Neutrik Jacks Question

[electricstorm]

I have a question about the Neutrik style jacks, both mono and stereo. If you are looking at the top of the jack, with the jack opening facing you, which side is the T, R, S on?  Or to re-phrase it, is the TN, RN, SN the switched side and the T, R, S to jack contact side ( th part the jack actually contacts)? I don't have one  (I can't tell from the pictures on the web) and have never used one before so I am trying to figure out which side to send the signal to and which side switch. I assume the TN, RN, SN is the switch. Is this correct?

Thanks,

Jim

[jkokura]

Have you looked at the datasheet?

Jacob

[electricstorm]

Yes, but the Neutrik datsheet does not specify what I am looking for.

[midwayfair]

Get out your multimeter, plug a chord into the jack, and check continuity. This will tell you which side is disconnected when it's switched. Everyone here doesn't have the exact jack you're talking about in hand, so it's a little hard to just give a blanket answer.

You should be able to deduce which lug is touching which part of the cable (tip, ring, sleeve) simply from the position on the switch.

[irmcdermott]

When you look at the jacks, the side the has the circle is the T, R, S. The other side is the TN, RN, SN. The N side is the side that is broken when you insert a plug.

EDIT: Looking at the bottom so that the lugs are pointing up at you.

[electricstorm]

Jon: I don't have the jack, but am considering buying some from smallbear. The jack I am referring to is the plastic one with 3 solder lugs on the right and left side with what looks like a shorting bar across the top of the plastic body. Here is a part number for one of them:

NMJ6HF-2 (stereo switching jack)

Or here at Allied Electronics:

http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?sku=70088585

irmcdermott: I believe I have it now. Looking at a picture of the jack, the side that breaks contact is on the left side of the jack (this is with the solder lugs down and the jack opening facing you).

As stated, I don't have one physically in front of me. That's why I was asking. I'm used to the old style jacks like you can get at RadioShack. So if I understand this correctly, with the lugs pointing down and the opening for the jack facing me TN, RN, SN would be on the left and T, R, S would be on the right and N is the side that breaks contact (or is the switch).

If that's not correct, let me know.

Thanks guys!

Jim

[irmcdermott]

Sorry, I'm confused now. Those are a little different than what I use. I read the model number wrong. I use the slim jack series. The easiest way to tell is to plug a cable into it, you'll be able to see which side breaks when plugged in. Yes, the N side is the one that gets broken.

[atreidesheir]

electric storm, I think you are correct.   The attached photo file demonstrates what I believe you are saying.  I use similar stereo jacks and it is a mistake I made several times before I figured it out.  I found this pic on google image, but it took a while at the time.  and the datasheets are not clear on this, at least to us noobs.

And in the second the layout clearly demonstrates which side of the jack connects to the circuit and which side goes nowhere.  This is borrowed from a great jack/switch daughterboard from fsb.

Hope this is reassuring.  Merry Xmas

[Stomptown]

electric storm, I think you are correct.   The attached photo file demonstrates what I believe you are saying.  I use similar stereo jacks and it is a mistake I made several times before I figured it out.  I found this pic on google image, but it took a while at the time.  and the datasheets are not clear on this, at least to us noobs.

And in the second the layout clearly demonstrates which side of the jack connects to the circuit and which side goes nowhere.  This is borrowed from a great jack/switch daughterboard from fsb.

Hope this is reassuring.  Merry Xmas

Cool! I would love to add that daughter board to a project. Is anyone selling these of is there a layout for etching???'

Jon W

[atreidesheir]

No one is selling these AFAIK.
I am racking my brain and searching high and low on FSB (using Google) and cannot locate the thread or the creator who deserves the credit.  I will continue to look for the source, but in the interest of DIY, I will attach the pnp and hopefully find the thread and provide you a link to the original posts there.

It looks ready for 1590B.  I never use those so I have never etched this one.

[electricstorm]

Thanks atreidesheir!

That's what I was trying to get at. The datasheets are not clear as to which side is which.

That daughter board looks interesting.

Thanks for the info!!

Jim

[Stomptown]

No one is selling these AFAIK.
I am racking my brain and searching high and low on FSB (using Google) and cannot locate the thread or the creator who deserves the credit.  I will continue to look for the source, but in the interest of DIY, I will attach the pnp and hopefully find the thread and provide you a link to the original posts there.

It looks ready for 1590B.  I never use those so I have never etched this one.

thanks man! i will have 2 give this a try soon...

[pickdropper]

No one is selling these AFAIK.
I am racking my brain and searching high and low on FSB (using Google) and cannot locate the thread or the creator who deserves the credit.  I will continue to look for the source, but in the interest of DIY, I will attach the pnp and hopefully find the thread and provide you a link to the original posts there.

It looks ready for 1590B.  I never use those so I have never etched this one.

Almost all 3PDT mount boards like this give me the willies.  Having all of that hanging off of the 3PDT switch seems like a recipe for failure.  If you use nuts to lock the 1/4" sockets to the side wall, that might reduce the cantilever force on the switch, but it could also cause binding if any of the parts are moved.  Personally, I think a more reliable approach would be to take the same board, but break out the 3PDT switch and connect to it via a ribbon cable with appropriate headers on the end of it.

[jkokura]

Yeah, I like to keep the mechanical parts seperate from the circuitry on a PCB. There are some cases where it's ok, but having too many mechanical parts seems a problem. For example, if the switch craps out, you not only have to replace the switch and PCB, but the parts, jacks and whatever else you have on board. If you have just a switch breakout PCB, than it's just the switch and PCB you need to disconnect, and you can easily just unsolder the ribbon of cable and resolder it to the new assembly.

Jacob

[Stomptown]

Yeah, I like to keep the mechanical parts seperate from the circuitry on a PCB. There are some cases where it's ok, but having too many mechanical parts seems a problem. For example, if the switch craps out, you not only have to replace the switch and PCB, but the parts, jacks and whatever else you have on board. If you have just a switch breakout PCB, than it's just the switch and PCB you need to disconnect, and you can easily just unsolder the ribbon of cable and resolder it to the new assembly.

Jacob

Almost all 3PDT mount boards like this give me the willies.  Having all of that hanging off of the 3PDT switch seems like a recipe for failure.  If you use nuts to lock the 1/4" sockets to the side wall, that might reduce the cantilever force on the switch, but it could also cause binding if any of the parts are moved.  Personally, I think a more reliable approach would be to take the same board, but break out the 3PDT switch and connect to it via a ribbon cable with appropriate headers on the end of it.

Good point guys! It's probably not worth the hassle...