Hi
Whats the best way to connect a 3 pole / 12 position rotary switch ?
Am I meant to put it directly into a prototype board and bend the pins? or do I solder wires to the pins?
I have the switch working using very flimsy unstable connections, but cant work out how to "productionise" it.
Regards
Simon
If it has solder tags then you solder wires to it, if it has bare pins, its meant for pcb mounting,
with the correct pad layout. However you can solder wires - use shrinkwrap tubing for a professional
look and more robust result?
essjaye:
HiWhats the best way to connect a 3 pole / 12 position rotary switch ?
Am I meant to put it directly into a prototype board and bend the pins? or do I solder wires to the pins?
I have the switch working using very flimsy unstable connections, but cant work out how to "productionise" it.
Regards
Simon
Be very careful what type of circuit you put the switch in. But you seem to have already passed the smoke test.
Switches of all type fall into two categories. A make-before-break and the more common type of break-before make.
The first type will connect the two adjacent positions together before opening one. This could cause smoke.
The second type will give your design an open circuit before closing one side or the other. This may also cause smoke.
Then there may be rotary switches, even 12 position, with a programming connection on the rotating part that could make unwanted connections between positions as the switch is rotated.
Hopefully your switch is three section single pole, 12 position, break-before-make switch.
Paul
Hi Paul
Yes this is what I am using:
The poles goes into negative and the switches go into pins.
It appears to be working as expected. However I just have wires going from pins to breadboard and I need to mount the switch into a "button box"
Right!
Well, that switch is in fact, a PCB mounting one, but you can as Mark points out, solder wires to the pins and put "spaghetti"/ heatshrink tubing of the appropriate size, over the connections.
It is most certainly not intended to insert into a breadboard. You might somewhere find a PCB "breakout" for it to be soldered, but I certainly do not know where. 
Hopefully you understand its construction. It has twelve outer pins and three inner commons, each of which has tracks corresponding to four of the outer pins as three "jumpers" run over them, so it is a three-pole four-way switch. You can restrict it to four (or fewer) positions, or permit it to rotate continuously and repeat the same four selections in sequence.
I strongly suspect it is break-before-make as this is a more practical way to have the "jumpers" move smoothly. This would also imply that if a jumper is allowed to move from one common to the next, it will transiently short the two commons in the action.
Do have fun! 
I strongly suspect it is break-before-make as this is a more practical way to have the "jumpers" move smoothly. This would also imply that if a jumper is allowed to move from one common to the next, it will transiently short the two commons in the action.
I agree with the mounting, and the specification confirms your suspicion of break before make, however the wiper will not short two contacts together but allow an open circuit while the wiper is between contacts.
Oops! I meant to say that the construction may imply make-before-break.
The reason is that to be break-before-make, it is necessary to have an insulating "rest".
If indeed the contacts are like this:
Then that will likely be the case, however with this construction:
there is no such "rest" and the wiper will fall in the gap, bridging two contacts.
I love those Jaycar switches. Several options for poles, user-configured number of positions, really nice strong click feel. I have tried and failed to get them anywhere else but luckily Jaycar ships internationally.
I have an Eagle footprint for the 1P12T version. I can even publish a design on OSHPark that uses this switch as a multi-turn encoder on an Arduino shield.
Paul__B:
Right!Well, that switch is in fact, a PCB mounting one, but you can as Mark points out, solder wires to the pins and put "spaghetti"/ heatshrink tubing of the appropriate size, over the connections.
Thanks for all the detailed responses so far.. however I'm still struggling to work out how to do this... The pins are very short. I have already nuked a couple trying to solder.
I'm literally stripping some wire and trying to solder where they contact.. is there some type of connecter I can add to the pin to allow me to initially fasten the wire?
essjaye:
Thanks for all the detailed responses so far.. however I'm still struggling to work out how to do this... The pins are very short. I have already nuked a couple trying to solder.
No, the pins are quite long enough to solder to easily. Sounds like you need a lot more practice, not much else we can help with.
(The general technique is to strip and tin about 5 mm of the wire, then with the long-nose pliers, fold it around the pin sideways so it just holds on, and solder.)
I spent the afternoon practising.. i also got some clips which make it much easier 
thanks again!!
One of the keys to soldering is the size of the iron and the solder being used. I'm not sure what you are using but a small pencil iron and some 63/37 solder with no clean flux is the minimum required.
When I have to solder something like this :
hold the the switch with a bench vice set
put a small drop of solder on the switch pin.
Strip my wire (maybe only 1/8")
"Tin" (i.e. coat with solder) the wire
With a small amount of solder on the iron, hold the wire to the pin and reflow the solder that is already there. Should take only 2 to 5 seconds.
Remove Iron and hold the wire as steady as you can for 10 to 20 seconds.
It would be great if you have one of the 3rd hand devices (basically an alligator clip on a movable arm).
You might have to hold with wire with a pliers or tweezers to not burn your fingers.
JohnRob:
One of the keys to soldering is the size of the iron and the solder being used. I'm not sure what you are using but a small pencil iron and some 63/37 solder with no clean flux is the minimum required.When I have to solder something like this :
hold the the switch with a bench vice set
put a small drop of solder on the switch pin.
Strip my wire (maybe only 1/8")
"Tin" (i.e. coat with solder) the wire
With a small amount of solder on the iron, hold the wire to the pin and reflow the solder that is already there. Should take only 2 to 5 seconds.
Remove Iron and hold the wire as steady as you can for 10 to 20 seconds.
It would be great if you have one of the 3rd hand devices (basically an alligator clip on a movable arm).You might have to hold with wire with a pliers or tweezers to not burn your fingers.
Thanks.. I purchases some alligator clips on the weekend- has made a big difference. Will follow your advice.