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Push Button problem for Vidoe Switch

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Shinju

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Hi Guys and Gals
New member here, I'm looking for some help with an electronic project I'd like to do. I'm probably a bit out of my depth but I'm looking to create an audio video switching box for the large number of sources and outputs I have at my house. I've just got too many for an off the shelf switching box. Particularly as I really want the option of both infra red control and push buttons on the front.

I've got a small amount of experience in electronics from A Level physics at school, and a bit more at Uni although it was quite a while ago. I've got very good manual dexterity though and decent soldering skills. I have however got very little experience of micro controllers and not much complex circuit design.

What I'd like to make is a switching box with half a dozen audio/video inputs, two separate audio/video outputs each of which can output any of the input plus an extra audio output to go to my stereo (matching the first audio/video output). Ideally this would be controlled by four push switches on the from of the box, the left two switches cycling the first output forwards and backwards through the inputs and the right two switches doing the same for the second output.

Also controlling it would be two remote controls each having only two buttons one control controlling the first output, the other controlling the second - the reason behind this being, someone gave me as a birthday present a remarkably poor pair of remote control cars, truly awful design, they could only go forwards and backwards, but it means I can hack out the IR controller in the cars and together with the remote they would suit my set up perfectly.

So with the IR stuff easily done I'm left with creating an electronic based switching system, hence my choice of push button switches rather than something more physical, although if anyone would like to suggest a different way of doing it I'm more than happy to consider it.

This means my main problem is :-

How do I create a circuit which using push buttons, can cycle through half a dozen switches forwards and backwards?

(Sorry if that was a very long explanation for a short question, but I thought more detail would help explain what I'm trying to do as well as give people the opportunity to make alternate suggestions)
 
How do I create a circuit which using push buttons, can cycle through half a dozen switches forwards and backwards?

Hi,

I think either you'll need to look into an "all digital" solution using some combination of a microcontroller, multiplexers, digital logic gates, and or digital switches.... or you'll need to find some insanely complex mechanical pushbutton switches =]

-Nick
 
There's no standard circuit solution to this situation? I find that surprising. A cycling set of push buttons has got to have lots of applications. Anyone else know of a solution?
 
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What you need is a matrix switcher. There are absolutely off the shelf products available. Look on Markertek, B&H, Provantage, Royal Systems, many distributors to find them.
 
OK well it looks like I should be able to do it using flip flops. I've been using Cedar Logic Simulator to try out various things and hanks to wikipedia I've worked out the following diagram...

**broken link removed**

The black square on the left is a switch and the four squares on the right are LEDs (Cedar's a bit odd with a few of its icons).

As it goes, each time the switch is switched ON the next light in the sequence comes on (the one below), and stays on while the switch is switched off - it does correctly cycle back to the top one after the last one is lit. I'm a little unsure how it works, but I'm getting my head round it - I've never worked with flip flops before.

Now I need to work out how to add in a second button which cycles the other way round, lighting the one above whenever its switched on - really havent got a clue as to how to do this, any suggestions?
 
Oh and matrix switchers are entirely out of my budget, plus I miss out on all the fun of the making
 
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