Input/Output Selector

[Buffalo Tom]

Hi. Im gonna build a rack mounted Input/Output selector for guitar. I wanna have toggle switches instead of the standard 3pdt footswitches. Will this one work for high ohm guitar signal? http://www.newark.com/carling-technologies/hl250-73/switch-toggle-3pdt-15a-250v/dp/73K0987?gross_price= It says switch operation: On-None-On. So I guess its a two way switch and will behave the same way as standard 3pdt footswitch?

Here is a drawing of what I'm  trying to build. Can you see any mistakes?  Thanks

[GibsonGM]

At a glance, it looks ok, Tom.    What I prefer to do, myself, is this, tho:

http://www.muzique.com/lab/splitter.htm

This way your signal is buffered as well as split...there can't be any loading due to what device you're trying to drive, either!  Works great...

[ashcat_lt]

These signals never split, it's just one or the other, and you won't hear what the tuner does to the signal anyway.

You don't really need to short the inputs, and I'd really rather not just in case.  Then you only need two poles on that switch, and might save a couple cents.

[Buffalo Tom]

These signals never split, it's just one or the other, and you won't hear what the tuner does to the signal anyway.

You don't really need to short the inputs, and I'd really rather not just in case.  Then you only need two poles on that switch, and might save a couple cents.

Thanks for the info. But I already bought the Carling 3PDT switches. In my case is it a bad thing to ground out the channel that not being used? Why? Or maybe it doesn't matter?

[PRR]

Use two separate LED resistors. One for input select, one output select.

The way you have it, two "lit" LEDs will light equally if their forward voltage drops are EXACTLY equal. That's fairly unlikely. Worst case one is 2X bright and the other so dim you can't peep it with the room lights on. Luck of the draw is in-between: you see both LEDs light but the different brightnesses gets annoying on a boring gig. And if the LEDs are different colors, they are pretty sure to not-match, the lower-V one stealing "all" the current from the shared resistor.

Grounding the unused input may be a matter of taste and need. If the "unused" input has horrible crap on it (loud football game while you do golf commentary) then you sure do not want that crap in the box. But if the "unused" input has been split and really is being used somewhere else (I've seen some strange setups; maybe the football goes out on a different station), grounding it kills a passive split (Y-cord) or may distress an active splitter.

In guitar-work, I'd try 1K to ground. That will majorly muffle a naked guitar and many pedal outputs.

[Buffalo Tom]

Thanks for your help! I will definitely use seperate LED resistors. Would it be even better to have one resistor for each LED?

In guitar-work, I'd try 1K to ground. That will majorly muffle a naked guitar and many pedal outputs.

Interesting. I wanna try that.. Can you explain more? Where do I put the 1K resistor to ground? 

Use two separate LED resistors. One for input select, one output select.

The way you have it, two "lit" LEDs will light equally if their forward voltage drops are EXACTLY equal. That's fairly unlikely. Worst case one is 2X bright and the other so dim you can't peep it with the room lights on. Luck of the draw is in-between: you see both LEDs light but the different brightnesses gets annoying on a boring gig. And if the LEDs are different colors, they are pretty sure to not-match, the lower-V one stealing "all" the current from the shared resistor.

Grounding the unused input may be a matter of taste and need. If the "unused" input has horrible crap on it (loud football game while you do golf commentary) then you sure do not want that crap in the box. But if the "unused" input has been split and really is being used somewhere else (I've seen some strange setups; maybe the football goes out on a different station), grounding it kills a passive split (Y-cord) or may distress an active splitter.

In guitar-work, I'd try 1K to ground. That will majorly muffle a naked guitar and many pedal outputs.