Re: Could it be they know the quality of their product?

[ddl@danlan.*com (Dan Lanciani)]

In article <HuKdnVWJx5hwuTrYnZ2dnUVZ_rOqnZ2d@xxxxxxx>, ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx (Robert Green) writes:
| "Dan Lanciani" <ddl@danlan.*com> wrote in message
|
| > | http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Setup_Slimeline_Switch
| > |
| > | Slime line, indeed!
| > |
| > | I've taken the switch apart - it's remarkably simple inside - a single,
| > | sparsely populated circuit board with a single user adjustable component
| > | that appears to be a screw-adjusted slug in a tuning coil.  Now I want
| to
| > | see if I can wire it to a standard 110VAC toggle switch (not using 110,
| of
| > | course) so that I can have an RF switch with a positive tactile feel.
| The
| > | issue facing me is how to easily convert an SPST wall switch to operate
| as a
| > | momentary push button switch.
| >
| > You might find it easier to use a SPDT (aka three-way) switch and some
| > series capacitors.
|
| Not quite sure I follow without a circuit diagram since I'm such an
| electro-tyro.  )-:  I took some photos of the circuit board so that I could
| trace out the circuit, but I seem to have momentarily lost track of that CF
| card.  When I find it (or decide to take one apart again and rephotograph)
| I'll ASCII diagram the switch.

I'm afraid I'm not very good with ASCII diagrams. :(

| Am I correct in assuming the capacitor will allow it to fire once and then
| not again until the switch is toggled once more?

That would be my hope, though of course it may be impossible to select a
capacitor (possibly with a shunt resistor) with a value that operates the
device reliably and has a quick enough discharge to allow the switch to
be operated frequently.  Still, it's a simple thing to try and it might
save a lot of complication.

Note that if you want the switch to do the same thing independent of
which way it is flipped (e.g., to activate something that toggles)
you can wire one capacitor between each contact and the pole.  That
way the switch shorts one capacitor as it brings the other across the
circuit you are trying to control, eliminating the discharge time from
consideration.

None of these tricks will work if the devices is using some multiplex
scanning approach to read the switches, so the first thing to check
when you trace the circuit is whether one side of the buttons is connected
to ground of a fixed voltage source.

| BTW, did Santa manage to get that binocular magnifier to you?

Yes, thanks.  It actually gave me a bit of a start because a few days
before eBay had sent me mail (for real) saying that my account had been
compromised and they were resetting my password...

				Dan Lanciani
				ddl@danlan.*com