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

[akarshagarwal]

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

[michaelmurray]

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 !!!!

[sunitadalvi]

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

[twotone]

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.

[alienrd]

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.

[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!

[Thomas-rcsc]

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

[CheapskateProjects]

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

[DGJB]

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.

[GadgetAddict]

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

[acefloof]

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

[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!

[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.

[topphemelig]

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

[donaldfilbert]

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

[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?

[Mikere]

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

[MaxintRD]

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

[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.

[shiladityaray]

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