scratchy blue 3pdt

Started by downweverything, February 17, 2004, 12:37:03 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

downweverything

has anyone else had these be a little intermittent or scratchy,  i just got them and they are new,  do they just need to be cleaned or something or is it a faulty switch.  i only have the prob with one.

puretube

yes, though rated good in a thread yesterday, I did have the same issue with (by accident) the exactly first one I used out of 100.
"Mark Bad", and just use it for non-audio purposes (relais-switching or so).
Me thinks, it is just a "low-signal" insufficiency, which would not happen, if you switch some volts/mA...

Paul Perry (Frostwave)

Quote from: puretubeMe thinks, it is just a "low-signal" insufficiency, which would not happen, if you switch some volts/mA...
Maybe it is worth building a "contact blaster" , a mains powered light or similar that you can connect the switch with , to blast any crap off the contacts, before putting it into a stompbox.

Skreddy

Yikes.  Or maybe just a little squirt of Caig DeOxit 5% through the plunger bushing?

aron

Quote from: Paul Perry (Frostwave)
Quote from: puretubeMe thinks, it is just a "low-signal" insufficiency, which would not happen, if you switch some volts/mA...
Maybe it is worth building a "contact blaster" , a mains powered light or similar that you can connect the switch with , to blast any crap off the contacts, before putting it into a stompbox.

We've talked about this before. Has anyone done this yet?

puretube

..no, but now it comes back to my memory, that I was fuzzing around for days on end with the (now new) E-H Pulsar-prototype last year, when this crapping-out occurred.

It was a "bench-top" pedal, i.e. never been pushed on too hard, and it was not so much a scratchy phenomenon, but a go/nogo thing, or at least "not-go-so-well".
(of course a brandnew out-of-the-box-switch, and for the record: not purchased from aron...).

It seemed, that "wiggling" the soldered-on wires would help from time
to time (NO, not "cold" solder-joints!).

Very probable, the lugs and hence maybe the innards had gotten too much thermal strain (overheated) in my effort of "not-producing cold joints", and re-wiring the switch several times before boxing in...