[vcf-midatlantic] MITS Altair 8800 C&K switches

[Herb Johnson]

An odd thing. I was trying to buy some C&K brand "toggle switches" for a 
MITS Altair 8800 front panel. I could not find on the Web, a good photo 
of it's front-panel PC board "naked" to see the original switches; so I 
could buy one of the proper size. Specifically, the length of the "neck" 
below the toggle lever.

Does anyone have such a photo, of the unmounted PC board with switches, 
or a photo of of the actual real original switch bodies, or a measure of 
the physical length of that mounting-shaft? The length does vary.

Just to be clear and exact. I'm talking about the original model of the 
MITS Altair 8800. NO 8800a, no 8800b. These switches have a narrow round 
"toggle" - not the flat wedge-like toggle on the 8800b and 8800a. And 
no, MITS doesn't have a C&K number, and no sketch in their original 
manuals (that I could find).

And a Web search for such images is a nightmare. Bunches of faux 
Altairs, faux front panels. Some number of original Altairs - with the 
front-panel PC board covered of course with the decorative front-panel. 
Or poor, low-rez photos from 15 years ago.

I've made a good guess, without disassembling my own 8800. Looks like 
11/16 inches from base of threaded shaft to top of same. Looks like a 
3/4" net length from the base of the C&K body to the top of the threaded 
shaft. These are eyeball measures and are not likely what are in the C&K 
1975 data sheets; but these provide clues.

Can anyone measure the damn thing? Or take a clear photo and point me to 
it?  Looks like I'll haveta take a lot of photos, next time I repair the 
real deal.

Regards, Herb "missed" Johnson

-- 
Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA
http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net
preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing
email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com
or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info