Switch wires question

[FSAddon_boss]

Hi all,

digging into your konwledge, as being new to electronics..... I am re-using the old Flightlink sub-panel with the switches for lights, fuel, starter.... cut off the plug that connects to the old EPIC board, as that is not going to work.
Want to connect it all through my Arduino Mega 2460.

Question is: is the grey wire, that connects all the switches in the picture via the center contact, going to the GND on the Arduino board, and each colored wire on each switch to one of the numbered contact points on the board?

I am using Mobiflight to program the board (apologies to those not liking that, but for a simple soul like me it seemed the easiest way for now).

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[Jason L]

For arduinos yes, you can tie together all the grounds for the arduino.  In those pictures though, usually on switches the middle post is your common, although I found with my OEM panels sometimes the lower post is the common.  For most rotaries, the center post is your common.

[FSAddon_boss]

With 'common' you mean GND, right? All the middle contacts are connected in serial apparently.

[ame]

Question is: is the grey wire, that connects all the switches in the picture via the center contact, going to the GND on the Arduino board, and each colored wire on each switch to one of the numbered contact points on the board?

Yes.

And the green wire is GND for the rotary switches.

[ame]

With 'common' you mean GND, right? All the middle contacts are connected in serial apparently.

No.

In this case "common" means the pin on a switch that is common to all positions.

On those pushbuttons there are three pins: common (COM or C), normally open (N/O), and normally closed (N/C).

When the switch is not actuated there is an electrical connection between COM an N/C. When the switch is actuated, the connection changes to COM and N/O.

This way you get to choose whether pushing the switch allows you to make an electrical connection or break an electrical connection.

Other buttons have only two pins, and push to make the connection. The pins are unmarked because they are both the same.

In your situation, all COM pins will be wired to GND. Then the Arduino can figure out which buttons are pressed by examining whether there is a connection to GND or not.

[FSAddon_boss]

Understood ! Thank you !!!!