audio switch blog post

blogContent/posts/hardware/creating-an-audio-switch.md

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+This post covers a bit of an old project, but I wanted to write about how I made my 3.5mm audio switch.
+The goal of this project was to make an audio switch that had multiple inputs and multiple outputs.
+At the time, I could not find a commercial product that did this, and similar DIY projects only had multiple inputs and a single output rather than numerous inputs and outputs.
+
+I started this project by making a wiring schematic.
+
+![Wiring diagram on white board](media/aux/board.jpg)
+
+The goal is to toggle 3.5 mm ports on or off and have their left, right, and ground lines accessible via a bus that is available to all the other 3.5 mm ports.
+To toggle sources on/off, I used a latching push button.
+
+If I were to do this project again, I would 3D print a case to house all the elements; however, I didn't have that luxury back in high school.
+To create a sturdy container for the wiring, I drilled 12 holes into a thin metal piece.
+The 3.5 mm jacks got screwed into place with a provided bolt, and the toggle buttons were hot glued to the piece of metal.
+
+![soldering after finished](media/aux/soldering.jpg)
+
+
+After soldering, I attached the metal piece to the front of a gutted CD drive.
+The CD case enabled me to mount this the front of my computer, making it easier to transport and put it close to all my audio equipment.
+
+
+![](media/aux/computer.jpg)
+
+
+Recently, I have used this on top of my desk rather than inside my computer. 
+I have my laptop, desktop, record player, headphones, and speakers hooked up to it.
+
+![On desk](media/aux/desk.jpg)
+
+
+Since all the wires are not totally insulated, the audio isn't studio quality.
+However, the audio doesn't have any noticeable interference and sound great with my headphones.