Olszewski Sleeping Beauty Castle Help!

[AdoUk]

Hi

I bought a "brand new" sleeping beauty castle on EBay that eventually turned out to be not that new or at least defective, the switch for the street lamps work but the other one for the red/blue lights seems to be stuck.
This is the first edition castle (batteries operated)
Would anyone be able to advise how could I fix it or where could I buy a switch replacement (I live in UK)?
I tried emailing olszewskis customer support but haven't received any reply.

Thanks!

Ado

[MickeysImagination]

Hi, Saw your query and provide some direction. To begin, these micro slide switches are notorious for "sticky" motion. I do not have my castle in front of me to provide precise dimensions of said switch. Fortunately there are two right next to each other. Finding a replacement should not be difficult either. Look for electronic supply houses in the UK. Better yet! Try hobby stores or sites, especially model railroad supplies; we use micro switches all of the time.

My suggestion is to size up the switch as best as possible, approximate length and width of its mounted position on the piece will be sufficient. It is also good to get the length of actuator (aka slider), as this will help find a replacement. If I had to guess, the actuator length is 2-4 mm or thereabouts.

The actual electrical portion of the switch is the easy part, Since this is just an on-off circuit, this is what we are looking for. In switch language it is known as a Single Pole Single Throw (SPST for short). The part of the switch where the wires get attached.is either a solder lug or circuit board mount. Either will work, since the wires will need to be soldered on to the new switch. In fact, it does not matter that it is an SPST switch, since only two wires are used. A two position like On-Off is important. Any of these switches will have one wire attached to the center lug/post and the other to one or the other outside lug/post.

The hardest part is disassembly of the piece. It is not difficult, just nerve racking the first time or two. You may want a an extra set of hands. I also recall some instructions on Olszewski site around the platform pages.Once apart, you will have a pretty clear view of the underside of these switches.

I sure hope this helps you on your way.

Regards,
Justin

[AdoUk]

Hi Justin,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a helpful reply!! I will definitely follow your suggestion

kind regards

Ado