My DIY Switchbox

Well, I made one. I got a plastic box from a store in Berkeley for $10. I traded a tube for a Greyhill 2 deck, 6 position switch. Got the RCA jacks from markertek, and also used Belden 9451 2-Conductor Paired Microphone Cable. It came out nice. No cross talk. I learned a few things.

I printed a template for the holes, taped it to the box, drilled pilot holes through the template, removed the template, then enlarged the holes to 1/2". I had to be careful not to put holes where the screws go.

I could not find shielded, two conductor, solid core wire (ideally 24AWG), so I had to use stranded wire. Not horrible, but not easy with some of the tight lugs on the switch. The shield is connected to the ground on the jack side, but not on the switch side. That, hopefully, acts as a drain.

Ultimately, the box came out pretty good. Another lesson I learned is not to center the switch on the front. Best to put the switch 1/3 or 2/5 from the bottom, then the switch and labels balance out the aesthetic of the front.