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Riddle me this Madbeaners... LEDs question.

Started by Willybomb, June 01, 2018, 02:42:22 PM

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Willybomb

Riddle me this Madbeaners:

In my Reactor build, I have a RGB LED (LED 1) indicating Crunch (Blue), OD1 (Green), or OD2 (Red).  This is achieved by using two switches.  I have another LED RGB LED (LED 2) indicating OD1/OD2.  This has the blue lead clipped as I don't need it in this case.

LED 1:
On the Crunch/OD switch (switch 1, 4pdt), the connections are: lug 10 (LED 1, Blue cathode), 11 (ground), 12 (Switch 2, lug 2)
On the OD1/OD2 switch (switch 2, 3pdt), the connections are: Lug 1(LED 1, Green cathode), 2 (Switch 1, lug 9), and 3 (LED 1 Red cathode).

LED 2: 
Green cathode (3pdt, lug 1)
Red cathode (3pdt, lug 3).

The upshot of this arrangement is that LED 2 only comes on when OD is engaged, and will be Green or Red depending on what OD channel has been selected.  What bugs me is that I can't tell what OD channel it will switch into as LED 2 is off while I'm in Crunch.

SO, I thought the obvious answer would be to replace the OD1/2 3pdt with a 4pdt and give LED 2 it's own set of poles.  I replaced the 3pdt, set up everything as it was, but putting LED 2 on lugs 4 (green cathode), 5 (ground), 6 (red cathode).

It's electrically separate from LED 1 right?  Apparently not.  Now, if I'm in OD2 (red, both LEDs, switch 1 set to OD, switch 2 set for OD2) and switch to crunch on switch 1, the LED will go from red, to dead.  If I'm in OD1 (green, switch 1 OD, switch 2 OD1) and go to crunch, the LED will go blue as it's supposed to.

I thought that I'd mucked something up, but when I removed the ground for LED 2, LED 1 works properly.  Hook the ground back up and we're back to where we were.

I hooked the ground straight to the power jack ground, same result.

I moved the LED 2 cathodes to another pole over, leaving one pole between LED1 and 2.  No difference.

I'm not sure where to go with this, as LED 2 works as I want (on, indicating OD 1 or 2), but it mucks up LED1.  If I run it as it was, then I don't have than indication until I switch to OD, which renders LED 2 irrelevant.

Any ideas anyone?  I will put up some diagrams later if that will help.  As I understand it, it should work - it's just switches...

Thanks,
Willy.