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Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment.

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Old 12th Jan 2018, 2:55 pm   #21
Refugee
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

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The letter "switches" appear to move over a plain background with no electrical contacts visible. If the background moved with the switch it would intrude into adjacent switch windows.

I wonder if the electrical connections are to backlight the panel itself?

Some tests with an ohmmeter whilst moving the switches could prove interesting.

From the picture it's very difficult to see where the PCB tracks go to. They all seem to head for the top of the board.
It looks like the tracks run all the way to the top with the switches sweeping across the 10 tracks.
Perhaps a guest room phone number selector for a hotel?
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Old 12th Jan 2018, 3:10 pm   #22
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

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Perhaps a guest room phone number selector for a hotel?
How would that work?
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Old 12th Jan 2018, 3:12 pm   #23
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

I would guess that it would be a patch cord panel with an operator.
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Old 12th Jan 2018, 3:18 pm   #24
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

Each switch has two fixings, one of which is also a terminal. So by external sequential "testing" of columns and rows it would be possible to determine the position of every switch.

The question is what would then be done with that information?
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Old 12th Jan 2018, 3:24 pm   #25
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

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I would guess that it would be a patch cord panel with an operator.
In the late 60's most hotels had PMBX's (known a hotel boards) with a large number of extension jacks on high wide panels. Traffic levels were very low so a PABX, which at that time would have been a strowger or possibly crossbar type, would have been an unnecessary expense. You also needed an operator to make out tickets for billing purposes, a facility not provided by PABX's as far as I recollect.

I don't see how that fits in with the switch panel shown though.
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Old 13th Jan 2018, 8:53 pm   #26
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

As we are just speculating, when I first saw it, my initial reaction was that it reminded me of a darts or billiards scoreboard, or one of those mechanical pocket calculators we had in the '60s.
Not that I really think it's any of those.

Incidentally, I've tried Google and Tineye image searches, and come up with nothing.
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Old 27th Feb 2018, 5:11 pm   #27
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

My first reaction is that it is part of a telephone exchange. The switches are numbered "0" to "9" like a dial, and the switch actuating handles do not look like they are designed to be manipulated by a human. Anyway, the chances of making a mistake when using such a panel would be huge. The "wipers" of the switches appear to be via solder tags on screws on the back, and the other connections are from PCB tracks which appear to be in parallel behind the switch front enclosure - so each switch is a simple slider switch with ten possible positions. The construction quality of such an item would be good but I would have expected some kind of marking were it for the GPO.
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Old 1st Mar 2018, 8:42 pm   #28
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

UK dials were numbered 1 to 0 anti-clockwise with the zero sending out 10 pulses.

Except I believe in New Zealand where they were numbered 9, 8. 7, through to 0.
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Old 1st Mar 2018, 10:40 pm   #29
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

My first thoughts took me to the Plug Board or Stecker Board of the Enigma.

https://www.codesandciphers.org.uk/e...a2.htm#details

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Old 1st Mar 2018, 10:43 pm   #30
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

Another wild guess. Something for programming organ stop presets. My hammond has a patch panel behind the rear cover for programming drawbar values onto preset keys so that whole banks of settings can be recalled by a single press of a key. In the case of the Hammond they are done by moving jumpers.
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Old 28th Mar 2018, 5:10 pm   #31
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

Similar perhaps, but not identical, does this photo offer another possibility?

More info HERE
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Old 28th Mar 2018, 6:09 pm   #32
Gi4CZW Cliff
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Default Re: Unusual Switch Panel

We had lots of these ( Siemens No. 17 motor uniselectors ) for hunting for a free trunk circuit and were told that they were used by the RAF. Also that when a lot were needed in a hurry, retired ladies from the original factory were reemployed and their skills surprised the management of the time. I always wondered what the use was. Pity they burnt out so often. link :- http://www.samhallas.co.uk/repositor..._motor_uni.pdf Cliff.
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