have 3 RCA inputs going to a switch and then switching between 4/5 outputs going to my amplifiers.

I'm not sure on how to wire this as i read that the dacs can cause problems with grounding. What style of rotary switch should i be looking out for?

Any help will be appreciated.

Reply
post #2 of 16
10/3/09 at 1:33pm
Lorlin rotary are pretty nice
Reply
post #3 of 16
10/3/09 at 1:45pm
Thread Starter 
Am i right in thinking if i was to make the switch box based on my diagram above, i would need a 3pole 10way switch to create this?

Would it be best to get a 2pole 2way switch to use as the inputs and wire this to a 2pole 12way switch for my outputs? This would leave me with 1 extra set of connections as a spare? Is that right?
Reply
post #4 of 16
10/5/09 at 12:20am
-will fix soon-
Reply
post #5 of 16
10/5/09 at 3:00am
I'd use two switches, one for the source and one for the outputs.
Reply
post #6 of 16
10/5/09 at 3:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
I'd use two switches, one for the source and one for the outputs.
So would using a 2pole 2way switch to use as the inputs and wire this to a 2pole 12way switch for my outputs work ok?

when it says 12 ways for the output, does that mean it can be used to switch 6 sets of rca connections (ie. 1 red + 1 white) or 12 sets?

thanks
Reply
post #7 of 16
10/5/09 at 11:35am
I'd use 4-pole break-before-make switches to switch all four wires of the stereo pair.

Thinking about this a little more... I don't know if the obvious simple circuit is best. I also don't know how to do a better job. Offhand, I'd think about putting a load on the inputs that aren't switched to the outputs, and I'd be thinking about how to deal with the outputs. Maybe a 1M ohm load on all of the unswitched connections on both sides would be enough. I probably wouldn't ground any of the connections together, but I also wouldn't want to leave ungrounded, unconnected rca cables hanging off the input of those other amplifiers. Finally, a 4-pole 5 or 6-throw switch can be a little hard to find. I suspect putting all this together means powering the device in order to use relays, since I can't think of another way to switch between a load resistor and a real load. Not without introducing something unwanted into the audio path. In this case, the switches can all be single pole. It also suggests using some digital electronics to make for a simpler circuit, although the relays would make for a cleaner audio path. But that all takes some more thinking.
Reply
post #8 of 16
11/14/09 at 11:01pm
Bump, I'll ask here vs. creating a new thread, I'm looking to build a switch box. I'm thinking of 3+ Inputs and 5+ Outputs, my questions are two-fold.

One, if I choose to switch grounds I'll need two 3 pole switches that are make before break. Two, if I choose NOT to switch grounds I'll need two 2 pole switches that are break before make. VT4C has some switches (VR-S2x5 & SW-2-5), but there is no mention of switch type (break before or after).

I've read that Electroswitch C4 or C12 is recommended from Mouser. So I'm looking for recommendations for switching type (grounds) and switches themselves. Nothing fancy (expensive) like Elma or DACT.
Reply
post #9 of 16
11/15/09 at 9:11am
Thread Starter 

switch box design

I decided to go with this design. I have ran all grounds to the same point. However, i may still decide to go for a relay switching device as this way my signal will not go through the switch.

This is quite a nice simple approach that should work ok.


Reply
post #10 of 16
11/15/09 at 7:43pm
what are you using for the actual switches? I'm looking to build something similar myself but am terrible at actually sourcing parts.
Reply
post #11 of 16
11/16/09 at 4:49am
Thread Starter 
I am using these make before break rotary switches from ebay. They are 2 pole 6 way switches and my design above uses 2 of them one to switch inputs one to switch outputs.
Reply
post #12 of 16
11/16/09 at 2:15pm
I just glanced at that auction, and those could well be the Lorlin switch that vixr recommended earlier. They look right, and they are made in the U.K. Alphas share that look though. Lorlin switches have silver plated contacts and are a good budget choice.

Toggles would be a higher-fi but more expensive option. C&K's are especially nice, but I've read good things about E-switch. You could do a hybrid with toggles on the inputs and a rotary on the outputs. Three toggles would make it simple to add resistors to the unused inputs as SiBurning recommended.

Paul J.
Reply
post #13 of 16
11/16/09 at 2:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul J. View Post
I just glanced at that auction, and those could well be the Lorlin switch that vixr recommended earlier. They look right, and they are made in the U.K. Alphas share that look though. Lorlin switches have silver plated contacts and are a good budget choice.

Toggles would be a higher-fi but more expensive option. C&K's are especially nice, but I've read good things about E-switch. You could do a hybrid with toggles on the inputs and a rotary on the outputs. Three toggles would make it simple to add resistors to the unused inputs as SiBurning recommended.

Paul J.
Yeh them switches are silver plated contacts. Yeh i could use a toggle switch but i want to use more inputs, although my diagram only shows two input paris. I may use up to 6. I want this to control all my dacs and amps at the same time on my stack.
Reply
post #14 of 16
11/16/09 at 3:08pm
You may already have plans, but I just bought the big version of this box. It looks nice and the price is right. I got the big version for a Sure T-amp project, and it is causing problems as it is slightly shorter than described. But, I still recommend them. The clamshell design makes assembly easy compared to a tube-style extrusion.

Also consider these RCA jacks. Check the datasheet for a better view; that diagram is wrong. They are nickel plated and not fancy. However, they are insulated (necessary unless you use a plastic box) and come packaged with the washers. The dielectric takes pretty well to soldering heat, which is a plus for those of us without soldering stations (some RCA's are really a pain to work with, IMO). It works in fairly thick panels. Most importantly, the price is right (especially the break for 10), which is very important as it looks like you'll need a pile of them! The only downside is that they only come in black and red. I could sure use some yellow.

Mouser sells the Lorlin switches too. I alway combine orders as best I can to keep the shipping costs down.

Paul J.
Reply
post #15 of 16
11/16/09 at 3:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul J. View Post
You may already have plans, but I just bought the big version of this box. It looks nice and the price is right. I got the big version for a Sure T-amp project, and it is causing problems as it is slightly shorter than described. But, I still recommend them. The clamshell design makes assembly easy compared to a tube-style extrusion.

Also consider these RCA jacks. Check the datasheet for a better view; that diagram is wrong. They are nickel plated and not fancy. However, they are insulated (necessary unless you use a plastic box) and come packaged with the washers. The dielectric takes pretty well to soldering heat, which is a plus for those of us without soldering stations (some RCA's are really a pain to work with, IMO). It works in fairly thick panels. Most importantly, the price is right (especially the break for 10), which is very important as it looks like you'll need a pile of them! The only downside is that they only come in black and red. I could sure use some yellow.

Mouser sells the Lorlin switches too. I alway combine orders as best I can to keep the shipping costs down.

Paul J.
I wish i had seen one of them enclosure before i bought mine. I bought mine from Hifi 2000, which are pretty good, but that looks cheaper and would have done the job. I am also building an A/B switch box so i can test two amps side by side and hear the difference in sound. This will be extremely useful for at audio meet ups.I may get one of these boxes for this.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Discussions › Building an RCA switch box