Cornish pushbutton

[bent]

Hi,

anyone know where to find the mushroom pushbutton type that Cornish use on Pete Townshend pedalboard....

http://www.petecornish.co.uk/pt22.html

i did i search on the net but only find some with big block connector   http://web5.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Pushbuttons_-z-_Switches_-z-_Indicators/22mm_Metal/Mushroom_Pushbuttons_Illuminated_-a-_Non-Illuminated/GCX1134

i hope to find the same size of Cornish , look on top-right of this picture http://www.petecornish.co.uk/pt2.html

thank's

bent

[R.G.]

Look for "vandalism resistant switches".

[Ben N]

Alled has a bunch, but none with those big ball tops--they look like they are intended for elevators and such. Boy are they pricey! (I guess the price of a few stompswitches is not really a consideration when you order a Cornish board .) BTW, that is a really nice-looking, well laid-out board, and those switches seem like a great idea, but harder to implement in stomboxes rather than an integrated board. Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

Ben

[soulsonic]

There's a surplus and salvage place down the street from my house that has a bunch of these sort of industrial panel switches. They look like they'd be great as footswitches, but they are incredibly deep and you'd have a hard time fitting them in most boxes. In many cases, new ones are sold in separate pieces, ie: contact block, actuator, indicator, bezel, etc... and can all be purchased separately so you can put together whatever you need. They are very expensive, though I can get the ones from the place down the block from me for $4 each.

[gez]

Look for "vandalism resistant switches".

.../Townsend resistant switches. 

[bent]

So far, all i've found are stainless steel switch, way to expensive....

i'll keep looking....

anyone have more suggestion?

Bent

[soulsonic]

Industrial switches are all way too expensive. Your best bet if you want a good deal is to look for surplus or salvage.

[Dave_B]

What if you took this one and drilled it out to fit over a standard Cliff switch?  It's 15/16" diameter x 5/8" high.

[gez]

If they weren't vandal proof, I'd suggest surreptitiously prising one off an elevator...(joke)

One of the suppliers I use have a whole range of vandal proof switches.  Nearly twice as much as a normal footswitch, but think how much longer it'll last (probably work out cheaper in the long run).

[soulsonic]

There is of course, this alternative:
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/PB-211/700325/RED_JUMBO_PUSHBUTTON_SWITCH_.html
Arcade switches!
I've gotten one of these before and they are really strong. It's a big plastic actuator attached to a small snap action SPDT momentary switch.... should work great for triggering logic states.

[R.G.]

The heart of the matter is separating the physical actuator, which can be subject to abuse, from the actual switch.

Anything you can push on and not break will work as an actuator. Anything which detects the motion electrically works as a switch.

How about a large ball bearing with a spring behind it that almost but not quite goes through the front panel? You can stomp the ball bearing flat with the panel, it doesn't care.

Detect the motion from the SIDE of the actuator as it goes down, not under it. That way you can even physically destroy the actuator and it won't abuse the switch.

Hmmm...

- use an actuator with a magnet on it. Moving the actuator moves the magnet near a reed switch or hall effect device
- use an opto-isolator; moving the actuator moves a tab between the light source and the light sensor, or makes it quit interrupting the beam
- use the "pancakes" switches from GEO

[blanik]

a lot of surplus wearhouse have arcade switches for a couple of bucks... resistant as hell (for having personally hit a couple of those  ) everytime i go by their shelf i can't help thinking thatthose would be perfect for a pedalboard... heavy duty, colored (some with lights inside) but they have only two leads and are momentary so it could be used as an actuator for an electronic switching system....

R


here's a link to those switch (at the same store i usually get my "local" stuff)
https://www.addison-electronique.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=9000&sort=3a&page=35&osCsid=78a43d7ec0d425ab20949ee5482a6415

[rmo]

Happcontrols has a lot of stuff, it's mostly arcade stuff, but you might look around there.

http://happcontrols.com/pushbuttons/pushbuttons.htm

[msurdin]

This is a little off topic but where do you get the regular silver switched he uses?

[iaresee]

Reviving an old topic.

I need to build a 3-button "pedal board" for our signer so he can control his vocal processor and I was looking enviously at Cornish boards that have those bit metal switches. A search here turned up this thread and this post right here:

What if you took this one and drilled it out to fit over a standard Cliff switch?  It's 15/16" diameter x 5/8" high.

BRILLIANT!

I think you're on to something here. If cap a normal Cliff switch with one of those big knobs and then put a wooden dougnut ring around it for protection I think you've pretty much got the switch that's used on this board:



FREAKING BRILLIANT!

[PRR]

If you can live with a SPDT switch, the floorboard headlight dimmer switch (used on all cars before headlight moved to clutter the steering column) is fairly beefy and not overpriced.

Auto-parts stores which support older pickup trucks will have a generic on the pegboard. If you have to ask, try this application (great car). Price and image from RockAuto.com

1966 CHEVROLET IMPALA 5.4L 327cid V8
Electrical-Switch & Relay
Dimmer Switch
ACDELCO Part # D808  {#12338706, 1997037, BD808} SWITCH,HDLP DIMR
$6.83


The 1966 Falcon switch may be a bit shorter:
1966 FORD FALCON
ACDELCO Part # U803  {#01972161, 1972161}  $7.50
MOTORCRAFT Part # SW263  {#COTZ13A024A} $9.34

[Processaurus]

What if you took this one and drilled it out to fit over a standard Cliff switch?  It's 15/16" diameter x 5/8" high.

You could sacrifice one knob to make a drilling jig, and drill a divot (or ideally divots, for a knob with multiple set screws) the body drill bit size of the set screw, through the correctly placed knob into the steel actuator on your stomp switch, for the set screw to mate with, so there is no way for the knob to fall off, unless the set screw comes out.

Also for the ring part, you could use a section of thick ABS pipe, and screw it in from the inside, so there aren't visible screws stuck in the top.

[PRR]

Available locally most anywhere in the US: