other than lorlin

[josh]

I know this has been discussed, but I'm a social animal and enjoy blathering on about things in message boards....

:thumb:

I have decided I hate lorlin switches. They are weak at the shaft and get smashed very easily so taking knobs on and off and on and off whilst you are trying to "dress" your latest project is a pain.

I have a handful of them whose leads came loose from the body because I got them too hot. Like the Supergreen I started where you have resisitors soldered all the way around. no dice. But the switches that came with Ptownkids Great River kit are very very slick indeed.

My questions to you are these...
What are you using, why, and most importantly where are you getting them in the US?
Grayhill, Alpha?
Is that it?

 

[josh]

no sir, thanks for the link....

I was looking on ebay, and there seem to be a handful of nameless ceramic 2 pole, 11 position switches that would work well (I think) with a GSSL or G9.

I'm going to buy a couple and see what happens.

 

[owel]

I've tried electroswitches for my prototypes (close frame). In my opinion, they're just like Lorlins... plasticky, and the feel when you rotate them is kinda "weak" or gives the impression it wouldn't last long.

I like Grayhills... expensive but I think worth it's price... and most of all, the "feel" is solid when using it.

When you have your project mounted on a case and you rotate that switch, it's got a nice feeling and feedback to it. It doesn't feel cheap.

 

[josh]

Hi Owel.

 

[gyraf]

French "APEM" makes good-quality Lorlin-type switches..

Taiwan-alpha makes alright-quality ones.

Jakob E.

 

[Kamel]

check this, i used the 12 and 24 pos, good feeling, not realy expensive
also used in some tube-tech gear

http://www.commutatori-palazzo.it/inglese/commutatori/indice.htm

 

[gyraf]

Thanks "Kamel": Nice switches, those Italian ones - looks like the ones used in e.g. Tubetec.

Do you have any price information on any of them - the webpage dosn't mention prices at all...?

Jakob E.

 

[Kamel]

i found them here
http://www.electronique-diffusion.fr/index.php?cPath=244_393_426

i asked the owner of pallazzo for the price of the other ref that i can't find on the electronique diffusion website

he answer for the 2x24 pos and 1 x 24 pos, 11 € and 9 €, but there is a minimum order of 400€ (with mixed ref) from pallazzo

 

[gyraf]

Those are good prices too. Thanks!

Jakob E.

 

[3nity]

Maybe some Elna switches...

 

[gyraf]

i.e. Elma...

 

[Kamel]

elma is really good, but not the same price

i found that, if you find cheaper, let me see

http://www.distrelec.com:80/ishopWebFront/catalog/product.do?id=01&node=acacacaeaaai&series=1

 

[Slenderchap]

....and of course there is always the ITT MIL spec switches used on AMEK gear;
http://www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/switches.html
(bottom of page)

but you need a mortgage for them...
'
Colin
www.audiomaintenance.com

 

[Kamel]

have to sell your business for this ones :wink:

http://www.iec-monaco.com/commut/sub/Suba24.htm

127€ ex vat each :shock:

 

[skipwave]

[quote author="gyraf"]Taiwan-alpha makes alright-quality ones.[/quote]

I like the cheap-o Alphas. they are open frame, and the action isn't the smoothest. However, they are solid and durable. At $1.84 ea. (if you buy ten), you can't beat the price.

http://www.mouser.com/search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=105-SR2511F-12S

 

[skipwave]

[quote author="mediatechnology"]Have you looked at Electroswitch?[/quote]

Looks like they are all non-shorting, an issue for gain switching applications. In the way of non-shorting, Small Bear Electronics has Lorlins for less than mouser:
http://www.smallbearelec.com/Categories.bok?category=Switches&searchpath=7520&start=33&total=38

 

[skipwave]

Yeah, I only checked Mouser. It does seem that all switch companies offer their models in both varieties, MBB and BBM.

Small Bear doesn't see the need for MBB, either, since their switches are meant for guitar effect pedals. That's a shame, since their Lorlins are better priced than Mouser, and I enjoy supporting them.

 

[pepe]

I’ve got Lorlin switches in a few builds and I would say the feel is ok but not impressive. As my next project will be a passive eq with everything switchable I would prefer to use something more solid. Can anyone add a comment about the “71 rotary switches series” from Grayhill, or even more specific Digi-Key Part Number: 71BD30-01-1-AJS-ND ?
Compared to ELMA and others they’re at least affordable and can be purchased in any quantity.

 

[josh]

I decided to take a chance and buy some used rotary's off ebay. They were from some former soviet country and the pics looked exactly like a decent ceramic rotary.
The 4 of them arrived in a box that looked awfully big.... That's because the damn things are like 2.5" around! They're gigantic! I just laugh and put them in a box for some other time when I'm building an EQ for Paul Bunyon. Just to say, watch what you are buying. :wink:

 

[pepe]

After over three months of waiting the Grayhill switches finally arrived and compared to the Lorlins I must say that the feel is so much better, the overall construction seems much sturdier too. These switches are definitively worth the additional cost in my opinion.