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Registered:
June 2003
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My Switching Speakers Box-Typed Thingy (TM)
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Wed, 08 December 2004 08:21
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I will start off by anticipating any questions and comments:
1) Yes, I was very, VERY bored.
2) Yes, I am aware how unimpressive this is.
3) No, I will not make you one.
4) I said NO!
5) Yes, I am aware how shithouse my soldering is.
The scenario:
I have 3 different speaker devices. My big fat amp and floor stands for cranking it out, a nice set of headphones so I can still enjoy music without waking up the missus, and my bodgy little headphones with a microphone built in, so I can scream obscenities at people while I play Counterstrike: Source.
The problem:
I am quite possibly the laziest person on earth. This in itself is not so much of a problem - however, my cheaparse soundcard on my pc only has one speaker output. This means I have to grovel under the desk, challenging spiders and old socks alike, everytime I want to switch between say headphones & speakers.
The challenge:
I only have $3.85 in my wallet.
The Solution:
Make something, preferably with minimal effort, that will mean I no longer need to face the spiders under my desk.
First stop, Jaycar: Refuge of the geeky and paranoid. SCORE! I just found 2 bucks in the carpark. My budget is now $5.85.
Now, the solution was not as ridiculously simple as I first anticipated, seeing as I need a switch to not just turn something on and off, but to switch positive and negative from both left and right channels, from three separate sources. I managed to find a nice chunky adjustable trimpot to do the job. I wanted it to look semi-respectable, so I found a little box to house it all, and I also picked up 4 minijack sockets. 3 for my different speakers, and 1 for the source.
trimpot: $2.45
4 x stereo minijack sockets: $0.31 x 4 = $1.24
cool little box: $1.10
Total: $4.79
Sweet! I get a mackas soft-serve on the way home.
I only needed a soldering iron and a drill to put it all together, along with some scrap wire to hook it up. 45 minutes and 1 burnt hole in the carpet later, and we have a winner:
The money-shot:
The "Box-Typed Thingy" (TM):
The "Box-Typed Thingy" (TM) in action:
The box even came with cool little rubber feet so it doesn't slide around on my desk when I switch inputs.
I am lord of the forum geeks.
[Updated on: Wed, 08 December 2004 08:24]
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