modding 'uraltone' 24 steps switches for different steprange

[dagoose]

Elma 24 steps switches are easy to set at a different value then 24 steps but are extremely expensive.
The switches from ebay/uraltone.com are maybe a bit less quality, really cheap but can only be set to 24 steps, but that last part is not true.
All you need is a dremel with a 1.5mm drill and a piece of solid 1.5mm wire (i used solid 1.5mm installation wire) or pin.

In the pics below the switches are set to 21 steps (300 degrees standard pot) but every other step is also possible though i haven't tried that.
All you have to do is drill a hole on top in the position you want it to lock, exactly in line with the contact (see pic) and then put in a pin/solid piece of wire of a about 15mm long and you're done!
The pin goes in about 5/6mm and then touches the bottom of the stepmechanism.

To secure the pin I use a drip of superglue that glues the pin to the side of the housing. I don't think it's a good idea to glue the pin into the hole itself since superglue (cyanoacrylate) can sometimes leave a stain which can also make it to the inner contacts which i don't think it's a good idea.

I did this for my sontec that i'm working on, which has 20 stepped switches like this and it works great and is about a tenth of the price of an elma.  ;D

OK, pics say more then a 1000 words.

 

[zayance]

Wow cool for sharing this, i still need to finish some 500 stuff, a Sontec 8, and i'll be ready to finalise my Stepped Sontec EQ too, thanks again for this Topic.

 

[Flundran]

Thanks for sharing  8)

 

[Ptownkid]

Diy at its finest, kudos!

 

[haima]

awesome! thanks for sharing dagoose 

 

[pasarski]

Was just looking for those Elma switches and was terrified to see the price 

Thank you for this!

 

[lolo-m]

Thank you so much for sharing this, dagoose.  :-*

 

[Hank Dussen]

I tried Dagooses great idea/mod but it didn’t work for me. Trying to find out why I opend the switch and noticed a few things:

Although I used a drill press the hole was a little bit off and thus the nail I inserted didn’t stop the ‘blocking mechanism’.
But what’s more: on my switches the ‘blocking mechanism’ was 180° away from the corresponding contact lug! (there’s 2 ways to assemble these switches)
Also, I found that the nail shouldn’t be exactly above the contact lug but slightly further)

So this is how I did it:

1 carefully take the switch apart.
2 put the switch in the highest position you want it to have.
3 hit a small nail next to the ‘blocking mechanism’. Don’t worry, the white plastic is soft and won’t break.
4 clip the nail and hit it just a little bit further.
5 reassemble everything and you’re ready. Be careful to not reverse the mechanism 180°

As Dagoose said: a picture says more then a 1000 words.

 

[dagoose]

I tried Dagooses great idea/mod but it didn’t work for me. Trying to find out why I opend the switch and noticed a few things:

Although I used a drill press the hole was a little bit off and thus the nail I inserted didn’t stop the ‘blocking mechanism’.
But what’s more: on my switches the ‘blocking mechanism’ was 180° away from the corresponding contact lug! (there’s 2 ways to assemble these switches)
Also, I found that the nail shouldn’t be exactly above the contact lug but slightly further)

So this is how I did it:

1 carefully take the switch apart.
2 put the switch in the highest position you want it to have.
3 hit a small nail next to the ‘blocking mechanism’. Don’t worry, the white plastic is soft and won’t break.
4 clip the nail and hit it just a little bit further.
5 reassemble everything and you’re ready. Be careful to not reverse the mechanism 180°

As Dagoose said: a picture says more then a 1000 words.

Hi Hank,

Thanks for this! I wanted to open one up again to show the interior but you did this for me.
This way you can see what the interior of the switch looks like.
I did this in the beginning and then i found out it could be done without opening up the switch (had to do 20 for my sontec), which otherwise takes quite some time.
It might be that there are various series of swithes around with different end stops. So indeed, be carefull though the plastic wont break indeed.
It's REALLY imortant to drill in the corner (like in the pic2), as far as possible, otherwise the pin won't work indeed.

 

[RuudNL]

I did this before, and always drilled the hole from the inside out.
Also I noticed that sometimes the sections are a bit 'out of sync'; one section may already have switched to a different position, while the other section is still in the previous position.
It helped to glue the rotors to the shaft with a small(!) drop of two-component glue.

 

[Vac11]

I tried Dagooses great idea/mod but it didn’t work for me. Trying to find out why I opend the switch and noticed a few things:

Although I used a drill press the hole was a little bit off and thus the nail I inserted didn’t stop the ‘blocking mechanism’.
But what’s more: on my switches the ‘blocking mechanism’ was 180° away from the corresponding contact lug! (there’s 2 ways to assemble these switches)
Also, I found that the nail shouldn’t be exactly above the contact lug but slightly further)

So this is how I did it:

1 carefully take the switch apart.
2 put the switch in the highest position you want it to have.
3 hit a small nail next to the ‘blocking mechanism’. Don’t worry, the white plastic is soft and won’t break.
4 clip the nail and hit it just a little bit further.
5 reassemble everything and you’re ready. Be careful to not reverse the mechanism 180°

As Dagoose said: a picture says more then a 1000 words.

Hi Hank,

I know this thread is older and picture link is broken ... But... Is it possible attach a new image of switch modification?

Thank you

M.

 

[SIXTYNINER]

……..
As Dagoose said: a picture says more then a 1000 words.

Happy to know that another agree  about  ;D
(check my post signature)