DIY Switcher

[swinginguitar]

Anyone built a homebrew switcher - maybe something like a box full of relay switched sends/returns?

If you built one and wanted to do a bank of footswitches to remotely control each loop, is there a single cable that could carry the switching signal for multiple loops?

Would it be <more> feasible to accomplish this with a PIC?

[R.G.]

Anyone built a homebrew switcher - maybe something like a box full of relay switched sends/returns?

Yes.

If you built one and wanted to do a bank of footswitches to remotely control each loop, is there a single cable that could carry the switching signal for multiple loops?

Yes. But it will have (at least) one conductor per loop, plus power and ground. Probably more.

Would it be <more> feasible to accomplish this with a PIC?

Yes. Well, two PICs. One to sense what you want the remote box to do and spit out commands to the controller back with the relays. Another to receive and execute orders. Most PICs have built in serial communications that will let you do this.

[defaced]

I have done exactly this. Pretty straightforward with the right PIC development environment. I did mine in the context of an amp, so both controllers can be master and slave interchangebly.

[EATyourGuitar]

If you built one and wanted to do a bank of footswitches to remotely control each loop, is there a single cable that could carry the switching signal for multiple loops?

Yes. But it will have (at least) one conductor per loop, plus power and ground. Probably more.

you could do it without a power wire but I forget what IC it is. its what they were using on arcade sticks to light up the buttons. each arcade button would connect to ground so we just ran them into a IC that had a virtual ground and an inverter that would light up the LED. if it gets you one more loop on a midi cable or ethernet cable than it might be worth the IC. I can dig up the info if you want.

[Galego]

Midi? I've built a midi controlled switcher, and use a Roland FC-200 to control it.

[Gurner]

Would it be <more> feasible to accomplish this with a PIC?

Yes. Well, two PICs. One to sense what you want the remote box to do and spit out commands to the controller back with the relays. Another to receive and execute orders. Most PICs have built in serial communications that will let you do this.

I guess you could get away with one PIC. Just have the sending device, 'transmit' a different voltage level  for each required loop (ie in the transmit unit, manual switches change resistance in a potential divider - the resulting changing voltage goes to the receive unit)....the PIC in the receiving unit ADCs this voltage and switches in the desired loop accordingly. Probably less threat of digital noise going this way.....serial comms is notoriously noise inducing & finds its way into any nearby low level signal path with apparent ease!

[markeebee]

Midi? I've built a midi controlled switcher, and use a Roland FC-200 to control it.

Yesssssssss!  That's exactly what I want!!  Are you willing to share your design?  I love you.

[EATyourGuitar]

well it doesn't need to be midi, you could just use the din midi cable for your own thing. but if it is midi then you can buy the behringer foot controller cheap.