Julian's Postbag: #96 - Electronic Switches and Resistors

[@akarshagarwal4516]

I'm preparing for university exams and videos like these are stress busters :)

[@GadgetAddict]

Would trimming the pins on the sliding switch make it a bit more stable?

[@WaltonPete]

I like the box of SIL resistor arrays. I think I bought a similarly packaged box of LED's from IC.Touch - very handy!

[@sunitadalvi5219]

do long postbags... I really like them btw, love your videos

[@michaelmurray3422]

The numbers on the dip switches can either be rubbed off, or painted over. Then they make sheets of rub on numbers or letters. You just set the #'s where you want them, and use a pencil to rub them on. If all looks good, you just take some clear finger nail paint, and very carefully paint the numbers so they will not rub off. If you rub too hard, or use too much, the paint is so strong, it kind of melts the plastic type numbers, and it runs. I've done this myself, and it works quite well. Have fun !!!!

[@alien8r33d]

I brought some miniature slide switches of similar size to the ones shown in your video, and found they were make before break rather than break before make, not by design, just badly made. You might want to check them before you use them, unless MBB switching action is not a problem.

[@12DGJB21]

Hi Julian, a thought concerning numbering of the DIP switches, if you have a label maker (eg. Brother laminated tape) you could print out your own 0-7 label with a smaller font, trim the label to fit, then place over the existing numbers.

[@CheapskateProjects]

You always seem to find interesting products that give me new project ideas. Thank you for these excellent videos.

[@twotone3070]

Glad to hear there was a bit more excitement in "It's Postbag" I was getting worried that you may be getting bored of them.

[@JulianIlett]

Bored? Impossible! Postbag #100 isn't far away :)

[@SidneyCritic]

You could put a solder blob half way down the pin legs of the slide switch for a positive lock to the BB. When is the new mic coming for the on-screen capture?

[@Thomas-rc9sc]

So excited when your vids come out. Can't wait for the full 8 Bit computer!! :D

[@topphemelig]

You could print a piece of paper with 0 - 7 and tape it over the old numbers.

[@Dosbomber]

I was about to suggest the same thing, but using printable stickers.

[@LemoUtan]

Alice doesn't actually appear to keep the 12-way dip switches (though a couple of other vendors do in similar pack sizes - ebay leads you to them, from alice's page). And wouldn't it be nice if you could also get SIL packages of LEDs? You can certainly get bar-graph LED arrays in DIP which take up the same space as those switch blocks, but they are often 'audio level meter' flavoured and coloured accordingly.

[@JulianIlett]

SIL LEDs with integral resistors would be very handy. I might make some using pin headers, rectangular LEDs and a SIL resistor.

[@LemoUtan]

Although the flexibility of separable RESnets and LEDnets means you don't have to worry about which particular value you'd prefer for which particular supplyvoltage/currentlimit/ledcolour you were considering. But yes - I can imagine a red led pack with builtin 390Rs (or something) would be quite popular.

[@JulianIlett]

I have a plan to convert a 10-segment LED bargraph into a SIL LED by gluing a SIL resistor to the underside and bending all 10 legs on one side of the bargraph down onto the SIL. I'll make a video!

[@Mikere5]

be aware that SIP resistors come in A and B types. A type have all resistors in the pack with one leg commoned where the B type all resistors are individual

[@p1nesap]

good idea having vanity flashlight to prevent content thievery.

[@superdau]

Just write "8 minus" on the dip switches. The results are 7 to 0 from left to right ;) . Be careful with pins as wide as on the (dip) switches. Depending on combination of switches and bread board they will almost destroy the spring contacts in the board because they spread the contacts against the inside of the boards that they bend the funneling flat.

[@JulianIlett]

Lol - that's the best idea I've read :)

[@acefloof]

why not print​ a new numbering for the dip switches and glue it on?

[@zodak9999b]

I wouldn't use two sets of resistor networks on the DIP switches. Instead, I'd just connect all the pins on the pull-down side to ground.

[@MaxintRD]

How about using a label printer? 1-8, 7-0, 1/0, whatever you need...

[@doctorbangs]

An idea... How about, instead of dip switches to enter data, have 2 sets of 4 micro switches set up like an 8 dot braille keyboard with an up and down button that you press with your thumbs. You could get very quick at enterring data with something like that, switch pressed down =0 not = 1 or the other way around if you want! Fiddling dip switches would get really teedious I'd guess!

[@shiladityaray3137]

How about a giveaway on Postbag: #100 ???

[@Ed19601]

great idea Shiladitya. What will you be giving away? ;-)

[@simonhopkins3867]

for patrons as they pay for it.

[@jontyvandersluis3628]

I reckon 11 pieces is the metric version of the old Baker's Dozen! BTW. I have just printed 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 on my tape labelling machine and laid it on a breadboard. The spacing looks perfect. I can do black on white or white on black. Would you like some?

[@JulianIlett]

Yes please :)

[@jontyvandersluis3628]

No problem. Actually should it be "7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0"?

[@gandsnut]

I could understand the DIP switches all grounded on one side, with the other side to the SIL resistor pack and then +5v. I'm trying to grasp why Julian would have another SIL resistor pack on the ground side. Is there some advantage to equally shorting one and the other side of an individual switch to GND or +5v? It doesn't seem likely to use both sides of the DIP switches in the same circuit?

[@JulianIlett]

The data I/O pins on the RAM chip are sometimes inputs and sometimes outputs. So I can't let the DIP switch pull those lines hard to ground. They'll pull to ground through 1k resistors.

[@Roy_Tellason]

@@JulianIlett I'd use some sort of a 3-state buffer there instead, enabled only when you want the switches asserted on the bus.

[@Inquire98]

"Thank You", thank you very much 😎

[@rednas1401]

hey, is the arduino guide still coming ? I would love to get some structure in the mqtt spaghetti

[@TheSpotify95]

Nice stuff! I might just buy some of those switches to replace the switches in my LED garden lights when they fail (the switches always do fail...). Btw why do you use the ebay.com site when you live in UK?

[@spikeydapikey1483]

Better exchange rate. 99C Canadien is about 70p

[@donaldfilbert4832]

99 cents for 11 spring micro-switches & 99 cents for 20 slide switches - AND FREE SHIPPING !! Un-freaking-believable !!! ;) ;)

[@Markus0021]

Really. I remember paying a dollar each for (slightly bigger) slide switches years ago. Times have changed for buying parts.

[@Andrew_Sparrow]

To think I used to scrap old electronics for parts... what a waste of time! :)

[@MikeK8LH]

Ouch! Vendor now charging $1.85 shipping on the slide switches... I hate it when that happens...

[@MikesDIYTeslaPowerwall]

Everyone loves postbag

[@ExStaticBass]

If you wouldn't mind terribly much I'd rather like the specs and search criteria from those microswitches. It turns out that most computer mice have those, just without the little lever. The problem is that my computer mice get a lot of use and those switches are often the fail point. I'd love to be able to source new ones to replace them instead of having to buy new mice in bulk. Between my brake times when I tend to game a bit, video editing, programing audio tracks, and so on my mouse get's a lot of use. Given that some of them are gaming mice and quite expensive I would rather like to fix them and get some more use instead of chucking them in the bin. Meantime, thanks for the great videos and best wishes to you.

[@mbirth]

Is there any advantage to ordering these parts from ebay instead of AliExpress where you probably have even more variants to select from?

[@DogsBAwesome]

I would say Paypal, the only time I used AliExpress I got stung with 2 charges from my bank which made an inexpensive item dearer than on ebay.

[@mbirth]

brian whittle​: I never had any problems with extra charges when paying with my credit card.

[@DogsBAwesome]

A Non-Sterling Transaction Fee of £0.18 was taken from your account for using your debit card to make a foreign currency transaction. A Non-Sterling Purchase Fee of £1.50 was taken from your account for using your debit card to make a foreign currency transaction

[@mbirth]

brian whittle​: Well, here in Germany there are CC companies where this fee doesn't apply.

[@massimookissed1023]

Markus Birth , I never get stung with any transaction fees using Ali. I also pay in €, from here in Ireland.

[@pvc988]

I like that RP kit.

[@stevesm2010]

Please tell me you'll be showing the schematic of the computer as you go? :-)

[@JulianIlett]

I'd have to draw one first!

[@stevesm2010]

LOL

[@-yeme-]

looks like theres possibly a new version of the Qidian 184 power bank, same case but the listing claims it does QC2.0/3.0 stuff and charges from 12V? I had my eyes open for one for ages but when the new 185-TY came out I bought that instead, it has the variable voltages and doesnt howl like the old 185-SX of yours did. anyway the new 184 I saw is .com item 162479805220 if you want a look

[@Hardwarenerd]

are you following ben eaters design?

[@JulianIlett]

Not really. Mine is a one instruction computer. It's sometimes called a TTA (transport triggered architecture)

[@QLTD]

need to buy some of these!

[@roidroid]

Hmm, resistor networks. Oh a whim i tried to see if you could get 0 ohm resistor networks in a sip package (ie: not SMD), to use as common Power & GND rails for driving a whole lot of servos. It seems they exist but are very rare, only found a single ebay seller in USA, no-one in China tho (not even on aliexpress). I guess everyone just makes their own by shorting together a whole row of male headers. :T

[@JulianIlett]

Or just use 10 ohm SIL packs, or some other low value.

[@charliedobbie8916]

Well, at least the "4" is in the right place!

[@km5405]

... here is a wise lesson: always buy 2.54mm pitch switches: 2mm pitch ones don't fit well...

[@pcuser80]

Just bought the micro switches......

[@ReflectingMe2024]

Yep, come on Julian, Shiladitya is right... we NEED a giveaway on Postbag #100 :)

[@JulianIlett]

There are issues (quite apart from the postage cost). When Clive and I gave away the LED panel, we asked people to leave KZbin comments to enter the draw. The winner couldn't be contacted due to privacy settings, so I had to make another video to say there was a winner. But I couldn't announce the winner's name because unscrupulous people have been known to create new KZbin accounts in order to claim the prize. A giveaway is a nice idea in principle - difficult to manage in practice.

[@ReflectingMe2024]

Yep, I get ya. Sad... but true.

[@spikeydapikey1483]

Scratch off 1 to 8, replace with own numbers with very fine sharpie...

[@JulianIlett]

Ha ha, I did exactly that :)

[@spikeydapikey1483]

Great minds and all that ;o)

[@jaa93997]

you are going to need lots of debounce for those switches 😁

[@JulianIlett]

The microswitches will be debounced, but I don't think any of the other switches need it.

[@jyvben1520]

slide switch needs a bit of bluetack x2

[@eliotmansfield]

or a blob of Gorilla Snot (hot melt glue for the younger players!)

[@massimookissed1023]

Eliot Mansfield , I use my own snot, it's stronger.

[@MobiusHorizons]

this is awesome!!

[@richardgrier4721]

Pull-down, seems superfluous.

[@dorfschmidt4833]

Waiting months for mail from China to arrive is so annoying.

[@massimookissed1023]

Dorf Schmidt , I just got one today after 76 days. My method is to place two orders per week, then forget about them until they arrive. (By which time plans will have changed, or I'll have forgotten why I ordered those parts.)

[@fersunk]

Dorf Schmidt I'm still waiting my ESP32 module. I bought it in April 3... 43 days of wait and still waiting

[@johnwattie1786]

*Good old alice110983, you've bought alot of things from her*

[@thehappylittlefoxakabenji8154]

foxy says nice switches and super cheap

[@pa3deeghztv302]

nice channel thums up

[@massimookissed1023]

SIL resistor networks: often listed as SIP. Go figure...

[@ThatGuy-nv2wo]

Single in line package, I figure.

[@Mikere5]

single inline PINS

[@mankee2211]

11pcs? they just don't want to sell stuff, right?

[@PhaQ2]

They sell packages of 10 hot dogs and packages of 8 hot dog buns.... ANARCHY!!!!

[@massimookissed1023]

Pha Q , it's a mathspiracy to get people to figure out lowest common multiples.

[@bradscott3165]

First! LMAO. Love your videos.

[@Sjoerdverbraak]

Those switches suck! if bought them for a project and after a while they going bad. changed my pcb..

[@pirateman1966]

Why are you wasting patron's money on these 80's junk? Then again, if they are stupid enough to pay some dude that has very limited knowledge of electronics, why not?! My God... Its true what they say; "Give a stupid an English accent, and they'll instantly sound smart".