Footswitch for VOX AD15VT

[Skullnick]

I need to make for mu amp. What i need is to switch between the 2 channels and the manual mode and to switch the effects on and off. Also is there a way to control the effects through the footswitch? Any help would be appreciated.

[Pushtone]

Hi and welcome

I have the AD30VT.

It uses a TRS footswitch jack.
That puts the channel switching on the tip and the reverb switching on the ring.

I used mic cable to wire up a dual footswitch since it has two conductors and a ground.
Mic cable will let you wire up two latching footswitches with it two conductors.

One footswitch is wired to a conductor and ground. At the amp end the conductor is wired to the tip.
The other footswitch is wired to the second conductor and ground. At the amp end the second conductor is wired to the ring.
Ground is wired as common to the sleeve.

If you use single conductor cable (guitar cable) you can have only one footswitch but you will still need the TRS at the amp end.
How you wire the TRS will determine what amp function is switched.

TIP= Channel
RING=reverb

You can test this by plugging a guitar cable into the footswitch jack and shorting the tip and sleeve at the free end.
That test will tell you what amp function gets switched when the TIP is connected to ground.

Hope this helps.

[smallbearelec]

I think he is also asking exactly what switches to buy, i.e., latching (Carling 110-P or similar) or momentary (110-PM-OFF or similar). I am guessing latching, but I'm not familiar with that amp. What is the effect switching looking for?

[Pushtone]

I think he is also asking exactly what switches to buy, i.e., latching (Carling 110-P or similar) or momentary (110-PM-OFF or similar). I am guessing latching, but I'm not familiar with that amp. What is the effect switching looking for?

My AD30VT needs latching footswitches.

Shorting the TIP to ground toggles the amp channels.
Shorting the RING to ground toggles the effects.

My Peavey combo works the same way.




Here's a parts list for a VOX AD30VT amp footswitch (the AD15 is the same):
Two latching DPDT footswitches.
Two LED
Two current limiting resistors
One TRS phone jack
One TRS phone plug
5 meters of mic cable (get one with a heavy rubber jacket like stage cable, not install cable)
Enclosure
Battery snap
9v battery
Total cost $35.00 plus tax CDN




Check out this monster "amp footswitch" controler.
This would work with many amps and
would be a cool project to build yourself since the
concept is just basic short to ground switch stuff.




To take advantage of the Vox AD30VT channel and effect switching I built this dual effects loop with two "amp footswitches".

I used DPDT latching footswitches to control the amp.
One pole of the DPDT switch is used for an LED that is powered from a battery inside the enclosure.

It's important to note that most amps do not supply any forward voltage to light an LED in their switching schemes.
It's simply a short to ground system. To get an LED going you need the double pole switch AND a power source, like a battery.

And don't forget that there is nothing keeping the LED in sync with the amp.
If you use the button on the amp to change channels, the LED on the footswitch does not change and will be out of sync.

[Skullnick]

I'm sorry but i'm a complete noob at this things, do you have anything specific like a schematic.
Also do you have the problem with your amp when you plug your distortion pedal and every time you turn the amp on you get different sound?

[smallbearelec]

...AD30VT needs latching footswitches.
Shorting the TIP to ground toggles the amp channels.
Shorting the RING to ground toggles the effects.

I used DPDT latching footswitches to control the amp.
One pole of the DPDT switch is used for an LED that is powered from a battery inside the enclosure.

It's important to note that most amps do not supply any forward voltage to light an LED in their switching schemes. It's simply a short to ground system. To get an LED going you need the double pole switch AND a power source, like a battery.

And don't forget that there is nothing keeping the LED in sync with the amp. If you use the button on the amp to change channels, the LED on the footswitch does not change and will be out of sync.

I am going to take this one step further and flesh out the parts list. SKU numbers are my Stock List at smallbearelec.com:

Two latching DPDT footswitches. These are Carling 316-B-PP, my SKU 0202
Two LED  SKU 2302 in any color will be fine.
Two current limiting resistors   8.2K carbon film
One TRS phone jack  Switchcraft #12B, SKU 0606B
One TRS phone plug  Switchcraft #236, SKU 0602
5 meters of mic cable   This needs to be 2-conductor plus shield, which I don't carry yet, and probably should. Alpha #1448 or similar would do.
Enclosure   Taiwanese "BB", SKU 0300
Battery snap   SKU 0619
Battery Clip   SKU 0621
9v battery

Pushtone has given good info for building this that will be clear to anyone with a little experience. Try to find a local contact who has done some building. You'll learn a lot and have a useful accessory.

Regards
Steve Daniels

[petemoore]

  One TRS phone plug  Switchcraft #236, SKU 0602
  I can't count for sure but I see need for two plugs, one for amp, one for pedal disconnecting.
  Starting with the cable, connect so that tips connect, rings connect, sleeves connect, you have a TRS cable.
  Put the jack in the box.
  Wire each switch so that one side of the DPDT connects a tip to ground, the other so there's a ring to ground connection through switch [two switches, one for tip/gnd, the other for ring/gnd. switchings].
  Sleeve is ground.
  DPDT...
 
  Tip    1             4  to LED>resistor>V+ [Probably a battery with it's '-' to sleeve/Gnd.]

Sleeve 2 Ground 5
          3             6
       
  DPDT [#2]
  Ring   1         4 to LED>resistor>V+
Sleeve  2 Gnd. 5
            3         6
With a TRS Cable plugged in the amp switching jack, making Tip grounded switches X, making ring grounded switches Y.
  A DPDT is basically two SPST's in sync, For 'X' [reverb or channel switching] 2/3 of one side used to switch to gnd the tip/sleeve, the other side of the DPDT used for simultaneous switching of the LED power circuit...power could be ..whatever.. probably a battery in the box.
  Choose your limiting resistor for the LED and test the LED/limiting resistor polarity and function by connecting this circuit directly to the battery till it lights [you may need to reverse polarity once maybe..until the cathode of LED is toward ground]. Then just hook that through the other side of a switch.
  Maybe someone will draw a schematic or something, the switching is hard to fudge, and if you do it won't damage anything, just won't switch until tip sees sleeve / ring sees sleeve, and sleeve is Gnd.

[Pushtone]

Totally by coincidence I found the first footswitch I built for my Vox AD30VT amp today.

So I though I would post a pic showing how it is wired.

Looks like I cut off the TRS plug to use on something else, I guess.
You will have to imagine that there is a 1/4" phone TRS plug at the end of the cable and the red lead is wired to the TIP of the plug and the blue lead is wired to the RING.
Ground is common and that heavy uninsulated lead jumps ground to the other footswitch.
I used an old mic cable (shielded twisted pair).

No LEDs in this one.













Oh and Petemore can count better than I can.

[Skullnick]

Thanks that was really helpful. I'll get right on it.

[petemoore]

  Oh and Petemore can count better than I can.
  lol !!