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Need Help with a Project

JoseK

Nov 29, 2022
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I'm new here today and probably have not used the board correctly. I'm also an octogenarian noob to electronics. I've done a few things but not many, not enough to be confident without help. I can handle a soldering iron and have bits and bots left over from various projects.

I posted a project that is incomplete. It attempts to depict a project that will allow a single pair of stereo speakers to be shared between 2 different amplifiers without having to swap wires. I saw this online but the video didn't detail how to connect the wires inside the box.

I need to know which poles of each switch are connected to which connectors in the project box. Because getting the wiring wrong could blow one or both amps, I also need to know how to test the wiring to be sure I don't cause that catastrophe.

I would appreciate any help you can give.
 

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dragon

Oct 31, 2022
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If you connected the speakers to both amps at once, as long as only one amp is on at a time, youd be ok.
If you have both amps on at once they are attracted to each others power supplies through the speaker wires.

Could definitely blow em up, ive done it before, best to have the amp off when your connecting speakers to them.

Lately ive just been using transistors by themselves, and Ive been blowing my speakers with the transistors, the transistors cost less than $3, but the speakers are bloody expensive!!! I need to stop doing that, and powering things with a variable power supply is a complete disaster for blowing things up!!
 

dragon

Oct 31, 2022
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GOTIT!!!

When your in the switch mode 1 slot, where the amp1 is on, the amp2 speaker connections get the wire loop on em.
One the switch mode 2 slot, where the amp2 is on, the amp1 speaker connections get the wire loop on em.

theres 2 speakers, but theres 4 wires coming out, fanning out from the speaker, to the two amp plugs.


But strangely if it were a switched system, I think theres something funny going on, and u just connect the speaker to the ones that dont have the loop, because its not important to even connect to the amp at all... but that means the system must be solid state (all in one solid unchanging circuit with no switches) if it is important to do, from back in the 70's or something.
 
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Harald Kapp

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@dragon : I have no idea what you're talking about. Doesn't sound "sound" to me.

@JoseK : The image you show is not very helpful.
ad 1: it is incomplete as it doesn't show how the switches are wired to the banana plugs.
ad 2: the image refers to a specific kind of switch with a dedicated pinout. When you use another switch than the one in the picture, the wiring may vary.

Here's how one would wire this for one channel. You'll have to double thisi for 2 channels (stereo), a suitable switch may be hard to find, but not impossible.:
1669793827985.png

In the image shown is a so called "double pole double throw" (DPDT) switch. With the switch in the position indicated by the solid black line, the speaker is conencted to the output of amplifier one. When the switch is actuated, it will change to the connection indicated by the dashed red line. The speaker is then connected to amplifier 2. At no time will there be a connection between amplifier 1 and 2.

For 2 channels you could use 2 DPDT switches, mechanically coupled so that both are actuated at the same time. Better use a "4 pole double throw" switch (link to examples). Carefully check the datasheet for the correct pinout of the switch.
 

JoseK

Nov 29, 2022
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Thank you one and all for the responses.

@Harald Kapp: The purpose of my drawing was to show that I don't know how to connect the switches to the banana connectors; therefore there are no lines showing them. That is my question: How should the switches be connected to the banana connector mounts.

For everyone, please refer to my original post. I'm in my 80's and taking up electronics only for the occasional project. I know little about electronics and wiring. I would have drawn a schematic diagram had I known how. What you see depicted is my drawing of a YouTube video. In it, I could clearly see the construction but could not determine how it was wired.
 
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Harald Kapp

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To add the connections to your drawing we need to know the pinout of the switches, or at least the model number of the switches so we can look up the pinout.
My diagram shows the connections from a logical viewpoint. But we need to know where th ephysical connetcions are to map the logical view to a physical view.
 
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