Question About DIP Switches

[vne147]

I was just wondering, is there such a thing as a 3 position DIP switch. Not 3 position in the sense that there are 3 switches but in the sense that each switch has three positions? Maybe I should say each switch is dual throw like ON - OFF - ON.

The reason I'm asking is I was looking at the EasyPIC6 board from MikroE. In my opinion they have made several improvements over the board that I have, the **broken link removed**. One improvement of the 6 over the 4 is that there are DIP switches to configure the pull up/down resistors. On the EasyPIC4 board there is only one jumper per port that you use to set the resistors. On the EasyPIC6 there are DIP switches that you can use to connect each individual pin on a port to a pull up/down resistor so that some pins on a port can be connected to resistors while other can be left floating. However, there is still a single jumper per port that sets whether or not the resistors are pull up or pull down.

I was thinking it would be an ever greater improvement if they replaced the existing DIP switches on the EasyPIC6 board with 3 position DIP switches (if they exist) so that any pin on a given port could be connected to either a pull up resistor, a pull down resistor, or left floating. I did a quick google search for 3 position DIP switches and also dual throw DIP switches but didn't find anything. I realize that what I'm asking could be easily done by replacing the single jumper per port with a single jumper per pin but I was just curios about the DIP switch.

 

[Mikebits]

You mean something like this?
**broken link removed**

 

[vne147]

You mean something like this?
**broken link removed**

Thanks for the suggestion Mike. The data sheet says those have binary coded outputs with 8, 10, and 16 position versions. I could probably jerry rig one so it was funtionally equivalent to what I'm asking but that's not exactly what I'm looking for. And unless I'm missing something I would have to have one of those switches per pin for a total of 8 per port. It could probably work but would make the board cluttered. What I am looking for is essentially a row of SPDT switches that fit into a standard DIP switch package. There would be an extra row of pins (somewhere in between the outside rows) and each switch would have a contact form like this:

Any ideas?

 

[Reloadron]

Maybe something like this which is a SPDT sort of dip switch in a SMT package though. I guess you could use regular standard dip switches but it would take a pair to give you the SPDT effect with one of the pair always open and one always closed and they would share a single common.

Oh yeah, your attachment seems to be not working for me.

Ron

 

[vne147]

Maybe something like this which is a SPDT sort of dip switch in a SMT package though. I guess you could use regular standard dip switches but it would take a pair to give you the SPDT effect with one of the pair always open and one always closed and they would share a single common.

Closer. I might be able to make the CAS-D20A1 work the way I'm thinking. The only thing is I can't tell from the data sheet if they are ON - ON, or ON - OFF - ON. I would like the later so I can switch between pull up, pull down, and floating.

Oh yeah, your attachment seems to be not working for me.

Sorry about that. It was just the standard contact form of a SPDT switch. I'll try to fix the above post though.

 

[Reloadron]

Closer. I might be able to make the CAS-D20A1 work the way I'm thinking. The only thing is I can't tell from the data sheet if they are ON - ON, or ON - OFF - ON. I would like the later so I can switch between pull up, pull down, and floating.



Sorry about that. It was just the standard contact form of a SPDT switch. I'll try to fix the above post though.

Good point and sitting here looking at a tiny picture they look to be On / On with no center Off position. I can't be sure.

Ron

 

[xpi0t0s]

Yes they exist; see https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2010/02/10841.pdf
But the cost is likely to be prohibitive (if the dimensions aren't); presumably you mean the 36 port switches, but each switch at the 500+ price is still £1.24 which is £45 which is nearly half the cost of the board. The push buttons are considerably cheaper than that. More miniature SMT toggles would be more expensive still.

 

[vne147]

Yes they exist; see https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2010/02/10841-1.pdf
But the cost is likely to be prohibitive (if the dimensions aren't); presumably you mean the 36 port switches, but each switch at the 500+ price is still £1.24 which is £45 which is nearly half the cost of the board. The push buttons are considerably cheaper than that. More miniature SMT toggles would be more expensive still.

Thanks for the reply. Which switches are you referring to? These just look like toggle switches but are much wider than .1". Did I miss the one you're talking about?

 

[MrDEB]

here is what your looking for
5 = $1
Tiny SPDT Center Off Switch (Pkg of 5)-The Electronic Goldmine
you could use an upright header then configure a pc board with switches mounted to it. Kinda of an adapter.

 

[vne147]

here is what your looking for
5 = $1
Tiny SPDT Center Off Switch (Pkg of 5)-The Electronic Goldmine
you could use an upright header then configure a pc board with switches mounted to it. Kinda of an adapter.

Thanks for the suggestion MrDEB but what I'm really looking for is a pack of SPDT switches that fit into the standard DIP footprint. Ideally, it would be just like a normal DIP switch but instead of a bunch of SPST switches, they would be SPDT center off switches. I'm starting to think they don't exist.

 

[creakndale]

I've never run across a 3 position SPDT Dip switch however I've have wired two adjacent SDPT DIP switches to evoke this function. Less elegant but works well.

creakndale

 

[xpi0t0s]

If you want a bank of 3-legged switches that'll fit into a DIP package you need to check again what the D in DIP means (hint: not 3).

Edit: having said that though, a bit more digging found this:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2010/02/DIP_Series_76_and_78_SPDT.pdf

 

[Mikebits]

Here's an inexpensive idea but may do the trick. Use some of those dual row headers with jumper blocks, kind of like the ones you see on motherboards. Online Product Offering HEADERS BREAKAWAY .1SP STR

Not as convenient as switches but it is small size and will work in a pinch at a low cost.

 

[vne147]

If you want a bank of 3-legged switches that'll fit into a DIP package you need to check again what the D in DIP means (hint: not 3).

Edit: having said that though, a bit more digging found this:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2010/02/DIP_Series_76_and_78_SPDT-1.pdf

Yes, I know that the D stands for dual thank you. However, they do make components that fit into a DIP footprint that also do have more than 2 rows of pins. Here's an example:

MV59164

A SPDT DIP switch with the pin layout shown in the above data sheet would work perfectly. I'll check out your link but at first glance it didn't look like any of the varieties had an off position.

Here's an inexpensive idea but may do the trick. Use some of those dual row headers with jumper blocks, kind of like the ones you see on motherboards. Online Product Offering HEADERS BREAKAWAY .1SP STR

Not as convenient as switches but it is small size and will work in a pinch at a low cost.

Hi Mike. Thanks for the suggestion and I agree your idea would work but unfortunely I had already though of that (notice the last sentence in my original post ) . I might eventually end up using the header/jumper solution but I first wanted to see if a more convienient solution existed.

 

[MrDEB]

heres what I am proposing

using the switches I posted (.5L x .22W x .38H
make a circuit board that will plug into a DIP socket

 

[AllVol]

Maybe something like the attached from APEM Slide Switches, Joysticks and Membranes could be used.

 

[vne147]

using the switches I posted (.5L x .22W x .38H
make a circuit board that will plug into a DIP socket

MrDEB,

Thanks for the picture. Is that google sketchup?

Maybe something like the attached from APEM Slide Switches, Joysticks and Membranes could be used.

AllVol,

Those would work except they're a little too wide to fit into a DIP footprint. The NK series switches in your link would have been perfect except there is no middle off position.

Fooey!!! or Phooey???

 

[xpi0t0s]

Those would work except they're a little too wide to fit into a DIP footprint.

Why would they need to? Your original post needs to redesign the ports anyway, to add in a second bank of resistors per port, so at this point the switch holes would be widened too, and perhaps a 3rd row adding. Or if you're talking about modifying the board yourself, why bother? Just leave the current switches as they are, in the off position, and put together a port extension board which meets your needs. It might be a redesign MikroE could consider for EasyPic7/8/9... but methinks this would represent a significant increase in the board cost, and probably 95% of users wouldn't need the extended functionality anyway. But you could always mention it on the MikroE forum.

 

[vne147]

Why would they need to?

They wouldn't need to but I started this thread just because I thought it would be nice and neat if the existing DIP switch could be replaced with a SPDT DIP switch. I was just curious if they existed at all really. I'm aware that there are other ways in which I can achieve what I'm after (as I eluded to in my original post) without using the mythical SPDT DIP switch.

Your original post needs to redesign the ports anyway, to add in a second bank of resistors per port, so at this point the switch holes would be widened too, and perhaps a 3rd row adding. Or if you're talking about modifying the board yourself, why bother?

You wouldn't necessarily need to add an extra bank of resistors to do what I want. Just a single resistor per pin would be needed. One end of the resistor would be connected to the I/O pin and the other end (through the switch) would be connected to V+, GND, or left floating. I'm not planning to modify the board myself. I was just asking as sort of "gee whiz, wouldn't it be nice if..." question. I also might make my own development at some point. If and when I do, I will definitely use switches (would have been nice and neat if they were DIP switches) to add the capability to configure I/O pin resistors individually.

It might be a redesign MikroE could consider for EasyPic7/8/9... but methinks this would represent a significant increase in the board cost, and probably 95% of users wouldn't need the extended functionality anyway. But you could always mention it on the MikroE forum.

I agree that implementing my idea probably would result in a significant cost increase because these switches would have to be specially made. If they already existed, it might not have been that much. I don't know. As for how many people would use the added functionality, that's anyone's guess. I know I would use it. I could argue that there are very few individual users even now that use 95% of the EasyPIC's features but they are all still there for the few that do.

 

[vne147]

I know this thread is very old but I just saw the newest development board that MikroElektronika is offering and I wanted to post it to this thread. The board has "tri-state" DIP switches. This is what I was after when I asked the original question. I'm not sure if MikroE had them manufactured just for their purposes or if they were available already. Better late than never I suppose.

EasyPIC 7