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I've bought a small electronics kit - a function generator which produces a 1kHz signal in various waveshapes - square, sine, triangle and integrator. It's a basic kit on a single PCB (555 timer based) and you select the waveform you want using a jumper between 4 pairs of pins.

I would like to put this kit in a small box to use as a more robust tool for testing equipment. I need a chassis mounted switch which could essentially imitate the action of moving a jumper between these four sets of pins. What sort of switch would I need, and how would I wire it?

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    \$\begingroup\$ 4 pairs of pins is 8, not 6. Schematic? Failing that, are one side of the pins (as I would expect) tied together? \$\endgroup\$ Oct 30, 2017 at 11:34
  • \$\begingroup\$ Depending on the actual circuit, a 1P4T slide switch might work. \$\endgroup\$ Oct 30, 2017 at 12:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ @SpehroPefhany, you're right, it's 8 pins. And one side are all tied together. I found it weirdly difficult to source a 1P4T slide but I did find a spare 3P4T in my components box which I can use one pole of for the same effect. Thanks! \$\endgroup\$
    – TCassa
    Oct 31, 2017 at 9:26

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It's a bit hard to answer without a schematic, but a rotary switch is a typical solution. You can get them in many different configurations. For example, a four position double pole switch as shown below.

enter image description here enter image description here

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If one side of each jumper is tied to a common node, then you just need a single-pole rotary switch.

Otherwise, you'll need a set of interlocked pushbuttons — the kind where when you push one in, the others pop out. Or you could use an N-pole rotary switch, one pole for each of the original jumpers.

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