Project 8 - A/B/Y Switcher V2

As you may recall, last year I built an A/B/Y Switcher that didn't turn out quite as well I would have liked (you can read that post here). It functioned well, but there were a few minor issues I wanted to correct if I ever built another one. Well, I've done just that...

Say hello to the new and improved A/B/Y Switcher V2...

So, what exactly did I change? Well, the first thing you will notice is that I polished the enclosure to a near mirror finish. This was done using several grades of wet/dry sand paper, Mothers Aluminum Polish and a serious amount of elbow grease.

Something I didn't do was clear coat the enclosure once I was finished polishing.

Having read that polished aluminum will corrode if not protected I was a bit worried; however, it's been several months since I completed this project and it still looks great. Maybe clear coat isn't really necessary after all? I guess time will tell. I bet if it would help reduce the finger prints though.

The biggest mistake I made with the previous A/B/Y Switcher was placing the input jack at the bottom of the enclosure. I'm still not entirely sure why I did that, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Regardless of the reason, the input jack is now located alongside the power jack and two output jacks where I think it belongs.

I also want to mention that I used high-quality Switch Craft 1/4" Mono Jacks for this project and they are incredible! This was money well spent and I can't imagine ever using the cheaper jacks again.

Something I really do like about the new V2 is the wiring. Since I now have more experience building electronics I was able clean it up quite a bit. It's not perfect (especially the two resistors just below the LED's), but it's far more attractive that my previous attempt.

In case you're wondering, this is how the wiring of my previous A/B/Y Splitter looks... Nasty!

Finally, I decided to add some 1mm blue foam to the lid of the enclosure to help reduce noise and eliminate any risk of grounding - plus it just looks nice.

I bought a bunch of this foam, in several different colours, so don't be surprised if you start seeing it in all my future builds.

So, there you have it. Another project completed.

For my next build I am working on a version of the ever popular Bazz Fuzz circuit which uses clipping diodes to create a serious amount of gnarly fuzz.

To keep it interesting, I am also adding a few additional features to the original design that I feel will make this one of the most versatile Fuzz/Distortion pedal in my collection.

As always, thanks for reading.

-M-