reading multiple SPDT (On-Off-On) switches

[RogMoe]

For a new project I want to use 12 SPDT (On-Off-On) switches using a Mega2560. One option would be to use 24 pins...     There must be better ways! What's the best way to get this done?

[UKHeliBob]

Do your SPDT switches really turn on-off-on ?

If so then they are not SPDT switches which only have two positions

[Erik_Baas]

A 4 by 6 matrix (with 24 12 diodes!) will use only 10 pins.

Edit: changed "24" to "12"; thanks to Paul__B.

[CrossRoads]

The Mega only sees High or Low.
An SPDT is usually 3 pins, with Common in the middle.
Is your plan to connect the Common to Gnd, and the two sides to two Input pins on the Mega (with internal pullup resistors enabled) and have the inputs read as High unless the switch is thrown to one side or the other to take one of the two pins Low?
Otherwise, a common On/Off toggle switch per input would do, with Off being read as High and On being read as Low.

Alternately, you could use parallel input/serial output shift registers and read the High/Low states in from the shift registers. The only 3 pins are needed - Latch, Clock, and DataIn.

[RogMoe]

The Mega only sees High or Low.
An SPDT is usually 3 pins, with Common in the middle.
Is your plan to connect the Common to Gnd, and the two sides to two Input pins on the Mega (with internal pullup resistors enabled) and have the inputs read as High unless the switch is thrown to one side or the other to take one of the two pins Low?
(...)

Alternately, you could use parallel input/serial output shift registers and read the High/Low states in from the shift registers. The only 3 pins are needed - Latch, Clock, and DataIn.

Yes, this is what I have in mind. Every switch generates three states. 12 switches times 2 pins is 24 pins.
I knew I would probably end up with some kind of shift register. Besides the 12 switches, I'd like to turn on 12 bi-color led's too...

Which shift register would you recommend?
Thx

[UKHeliBob]

Every switch generates three states.

Then it is not an SPDT switch

[CrossRoads]

Open your mind to possibilities UKHeliBob:

On-Off-On is considered an SPDT switch by the distrubutors.
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/apem-inc/TL39P005000/679-4090-ND/1796422


If it was wired up 5V, 2.5V, 0V, that would be three states. Mega can't do much with the middle the on a single pin tho, so that's not too handy/


If the two NOs are wired to two input pins, and the common to Gnd, then the three states are: 
input1 high-input2 high,
 input1 low-input2 high, and
 input1 high-input2 low


The switch then does not support 
input1 low-input2-low.


I'd recommend this part
https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/cd74hc597.pdf?
Supports parallel load of data, serial output of data, and daisychaining of data thru multiple devices.

[Erik_Baas]

Or 3 pcs. PCF8574, an 8-bit I/O expander for I2C.

[Paul__B]

The switches are SP3T.

As per another discussion here, each switch requires only one diode on the common pin to be used in a matrix, there are however in effect 24 switch positions for 12 switches, so a 6 by 4 matrix will use ten pins.

If you have ten pins available on the processor you do not need a Mega 2560, and a PCF8575 port expander would require only two pins to connect to the I²C interface.

[CrossRoads]

PCF8575 over $2.15 each at Digikey, and SMD only. Need two, $4.30 I2C
PCF8574, $1.30ish,  to $1.40 SMD or thruholle, 8 bits. Need 3, $3.90 to $4.20 I2C
cd74hc597 $1.56 thruhole, $0.39 SMD - huh. 8 bits.  Can do SPI.transfer(), or shiftIn(). 3 or 4 pins needed.

Don't forget pullup resisters on all inputs so the switches can pull them low, and 0.1uF caps on al power pins.

[RogMoe]

I'll get a few PCF8575's. That will get me 16 IO per IC. I'll read all remarks above.
Thanks everyone!

ps I'll be using this kind of switch, with a centre position.
Naming a switch (in English) turns out to be rocketscience...
https://www.allelectronics.com/mas_assets/cache/image/4/d/6/9/19817.Jpg

[UKHeliBob]

Naming a switch (in English) turns out to be rocketscience...

Naming a switch in English is not a problem. 

The problem is trying to use a short form such as SPDT because it leaves out most of the important information

[RogMoe]

Yep, for me -being Dutch- it's sometime not easy to find my way around with all these abbreviations being used.
Never the less, thx for your help!