The projecting switch-tab on the current AudioMoth circuit boards is extremely vulnerable and easily broken.
Should this occur, it is much easier to perform transplant surgery on the switch than to try to remove it from the board and solder in a new surface mounted component.
The switch is held together by a simple spring clip, which is easy to remove with tweezers. Replace the broken slider assembly with a new one taken from a new switch and snap the clip back in place and the job is done.
The clip has two projections on the base that engage in small holes in the circuit board to relieve stress on the solder joints so you need to tip the spring gently over the edge of the board when removing in order to avoid damage. The component is pretty small so you need either good eyesight or a strong pair of reading glasses but otherwise it's dead easy!
Removal and replacement of the battery clip from the circuit board is straightforward as it is only secured by the two soldered pins and a spot of hot-melt glue on the opposite corner - you just need to take care not to damage any components when releasing the glue.
I've had to repair two broken switches - the first time I replaced the entire switch and managed to rip off three of the solder pads from the board in the process, leading to a very tricky board repair before I could fit a new switch. Replacing the switch slider, as described above, was very much easier.
The switch you need is a Nidec Copal CSS-1310TB - available from Farnell (order code 2854772) at £1.98 +VAT for a pack of 5 (plus a handling charge of £3.95 +VAT for orders under £20).
https://uk.farnell.com/nidec-copal/css-1310tb/slide-switch-sp3t-0-1a-12vdc-smd/dp/2854772
Thank you all I recently did this repair and it worked!
many thanks... i will dig it up. Regarding the Ambisonic idea, this is for now just an idea, as ambisonic systems, or mics are quite expensive. I just thought for now that starting all recordings at same time may do the job .... maybe not ?
Nice ambisonic system sounds cool, will you be synching the clocks up for this? We are now on AudioMoth1.1.0 (below) which has an indented switch to prevent damage. The switch mechanism is quite easy to replace and cheap to buy from Digikey, I can even manage it without ungluing the PCB from the battery connector. There is a GroupGets round starting at the end of the month, so keep a look out on for the new version https://groupgets.com/manufacturers/open-acoustic-devices/products/audiomoth.
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the message. Sorry to hear that the switch broke so easily, was this AudioMoth version 1.0.0?
Andy
Got the Audiomoth recently. After you tests only, the switch-tab is Broken (doesn't look i did anything to break it !!!!)... Not a disaster as i can, as previously written use a needle to change the functions, but this should be to update....
Thanks for this. I'll pin this post as it seems very useful.
Had my first casualty this weekend, switch snapped off. But managed to change mode with a nail-file. Still got nice recordings though.