Single Switch Question...

[blairc64]

I know that DoClo has addressed using a single Push-on-Push-off switch with both a Hasbro Sound Board and an EL Inverter. But I've got a more general electrical question in regards to switches and sound boards.

I've got about a saber that I'd like to add sound to cheap. And The currently installed switch is the same type as the intended sound board requires. Example:

Old EL Parks saber with Touch On-Off latching circuit -> to add a Yoda MR board.

The question is... before I start ripping it apart, will it work? Can I just wire the new switch wires right with the existing switch? I'm assuming with latching switches... it's like the old Mad Scientist swiches where you can attach as many (+) wires to one side and as many continuing wires as you'd like to the other side and once the switch is thrown... the circuit will be made for all of them without issue.

Example of the wiring would be...

Sound Board Switch Pad 1 ----\ /----------- EL Switch Pad 1
\/
Latching Switch
/\
Sound Board Switch Pad 2 ----------/ \----EL Switch Pad 2

[Novastar]

I'm really confused by this question, but I'll try to help.

* You can throw two SEPARATE circuits with a type of switch that has two "throws" on it. For example, DPDT (double pole, double throw). This allows you to run two entirely different circuits with the same switch. Why would anyone wanna DOOO that?! Well, if circuit #1 wanted/could handle 9v... and circuit #2 wanted/could handle 6v. There ya go. You couldn't throw them on the same circuit: #2 would die from 9v.

* You can also throw "two boards" with the same switch alright... but they'd essentially have to be in the same circuit. An example is when I've seen the wiring guide for using a Corbin v1 with a Hasbro or MR (depending on whether you have momentary Corbin or latching Corbin). But I've never done it. Seems insane to me, trying to wire a bunch of boards together...

However, just remember that if you DO wire both boards to a SINGLE switch which is a SINGLE circuit... they will all share the battery source. Which means they both need to be able to HANDLE the battery source's voltage.

Finally, you could throw a relay in there and change everything around, hahahah... giving SOME voltage to THIS side of the circuit, and the rest over HERE. That gets a little weird for me, although I understand the theory to some small extent.

[blairc64]

Yeah... it's confusing in my head too.

Basicly I have an MR board that has a Latching Switch and an EL Saber that has a "Latching circuit PCB" (It's a Touch on - Touch off metal contact switch but the Inverter uses the PCB as a latching switch, I know this because I've already had it apart once to change the inverter and turned it on by just touching the switch leads together)

I want to connect both the MR board (via a regulated down 9v to 5v) and the EL inverter (same 9V but straight) to the same existing Touch PCB switch.

Anyone know much about the Parks M2?

Any less confusing?

-Blair

[eastern57]

Novastar, you're getting "pole" and "throw" mixed up. Pole is a connection, Throw is a selection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switch

Blairc, in short: you have two thing you want to turn on with the same switch (via the touch switch) and you want to know if it's possible, sound right?

What Novastar is saying is that you need to know if your switch is capable of connecting two circuits. I'm pretty sure that if you connect two, mixed voltage circuits, through one connection, something bad would happen.

Check the switch, how many wire-connections are there? Hopefully at least four. if you can't tell, try to find specs on the touch switch, look up the manufacturer, heck, ask Parks.

For turning both on, yes you should be able to do that with a DPST or DPDT switch, try it with one of those types first.

[Novastar]

Novastar, you're getting "pole" and "throw" mixed up. Pole is a connection, Throw is a selection.

Oops. Thanks. I do this with parallel and serial sometimes too.

[Kal El Rah]

Hi there,
I am new to the forums but was a troller for a long time, anyway from what I get is that you actually have a momentary enabled EL and a latching sound board. I don't think a standard latching switch will work for you because you would still have to touch(momentary) the wire to the EL driver to turn it of. The suggestion to contact Parks is your best bet.

[xwingband]

No he's saying the Parks control box gives latching action despite being the momentary touch. His checking the EL inverter confirms that. It's like those touch activated lamps... I remember seeing a diagram once for it. Gimmicky in my opinion.

I think you're just going to have to try it. The problem I can maybe see is that the inverter and sound board may not like being on the same set. If you didn't want to take a chance I think a DPDT relay would get the job done.

[blairc64]

Yeah... I think I'll try using a DPST 5V Reed Relay Switch. That should be simple enough to wire and small enough to glue on top the Yoda board and still fit inside without issue.

Should I be worried about using a 5V relay with 9v? or should I try using a 12V relay? They both say they can handle between 3v-33v... but since I can't find a datasheet... (like always)

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...=2605&DOY=31m7

is the unit I'm looking at using. Any comments? Anything I'm missing out?

So I'm going to try doing:


Switch PCB Leed -----{Relay ST Terminal 1}
Switch PCB Gnd -----{Relay ST Terminal 2}

Inverter Switch Leed 1 --- {Relay DT Terminal a1}
Inverter Switch Leed 2 --- {Relay DT Terminal a2}

MR Board Switch Leed 1 -- {Relay DT Terminal b1}
MR Board Switch Leed 2 -- {Relay DT Terminal b2}

So that when I close the PCB switch both other circuits should close as well. Correct?

-Blair