Jacks and Wires
The Jack and Socket
Let’s start with the basics: the Jack and the Socket.
Switches currently have a Mono Male Plug 1/8" or 3.5mm
The toys/items that are adapted usually have a 1/8 inch or 3.5mm TS Mono Female Jack Socket
Have you ever looked at you head phone jack and noticed 3 or 4 black lines on the end? That is going to tell you how many wires are inside the cord. So if there is only one black line, there are two wires.
The Female Jack (a.k.a. socket)
Picking the Socket will depend largely on the toy and your comfort with soldering.
This is the one I use the most often: I use this one the most because I was able to buy a bunch of these and combine it with a multi color pack of wires to make it the most cost efficient. This kind of socket also works for all types of toys, and for batter interruptors.
This one is the next frequent one you will see. I like these for toys that have a slight plastic surface and that have a lot of extra space for wires, such as an art spinner or bubble machine.
Pro: It gives the toy an “off the shelf” look. You can drill a hole in the case of the toy and put this there, so it looks like it was always meant to go there.
Con: the pins/leads are not that strong and can bend easily, and the holes are small. If the toy has a curved plastic outside, they don’t stay in place that well. For smaller toys it can be hard fit all the wires inside.
I have bought these two types once or twice. I found similar issues to the above one for the black one.
For this one, sometimes when I am twisting the wires the outside piece twists too much.
The Male Jack (a.k.a. plug)
Just as there are many different types of sockets, there are many different types/brands of male jack (aka plug). Unlike the female jack (socket), most people will choose to go with a male jack that has the wires attached. This is easier because you need a longer wire for attaching a switch and a pre done one just looks nicer. However, they do have one you can add the wires to yourself.
You are going to want to buy a 3.5 mm Male to Male Stereo Audio Cable.
These come in different lengths usually ranging from 3ft to 12ft. Most common commercially available switches have a cord of about 3 to 4ft. Since you want to make two switches with the Audio Cable, you are going to want to get one thats at least 6ft long
Important note: Stay away from Nylon Braided, which are the cords that looks braided. They look nice, and I have never tried but I imagine more difficult, if not impossible to work with.
The Black Lines on The Male Jack
There are black marking on the metal tip of the audio cable. For headphone purpose, these marks affect the sound and microphone.
FOR OUR PURPOSE: these marks will tell use how many wire we will find inside.
Check out my video on preparing the Male jack to see the inside of some different audio cables
The Wire
Each wire has a gauge which refers to how thick the wire is. The larger the number, the smaller the thickness.
There are basically two different types of wires: stranded and solid
Solid Wire
Stranded Wire
Is a single metal wire.
Consist of a number of small wires bundled.
I have found it is better for switch adapting because they are more flexible which allows you to move and bend them more easily, and thus you can fit it into smaller spaces inside the toy. They are also harder to sever; basically, in order to sever it you would have to cut all the strands. A few can get cut and it will still work, unlike solid wires
They can be moved and bent but only small movements, (i.e not the amount of movement that most switch adapting requires.