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6PDT Comm 1/2 switch

H

humptybump

Well Known Member
For those looking to have a second COMM but not wanting an audio panel, here is a nice option - a 6PDT switch. It can handle a stereo headset and has an extra switch left over. With this extra switch it is possible to have COMM2 audio feed into COMM1 auxiliary.

Listen to ATIS on COMM2 while having COMM1 on ground and it's standby frequency on tower or have COMM2 handle clearance and ground and COMM1 for tower and departure.

The switch has a mechanical indicator. It's available in configurations from SPDT thru 10PDT !

 
OOPS! Could a moderator edit the title to "1&2" so it doesn't look like "one half". Thanks!

I'll delete this reply, once the title is better :)
 
Who is the vendor?

May use a 4PDT to switch inputs between left and right stick trim switches...
Who stocks them?

Thanks
 
I ordered the switches from DigiKey ... but there is a trick.

DigiKey only stocks a DPDT with the full housing and indicator. So, you order a DPDT with the color you want and you order the 4PDT, 6PDT, etc. When your order arrives, you move the mounting and indicator housing over to your desired switch. In truth, you are only wasting about $2.75. The alternative is a special order with about a 15 week lead time and potentially a minimum order.
 
6PDT is Dead

So, a cautionary tail (and a preemptive strike against a certain "I told you so")...

My fancy 6PDT push button switch is dead or at lease a complete PITA.

I will need to rip it out and find a solution.

Just because it looks cool doesn't mean it won't make you hot under the collar. :eek:
 
humptybump said:
So, a cautionary tail (and a preemptive strike against a certain "I told you so")...

My fancy 6PDT push button switch is dead or at lease a complete PITA.
Click to expand...

We have cursed those ITT Schadow switches and their Asian knockoffs for decades in the pro audio business where they are used in consoles, processing equipment etc. They do not belong in any airplane. While the passive position indicator is a really nifty feature, the slide contacts are not reliable and the housing is not rigid enough to be self-supporting. *If* you mount them on a well made printed circuit board and *if* the pc board is rigidly mounted to the panel they can be good for a few hundred cycles but the version shown that mounts the switch to the panel with a threaded bushing is a recipe for failure.
 
Rotaries are probably pretty reliable, and they're easy to clean when needed.

Digi-Key sells a fairly chunky but not unreasonable 6PDT toggle (563-1928-ND).
 
humptybump said:
There are not many options for a 6PDT. I've only found ONE possible switch and it's pretty big.
Click to expand...

Of course there are lots of options if you're willing to remote mount relays, and install a simple open-ground switch to control them. Depending on the current you need to switch, some of these are pretty small and inexpensive these days.
 
simpler

Todays circuits are pretty robust and less sensitive than in the past.
I have flown with two coms wired to headsets in parallel. Mic is switched back and forth with a simple toggle switch. You simply turn the volume down on the one you don't want to hear. Or listen in the background as you mentioned for ATIS etc. Costs almost nothing.
 
As some modern radios now have really good built-in intercoms, you really need a way to switch two headsets' worth of connections at once. And get used to setting two intercoms up if you switch a headset.
 
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