Project 7 - Component Switching Device

Seeing as this will be my last post of 2017 I wanted to wish you all happy holidays and a very happy New Year! It's been a great year and I've learnt so much about pedal building that I can hardly wait to tackle some new projects in 2018.

For my final project of 2017 I have created a rather simple device that allows me to switch between different component values when a circuit has been breadboarded without having to physically swap out each component.

To give you an example, I was recently building a new fuzz pedal and wanted to find out what it would sound like if I replaced the 1N914 diode with some of the other diodes in my collection.

Normally, I would need to pull the diode out from the breadboard, carefully replace it with another, then repeat the process until all the diodes have been tested.

This can make A/B comparisons quite difficult, since it takes a few seconds to switch between each new component. It's also easy to insert the components into the wrong breadboard holes or accidentally knock out the other components that are in close proximity.

To resolve these issues, I created this simple Component Switching Device which allows me to populate the open sockets with up to 12 different components, then instantly switch between them using a 1P12T rotary switch.

So far, I have only tested it with diodes, but it should be just as useful when comparing different resistor and capacitor values.

As always, once I complete a build I realized there are often numerous ways in which I could improve the design.

For this device, I would have preferred to have made the strip board (used to wire the 12 sockets to the 1P12T rotary switch) a bit larger. This would have provided more space for the screws, allowing the middle one to be properly centered. It's not a huge mistake, but something I would like to correct.

I'm also not all that fond of the red and black connectors protruding from the top of the enclosure. Recently I found a similar type of pedal that uses speaker wire clips to connect the external wires and I will probably give that a try sometime in the future.

Here's what the internal wiring looks like...

And here's what the device looks like when filled with different kinds of diodes...

Notice the two inverted diodes in socket 12? These are used to create symmetrical clipping rather than the asymmetrical clipping that is produced when using a single diode (don't worry, I'll explain these concepts in more detail in my next post ;).

And here's how the device connects to my breadboard... The red and black leads protruding from the top plug into the spaces that would normally hold a single component... Not the best photo, but you get the idea.

Well that's it. Short and sweet.

I have all kinds of new projects lined up for 2018 that I am eager to share with you. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this build, or any of my other projects, send me a message and I'll get back to you when I can. See you in 2018!

M