Could it be they know the quality of their product?

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Slime line, indeed!

I've taken the switch apart - it's remarkably simple inside - a single, sparsely populated circuit board with a single user adjustable component that appears to be a screw-adjusted slug in a tuning coil. Now I want to see if I can wire it to a standard 110VAC toggle switch (not using 110, of course) so that I can have an RF switch with a positive tactile feel. The issue facing me is how to easily convert an SPST wall switch to operate as a momentary push button switch.

-- Bobby G.

Reply to
Robert Green
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In article , ROBERT snipped-for-privacy@YAH00.COM (Robert Green) writes: |

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| | Slime line, indeed! | | I've taken the switch apart - it's remarkably simple inside - a single, | sparsely populated circuit board with a single user adjustable component | that appears to be a screw-adjusted slug in a tuning coil. Now I want to | see if I can wire it to a standard 110VAC toggle switch (not using 110, of | course) so that I can have an RF switch with a positive tactile feel. The | issue facing me is how to easily convert an SPST wall switch to operate as a | momentary push button switch.

You might find it easier to use a SPDT (aka three-way) switch and some series capacitors.

Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com

Reply to
Dan Lanciani

Leviton (and probably others) have momentary versions of standard SPST wall switches. Be prepared for the sticker shock. :(

Some standard wall switches can be converted to momentary operation by adding a spring which was omitted during manufacturing.

sdb

Reply to
sylvan butler

Not quite sure I follow without a circuit diagram since I'm such an electro-tyro. )-: I took some photos of the circuit board so that I could trace out the circuit, but I seem to have momentarily lost track of that CF card. When I find it (or decide to take one apart again and rephotograph) I'll ASCII diagram the switch.

Am I correct in assuming the capacitor will allow it to fire once and then not again until the switch is toggled once more?

BTW, did Santa manage to get that binocular magnifier to you?

-- Bobby G.

Reply to
Robert Green

| > You might find it easier to use a SPDT (aka three-way) switch and some | > series capacitors. | | Not quite sure I follow without a circuit diagram since I'm such an | electro-tyro. )-: I took some photos of the circuit board so that I could | trace out the circuit, but I seem to have momentarily lost track of that CF | card. When I find it (or decide to take one apart again and rephotograph) | I'll ASCII diagram the switch.

I'm afraid I'm not very good with ASCII diagrams. :(

| Am I correct in assuming the capacitor will allow it to fire once and then | not again until the switch is toggled once more?

That would be my hope, though of course it may be impossible to select a capacitor (possibly with a shunt resistor) with a value that operates the device reliably and has a quick enough discharge to allow the switch to be operated frequently. Still, it's a simple thing to try and it might save a lot of complication.

Note that if you want the switch to do the same thing independent of which way it is flipped (e.g., to activate something that toggles) you can wire one capacitor between each contact and the pole. That way the switch shorts one capacitor as it brings the other across the circuit you are trying to control, eliminating the discharge time from consideration.

None of these tricks will work if the devices is using some multiplex scanning approach to read the switches, so the first thing to check when you trace the circuit is whether one side of the buttons is connected to ground of a fixed voltage source.

| BTW, did Santa manage to get that binocular magnifier to you?

Yes, thanks. It actually gave me a bit of a start because a few days before eBay had sent me mail (for real) saying that my account had been compromised and they were resetting my password...

Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com

Reply to
Dan Lanciani

That makes two of us! Saves me some trouble trying to do it.

Yes, it should be pretty simple to test the next time I take one apart.

That's an interesting concept. Do you think it would significantly increase the drain on the coin cell battery?

Proof positive that no good deed goes unpunished! Did they say how it happened?

-- Bobby G.

Reply to
Robert Green

I wouldn't think so.

| > | BTW, did Santa manage to get that binocular magnifier to you? | >

| > Yes, thanks. It actually gave me a bit of a start because a few days | > before eBay had sent me mail (for real) saying that my account had been | > compromised and they were resetting my password... | | Proof positive that no good deed goes unpunished! Did they say how it | happened?

Of course not. They didn't even say what had actually happened.

Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com

Reply to
Dan Lanciani

Good. It will be a while before I get to it. I'm finally getting around to installing the MUX units. I found out via another Ebay listing that the GVC units were used by Walmart. Did you ever figure out if you could daisy chain the units via the VCR inputs and outputs?

Great. That means we can all learn and take appropriate security precautions. )-:

-- Bobby G.

Reply to
Robert Green

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