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So, a little summary of the process I've taken to get “here”, where “here” is, and what I actually want out of it.
I'd started out with a problem. PC speakers and a headset, with the desire to switch which one gets the output from my PC, but without having to plug and unplug them.
Simple, right?
Well, then I also wanted this feature for the Line-In jack, as when I'm wearing headphones, it's more difficult to hear things going on from other devices. At the time, I was using my Snapmaker CNC engraving head to cut some experiments, and it was loud, hence the headphones. But since I watch videos on my Android tablet, I often jack the headphone output of the tablet into my PC, mix it with whatever I'm playing on there, and send that to the headphones.
The original plan was double-pole (as in, stereo), double-throw (often written as DPDT) switches. The way I'd set it up in the first place was to use each switch to control which input each output got. And it worked well enough at the time, given that I had some headphone jacks with panel-mount screw collars, plastic enclosures, and a couple of drill bits.
But, it still had some problems. If I wasn't using the PC speakers, it would buzz with our 60Hz wall power frequency, especially if I didn't have the "auxiliary" input connected to anything. Also, two outputs are needed for the PC side (speakers and headphones), which didn't leave anything for the Line-In port back to the computer. So muting outputs is needed, as well as a third switch.
I'd seen double-pole, triple-throw switches (often written as dp3t) online for cheap, so bought some, used the CNC engraving head to cut slots in the enclosure, and now had two inputs, three outputs, and mute positions on each switch.
This is where “here” is right now, as it's been working “well enough” for the limited uses I've had thus far, but I'm not convinced it's quite enough for future expansion.
The thought I'd had before was a grid of five inputs, five outputs, amplifiers on each input, volume controls on certain locations (I'm unclear on where right now), and buttons to toggle whether an input goes to a certain output. This is very likely overkill, but the idea of being able to have physical volume controls for multiple inputs to either speakers or headphones is very attractive, given the fact that my PC's volume control would change both the game volume and the tablet volume at the same time (there might be a way to fix that, but I'm not up for the challenge right now), so having separate, physical controls would be a nice idea, at least until the potentiometers started dying.
I may want to have separate systems for the PC's Line-In, versus the headphone/speaker group, but for the moment, a single device that handles both appears to be a more attractive option just yet.
I'd started out with a problem. PC speakers and a headset, with the desire to switch which one gets the output from my PC, but without having to plug and unplug them.
Simple, right?
Well, then I also wanted this feature for the Line-In jack, as when I'm wearing headphones, it's more difficult to hear things going on from other devices. At the time, I was using my Snapmaker CNC engraving head to cut some experiments, and it was loud, hence the headphones. But since I watch videos on my Android tablet, I often jack the headphone output of the tablet into my PC, mix it with whatever I'm playing on there, and send that to the headphones.
The original plan was double-pole (as in, stereo), double-throw (often written as DPDT) switches. The way I'd set it up in the first place was to use each switch to control which input each output got. And it worked well enough at the time, given that I had some headphone jacks with panel-mount screw collars, plastic enclosures, and a couple of drill bits.
But, it still had some problems. If I wasn't using the PC speakers, it would buzz with our 60Hz wall power frequency, especially if I didn't have the "auxiliary" input connected to anything. Also, two outputs are needed for the PC side (speakers and headphones), which didn't leave anything for the Line-In port back to the computer. So muting outputs is needed, as well as a third switch.
I'd seen double-pole, triple-throw switches (often written as dp3t) online for cheap, so bought some, used the CNC engraving head to cut slots in the enclosure, and now had two inputs, three outputs, and mute positions on each switch.
This is where “here” is right now, as it's been working “well enough” for the limited uses I've had thus far, but I'm not convinced it's quite enough for future expansion.
The thought I'd had before was a grid of five inputs, five outputs, amplifiers on each input, volume controls on certain locations (I'm unclear on where right now), and buttons to toggle whether an input goes to a certain output. This is very likely overkill, but the idea of being able to have physical volume controls for multiple inputs to either speakers or headphones is very attractive, given the fact that my PC's volume control would change both the game volume and the tablet volume at the same time (there might be a way to fix that, but I'm not up for the challenge right now), so having separate, physical controls would be a nice idea, at least until the potentiometers started dying.
I may want to have separate systems for the PC's Line-In, versus the headphone/speaker group, but for the moment, a single device that handles both appears to be a more attractive option just yet.
