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Odd switch I cannot figure out

jerryb

Feb 18, 2014
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Hi, I'm trying to make a lightsaber and I've got most of it done but I cannot figure out how to wire in a new on/off switch to the one on-board the sound board. It is a strange little rubber button that appears to have no contacts in it but if I push it down it starts the sound and then pushing it down again stops the sound. What I want to do is wire it up to another switch but the contacts under the button are weird. They look a bit like interlinked fingers. The board is a Hasbro and it has 2007 written on it. I'm posting a pic of the switch, one with the rubber button and one without. Hope this makes sense, thanks.SB1.jpg
 

Minder

Apr 24, 2015
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The underside of the moving button is made from conductive material, when you push the button it shorts out the PCCT strips.
M.
 

jerryb

Feb 18, 2014
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Feb 18, 2014
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OK, thanks for getting back, how do I go about changing it to an on/off switch? J.
 

Minder

Apr 24, 2015
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You would need to wire a small wire/conductor to both sides of the switch, the PCCT strips alternate between poles of the switch.
Choose the point where the foil traces leave the switch area.
M
 

jerryb

Feb 18, 2014
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Great, and then wire the in and out wires to either side of the conductor?
 

Minder

Apr 24, 2015
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Locate the two PCB pads where the switch/trace conductors exit the switch and connect to these two.
M.
 

jerryb

Feb 18, 2014
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Hi again, obviously doing something wrong as it's not working how I would like. Tried soldering to the two points you suggested but no joy. If I leave the neg end connected and switch the main switch on I can get the sound by touching the other end of the wire to the PCCT strip and it will then switch off from the main switch but it will not operate with the main switch unless I move the wire about. So I must be soldering to the wrong point, I think, J.
 

Minder

Apr 24, 2015
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You can see the foil under the switch button, so experiment by shorting the foil with a jumper etc to trace the necessary connection pair you need.
M.
 

jerryb

Feb 18, 2014
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Hi Minder, the other switch is powering the board up which is good but I can still only get sound by moving the contact. If I solder the contact in place it doesn't work, if I touch the wire to the same place after switching on, it works. I know how it should work but it isn't so I must be missing something. J.
 

jerryb

Feb 18, 2014
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Also just realised that touching different parts of the board produces different sounds, like clash and movement along with starting up and shutting down. Really lost now, J.
 

JWHassler

Dec 22, 2014
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Dec 22, 2014
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Is the new switch a MAINTAINED CONTACT type? If so, that's a problem. It wants a momentary type.
 

jerryb

Feb 18, 2014
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Feb 18, 2014
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I think that what I need to do is re-think. At the moment I've got a latching switch that when I throw it sends power to the sound board and the blade when what I need to do is have a momentary switch that sends power to the board and then that routes power to the blade and the sound. Does that make sense? J.
 
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