What kind of Relays are you guys using for signal?

[Ian MacGregor]

I'm designing a mic pre PCB, and I think I'll use DPDT relays for polarity and phantom power. What are you liking for PCB mounted relays?

Ian

 

[mcs]

Omron G5V-2-H1 (or the regular G5V-2 version). They are available from RS/Farnell/Elfa and many other places.

Best regards,

Mikkel C. Simonsen

 

[Ian MacGregor]

Ha, thanks for the fast response. Those Relays look pretty sweet. So the standard is to have a diode in parallel with the coil right?

Ian

 

[sismofyt]

Yes, and maybe also a small 47-100nF cap.

 

[Ian MacGregor]

ok, I have heard of this cap being used and I am curious as to its function. Is it supposed to stop any pops in the audio? If so, how does it work?

Ian

 

[Steffen]

OMRON G6K-2P series or TAKAMISAWA RA series depending on PCB space. the takamisawa are twice the size but half the price

steff

 

[bluebird]

I think the pop in audio comes from the actual mechanical parts bouncing.
somehow the diode and cap help this????

 

[Bauman]

I'm into Aromat/NAIS TQ2. Small and nice...

 

[Ian MacGregor]

So the cap would go in parallel with the relay coil? I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. Maybe I should experiment and see if it really makes a difference.

I have heard of the Aromat/NAIS TQ2 relays before. Where could I get a data sheet or order them from? Mouser/Digikey??

Thanks fellas,
Ian

 

[CJ]

It's to handle the inductive kick from the pull in coil.

 

[gyraf]

Start with the diode alone, and if that clicks too much, experiment with capacitor value.

But note, that with capacitors across relay coils you run the risk of making a resonant circuit, that will actually sound like a cheap 80'es electronic drum when you switch it...! I had this once, and it took me too long to figure out what the h... was going on :shock:

Jakob E.

 

[NewYorkDave]

[quote author="gyraf"]But note, that with capacitors across relay coils you run the risk of making a resonant circuit, that will actually sound like a cheap 80'es electronic drum when you switch it...! I had this once, and it took me too long to figure out what the h... was going on :shock: [/quote]

If you follow the usual practice of connecting a resistor and capacitor in series to form a "snubber", this should not be a problem. The resistor will damp out any resonance.

The cap or resistor-cap combination is optional; the diode is mandatory!

 

[smallbutfine]

G5V-2 - this one is fairly relyable... opened my second spl vitalizer (some weeks ago) because the right channel didn't get the processed signal anymore in a mastering chain. Couldn't find the fault ad hoc. My brother in arm (musically and technically) had this relay in focus of being the a*hole since the a/b-ing with the vitalizer is the most "vital" part of using it at a mastering process and this gear is over 15 yrs old in heavy duty (1994/1995)...
(Since they had the problem in a peace of relatively new live gear a while ago at his venue.)
Since i didn't had one for replacement i tried alot (without much sense...) and found accidentially a 1Ohm resistor in the power section being rotten.
After problems with mechanical parts in nearly all old gear this relay seems to be pretty good and often found in solid gear.

 

[BradAvenson]

If you need small check out these:
Omron G6K-2P-DC24