TC Electronic footswitch - MOM or latching?

[Yazoo]

I have got another TC Electronic pedal in for repair, again with a faulty footswitch. They use plastic pcb mount switches activated by a spring loaded footswitch which just presses down on the plastic switch. They are 4pdt switches but are used as 3pdt since both sets of pins on one side are connected together. Apparently available from TC Electronic, I can't find them anywhere else.

I think I'll just use a standard 3pdt switch and wire it in. I wanted to check whether they are momentary or latching. The pedal is marketed as true bypass so this should mean latching(?).

[Kevin Mitchell]

Maybe electronically latching. But the 4PDT as you describe throws me off.
I'm having trouble envisioning it. Could you share some photos for the archive?

[ElectricDruid]

Yes please! I'd like to see a photo of that too.

[Yazoo]

Just when you've been waiting hours for a bus...

I found a match in Google images, not cheap, about $15!




I think I'd better just use a standard 3pdt.

[stallik]

94 pence at Mouser?

4pdt

[ElectricDruid]

What a bizarre thing!

[Yazoo]

The Mouser price is definitely better! I found another UK supplier - £6.50 + £4 postage. Those switches are dodgy though - this is the second TC Electronic pedal I've had with exactly the same problem.

I went ahead and replaced it with a standard 3pdt latching footswitch. I initially tried using multicore wire - I'd get 3 or 4 wires in then they would pull out again. The pcb holes are less than 1mm. In the end I used enamelled wire cut overlength and that was much easier. Oh what fun!

[ElectricDruid]

Those switches are dodgy though - this is the second TC Electronic pedal I've had with exactly the same problem.

Not surprised. That thing looks like a reliability nightmare, even worse than a 3PDT.

The datasheet linked on the Mouser page claims a minimum life of 10K cycles, which is far from a long-lived switch. Compare with a Cherry keyboard switch, which claims 100 *million* cycles. A million cycles is not uncommon for pushbutton switches, so this is a fragile thing relative to others.

[Ben N]

94 pence at Mouser?

. . . . .?

American Dad, letting himself out.

[Kevin Mitchell]

Ohhhh, those switches!
I think we can all agree that they're not designed to be a stomped on. Oh well.
Kevin #1 has the right link for the non-shorting latching variation.

[amptramp]

Switches like this are why Boss went to electronic switching with momentary normally-open switches.  It's not a case of whether they will fail, it's when.  And that when is going to be soon.

[duck_arse]

94 pence at Mouser?

. . . . .?

American Dad, letting himself out.

Mike Pence - he's not the full quid, is he.