Such a noob question. I just don't have a diagram in front of me....
Can you use any A/B box to be used as either 1 input to 2 outputs or 2 inputs to 1 output? Or do you have to wire it differently? Same question for an A/B/Y box?
I've never built on and was just requested to build 2 of them.
Friends band has a violin/guitar player. He wants 1 pedal on the front end to switch between his guitar and violin into his pedal board.... He also uses 2 amps and wants to come out of his pedal board to switch between the amps.
So my first thought is an A/B on the front for his guitar/violin and an A/B/Y to his amps. Thought? Direction?
For the front end, a simple passive A/B box is fine. For the output to two amps, you might want to get a little fancier. If you send a signal cable to two amps without lifting the ground on one of them, you might get a ground-loop induced hum in the amps. To prevent that, you can make an A/B(/Y) box with an isolation transformer feeding one of the outputs.
so then the A/B box does work both ways (as far as inputs and outputs are reversible).
and for the A/B/Y box with the isolation transformer, have a link to a project? isn't there one on R.G.'s site (geofex.com). i think there is.
Yes, a simple passive A/B will work both ways. Active A/Bs with buffers will likely have a switch to change from 1->2 to 2->1. As you're the one building it, I assume you'll be doing a simple passive A/B.
For the one with the isolation transformer, I was thinking there was a diagram on Weber's site, but I couldn't find one. You may be right about it being on RGK's site, or perhaps on Jack Orman's site. Jensen transformers has an application note (http://www.jensen-transformers.com/as/as013.pdf) for a 1->2 guitar interface, but without the switch. You should be able to easily figure out how to add one to that diagram.
Awesome. Would the BAJA Silent Selector project over at FSB be a good option for the A/B/Y?
http://freestompboxes.org/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2564 (http://freestompboxes.org/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2564)
i look to that one because it's got a pcb i can etch and build. thanks for your help on this!