3PDT switch tip came off

[mc50]

Hello,

This is the second time this has happened to me: got a full kit from Musikding with whatever default 3PDT switches they send out with it (I'm guessing this one). I wire it up, all's well.

Then, after about 10 or 20 switch presses (with my hands, mind you, no feet, no hard stomping - I'm still in the sitting down near the pedal stage after the build is done) the tip of the switch comes off. Of 5 of their switches I've installed, 2 of them developed this fault. All of them still work properly, even without the tip.

This is not a dig at Musikding, bad batches do happen and I've not contacted them about it. Quite possibly they'd replace them if reported. But just curious:

• Did this ever happen to you? If it did, how did you fix it? I'm hoping there's a way to reattach the tip so that I won't have to re-solder a new 3PDT in there.
• Should I stay away from default 3PDT in cheap kits and instead order a bunch of more expensive ones to have on hand for future builds? Which 3PDT brands would you recommend?
• While at it, should I just go for brand-name components instead of whatever comes in cheaper kits (e.g. WIMA caps, etc.)? I know you'll probably say I should just buy the PCB if I'm going to replace the other components (or go with perfboard, etc.), but I'm not quite up to perfboard level yet (plus I'm having a hard time accepting that I should just attach it with double-sided foam tape to the pots), and I definitely can't drill an enclosure - so for kits where the PCB is soldered to the pots / switches I have to go with a full kit to get the pre-drilled enclosure.

Thanks!

[iainpunk]

welcome to the forum

1) yes, once, from a cheap chinese seller, 20 for $6, only one failed so far, so thats way better than expected. i re-attached with gorilla glue.
2) i have had reasonable quality cheap a$$ parts, so i woulnd't dash out the cash for expensive premium parts.
3) Name-Brand components are overrated, just get foil caps, ceramics can have bad properties. i only use tropical fish and paper-oil caps becaue i have them for free, i wouldn't pay extra for such MOJO nonsense.

cheers, Iain

[mc50]

Thanks! Just for the record, here's the Fuzz Face 3PDT (which I did bother to replace):

[anotherjim]

If the top is only a push friction fit, then that outcome is inevitable, although hopefully not this soon or easily so somebody released parts that were not made to spec.
I'd rescue it by filling/cutting some narrow grooves around the spigot, thoroughly degrease both parts and fit back with epoxy or a gel cyano adhesive. Real engineers would cross-drill and pin!

[EBK]

I'd just mix up a tiny bit of JB Weld and pop it back on, skipping jim's additional prep. I wouldn't necessarily bet that my repair would be as good as his, but my method would let me look at a broken switch for less time (unless it breaks again, of course). 

[iainpunk]

> crosdrill and pin

how about not drilling pot metal, that stuff breaks if you put to much pressure.

cheers

[mc50]

> crosdrill and pin

how about not drilling pot metal, that stuff breaks if you put to much pressure.

cheers

I guess that's a good warning to have in print for readers of this topic, as for me I wasn't going to drill the switch - I just don't have the proper setup to keep it safely in place, which is also why I can't drill my own enclosures.

Thanks!

[iainpunk]

I guess that's a good warning to have in print for readers of this topic, as for me I wasn't going to drill the switch - I just don't have the proper setup to keep it safely in place, which is also why I can't drill my own enclosures.

i dont have a  ''''propper'''' setup as well, i just squeeze the box in-between my legs and use a cordless drill with a pine tree bit. works every time. i have only hurt myslef once drilling boxes, and that was on a sharp burr.

cheers, Iain

[anotherjim]

What is "pot metal"?
They drill & pin fit wah pot gears - unfortunately, you can't then get them off!

[iainpunk]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_metal

cheers, Iain

[PRR]

> What is "pot metal"?

The metal-monger's answer to the "mystery meat" served in school cafeterias. 

[DIY Bass]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_metal

cheers, Iain

Wow.  I had the exact roller that is photographed in that link when I was a kid.

[anotherjim]

Ah, that stuff. I know it by a trade name "Mazak" used by most UK toy companies like Meccano, Dinky, Corgi etc back when those products were made here. Also known as zinc-diecast. Zink rot or Zinc pest doesn't occur for some time, although the Chinese have produced crap that barely lasts 5 years.
You cannot weld/solder/glue together, there has to be a mechanical fastener. It most definitely can be machined and a pin has to be the best size for a friction fit - or obviously, it will split. Other fasteners found include tapped for screw, self-tapping screw and rivets.

[stallik]

i dont have a  ''''propper'''' setup as well, i just squeeze the box in-between my legs and use a cordless drill with a pine tree bit. works every time. i have only hurt myslef once drilling boxes, and that was on a sharp burr.

You'd only have to hurt yourself once. You'd never forget it

[anotherjim]

No, you'd need some machine shop equipment to hold the part securely, a drill that can do the correct speed and doesn't have runout/wobble. Your hands should be nowhere near it.

[deadastronaut]

im guessing jb weld is the same as chemical metal in the uk?.

[anotherjim]

JB Weld has so many different products, I wouldn't know which is meant by the brand name alone. It would be the "original" I suppose...
https://www.jb-weld.co.uk/jb-weld-guides?lightbox=dataItem-jrkq8fwa
There are really umpteen brands selling similar ranges and they are all the very best thing in the universe and will stick to most kinds of everything forever.

I think JB-weld is epoxy while Chemical Metal is polyester. The practical difference is that polyester hardens before you need it to while epoxy hardens after you need it to.

[EBK]

True, JB Weld is a brand name, but it also a product name under that brand name, so look for the name appearing twice on the package, I suppose.
This is specifically what I was referring to.  It is steel reinforced epoxy.