Simple switch question- sorry

[mills]

Well, I did search, and spent a bunch of time reading, but the question I had was fairly specific (and quite possibly of little use) so I didn't see it come up.  Anyway, if I wanted to switch a component (say a capacitor) between two possible locations in a ciruit, but not have the circuit break when its taken out, is that even possible? 



THanks for any thoughts, somehow I have a mental block when it comes to figuring our switches... so simple, yet I rarely get it right.

[GREEN FUZ]

The question is, what exactly you are trying to achieve with this idea? There might be another way of implementing it. I`m not saying it can`t be done just that there is more than one way to skin a cat.

[slacker]

It's possible, but like GREEN FUZ said there's probably an easier/better way to do the same thing.
For example you could have the capacitor in both positions of the circuit where you want it and then use a switch that shorted either one of them out, which effectively removes it.

[mills]

Well, this is probably going to sound rediculous, but its not actually a capacitor I wanted to switch, but a transformer.  I'd been looking at and listening to a bunch of Tim Escobedo's circuits (which are really interesting, and generally seem simple enough for a beginer like myself.) as well as the brassmaster, andcouldn't help but want to throw something together to see what they actually sounded like... I figure that I can read the theory till I'm blue in the face, but until I actually build/hear something I don't really know whats going on with it (I usually learn best after I do something- especially if it isn't working).  So, I'd wanted to see what difference one had by taking the clean signal through it, or a distorted signal through it, and figured that a switch would allow for more direct comparisons and make changeing between the two easier...  (I sort of have a love/hate thing going with socketing parts).  So, this might be totally insanity but thats about where I'm at.

[GREEN FUZ]

I figure that I can read the theory till I'm blue in the face, but until I actually build/hear something I don't really know whats going on with it (I usually learn best after I do something- especially if it isn't working).

I can`t disagree with this. Nothing like firsthand experience. I`ve got to say though I`m still slightly bemused by your need to switch the transformer. Is your intention to build two circuits on one board but sharing the transformer? For example Bronx Cheer + Jawari. Or do you simply want to make the circuits seperately with the ability to switch the transformer out of the circuit path? Or, do you want to build two circuits and be able to switch between them,on the fly? The first approach is tricky and ultimately a bit pointless. Second and third much easier.

[petemoore]

basically you only need to switch one side with SPDT like
                       iron
  input to Sw<          > output
                       iron
 
  The Sw< chooses the upper or lower iron, say it chooses the top one, it goes through the top iron and directly through to output, with the other coils input 'dangling', you may or may not want to isolate the used and unused coil from picking up anything.
  Hit the switch and the bottom iron sees input, the top iron input is lifted...the tranny's outputs are connected and connected to output, only the input is switched.
  You could tie the inputs and switch the outputs.
  Or, to take the 'other' transformer completely out of the circuit, you could use a DPDT and use the other half of the switch [compared to the SPDT] for lifting and connecting the output also like
                     iron
  input Sw<            >Sw output
                     iron
 
  ....with '<' and '>' representing the right and left sides of a single DPDT.

[mills]

I figure that I can read the theory till I'm blue in the face, but until I actually build/hear something I don't really know whats going on with it (I usually learn best after I do something- especially if it isn't working).

I can`t disagree with this. Nothing like firsthand experience. I`ve got to say though I`m still slightly bemused by your need to switch the transformer. Is your intention to build two circuits on one board but sharing the transformer? For example Bronx Cheer + Jawari. Or do you simply want to make the circuits seperately with the ability to switch the transformer out of the circuit path? Or, do you want to build two circuits and be able to switch between them,on the fly? The first approach is tricky and ultimately a bit pointless. Second and third much easier.

It's not so much 2 circuits with a transformer, as 2 locations for one transformer.  So, I was thinking jawari/whatever style with a transformer off to the octave-ish portion of the circuit... but I was thinking that something like a fuzz or overdrive would be cool to include as I've used octaves up and down with fuzzes before and after and both had results I liked (although less octavey with the fuzz or drive before, it still was a sound I liked)...  So, in the end if it was possible to switch without too much hassel, then I figured I could have both options on the box rather than being tied to one, but if not I wanted to try both during building and decide if which configuration I liked more (ie. the normal octave/jawari then fuzzed or the weird fuzzed then jawaried signal).  I may have been overthinking the problem as I figured that both sides of the transformer being use meant I'd need to switch one side in and out but not break the circuit when it was removed.  In retrospect, its probably easier to build a jawari or a related circuit and just use a gain pedal I already have to play around with it. 

Either way, thanks for the help and making suggestions to fuel my strange train of thought here.