In fact doing a good search depends on how you make your question. Though I don't see why it's so much of a problem to put your question in different forums, as not many people go see them all. I don't care.
About the stepped attenuators, the TKD is not really a step attenuator as far as I know. Just a regular pot with position steps, but not resistors that set the levels. Am I wrong?
Strange thing about an Elma switch rot, as the AA mail reports, as they are inside. Perhaps there was a problem with the terminal. Not an usual thing anyway.
The switch I bought some time ago, from The Parts Connection, was an Electroswitch which allows assembling it as a ladder attenuator. That arrangement puts just a few resistors in series/parallel with the signal.
Carlos E. Martinez