8 Pin Button Wiring?

[SageOT]

Hey all. I have found tutorials for how to wire all the various buttons/toggles I have except for this one...

 

Can one of you provide me a diagram for dummies for it? Much appreciated.

 

Sage

 

[cichlidfan]

Without a schematic of what is going on inside the switch, it would be impossible to even speculate on how to wire it.

[SageOT]

This the sale site for one like it. Here

 

I can't find any schematics online. I thought that the LED power was the + and - pins on either side of the middle but it never lights up....

[hansangb]

If it's just DPDT, google "dpdt wiring" There are only a few options.

 

Like this one: http://www.learningaboutelectronics.com/Articles/Toggle-switch-wiring.php

[cichlidfan]

Since it is apparently a DPDT switch with two NO and two NC contacts, and two functional positions, I would sit down with a continuity tester, of some kind, and test contact pairs. It will be a bit tedious but since it only has two possible states, it won't be terribly painful.

 

Once you determine which contact pairs can be both open and closed, depending on switch state, that will narrow down the possible ways that it is setup internally.

 

EDIT: I would guess, that one of the central pairs, on opposite sides, are going to be your two commons (with the other pair of central contacts being the light), leaving two of the adjacent corners as NO and the other two adjacent corners being the NC contacts. Remember, this is basically two switches, side by side, with a light that indicates which of two possible states it is in. If this was already obvious to you, then sorry for the assumption. I just considered this an interesting puzzle. :)

 

I also assume you are applying the correct 3V to the contacts you tried for the light.

 

Of course, there is always the small possibility that the switch has an internal flaw in the lighting circuit.

Edited July 30, 2016 by cichlidfan

[SageOT]

Thanks for the responses guys. It was bugging me enough that I went and bought a multi-meter (and YouTubed how to use it) :)

 

You're right. It's a DPDT with the LED. Option for constant on or constant off.

 

And no Cichlidfan, it was not obvious originally, for me.

 

I dove into this stuff with the big cockpit building plans. The VR killed the whole switch for switch idea so I forgot most of what little I had taught myself. Going back through now and seeing what I have with plans to do a 'pit still but more a "this works for VR" kind of thing.

 

Thanks again.

 

Sage

[cichlidfan]

Good luck with it. Post again if you get stuck. Collectively, I suspect, the forum knows everything. :)

 

EDIT: For the purposes of VR, tactile feedback is everything (since you can't see). Unless the switch is toggling something that has a readily visible status indication,in the cockpit, I would be hesitant to use a push button switch. Toggles take up about the same space and provide, free, tactile feedback as to what state they are in.

 

Not to mention that the light is useless in VR. :)

 

Just a thought.

Edited July 30, 2016 by cichlidfan

[hansangb]

Totally agree. I'm starting to think I won't even bother with backlighting my switch box. But then again...it's so much cooler looking! :)

[SageOT]

...Not to mention that the light is useless in VR... :)

 

 

For sure. I just had a bazillion of those laying around from when I first got into DCS. I was all about the KA-50 originally and thought they would work for a cockpit build for that. Not really much use for them now. It was just bugging me that I couldn't figure them out. :wallbash:

 

I'm about half way through my first project in my 'pit VR re-imagining. Mounting a small box just in front of the throttle that I can reach with my index finger (but far enough forward that in full burner I don't rap my knuckles on it). I'm putting the new VR controls on there. I have LMB, RMB, and a SPDT flat toggle for mouse wheel. Couple of other random toggles and a potentiometer that I'm still up in the air with on what to do.

 

Backlight does look cool. :) ...but... Now my new plan is to just 3D print the remaining panels I still think I'll have use for. Pretty much the gear and hook panels on the forward verticals of the 18C. Since they don't need to look as pretty anymore, that will be much easier/cheaper.

 

The F5 did teach me that it is hard as hell to get the cursor to the rear of the side panels. So my other project is a larger button box behind the throttle with 6ish rotaries and a mode switch and a bunch of toggle switches. That should let me control things like the sensor panel, lights panel, volume, etc.