SOLVED Help with something undoubtably dumb

[Diynot]

This was supposed to be a simple easy a/b/y box with switchable PPCB simple Jfet buffer and yet….. The symptoms come down to if I have the ground wire from the power jack to the right output jack sleeve, the buffer works beautifully, if I remove the out jack ground wire, (almost) jack shit. HOWEVER, if I leave the ground wire connected to the out jack, when the buffer is off then it sounds like I am dumping the base signal partially to ground (lowered/weak volume). I have checked for any stray wires/connections to ground on the unbuffered side and found nothing. All I can think is that the signal is somehow leaking back through the buffer to ground from the common lug on the left switch. If there is nothing that anyone can spot I am probably just going to use a 3pdt to disconnect the ground wire, or possibly the output wire of the buffer to the switch. Pic

And no, the buffer board is not contacting the enclosure in anyway. Thanks.

 

[benny_profane]

if I leave the ground wire connected to the out jack, when the buffer is off then it sounds like I am dumping the base signal partially to ground (lowered/weak volume)

Do you have it set up as a one input, two output? If so, passive splitting can lead to issues like the one you're describing.

 

[Diynot]

Do you have it set up as a one input, two output? If so, passive splitting can lead to issues like the one you're describing.

It is. It’s just weird that the unbuffered works fine with no ground wire and the buffered only works with the ground wire (the buffer is grounded back to the power jack, working properly is tied to the ground going to the out jack).

 

[Diynot]

Whatever the reason for the weirdness, I opted to implement the 3pdt option to disconnect the chassis ground when the buffer is off. Works as imagined, looks like a little rough inside. Meh