Mammoth 3PDT switches

[soggybag]

You're probably familiar with the classic blue 3PDT stomp switches that have been around for some years. These are ubiquitous in the stompbox realm. Everyone uses these, from the major manufacturers to the small builders and hobbyists. They work well and the cost is very reasonable. I paid $13 for an offical Fulltone 3PDT about ten years ago, but these days they can be had for $4 or $5 each. Which is very reasonable, though it does make the switch one of the most costly parts in any box.

Recently I ran into <a href="http://www.mammothelectronics.com/">http://www.mammothelectronics.com/</a>. Turns out they carry an alternative to the standard blue stomp switch, one that I had never seen before. I bought 5 of these to give them a try.

First impressions say they look well made. The travel on the button is less than the travel on the blue switches, about the half. The switch itself is smaller in all dimensions. It's not a lot smaller, but the size difference could be significant in a tight project. The switch makes a satisfying click.

The nuts are a little smaller and look a little cheaper, compared to the nuts that come on the blue switches. The nuts look like the stamped nuts that come with some toggle switches. This is a little disappointing. I like having a tight fitting nut that you can get a good grip on and tighten up well with a wrench. These look like they would be hard to tighten up close to the surface of a box, and the nuts are so thin the wrench might slip off.

I'll have to build something with one of these switches before I can say how well they work in real life.

[mnordbye]

Just discovered this myself, and gave it a try. First impression is good! It seems very sturdy, and it does makes a pretty satisfying "click", as you mentioned.

I also like the chrome nuts, i absolutely HATE those white plastic rings!

Worth a try!

Magnus

[soggybag]

I like the nuts better on the blue switches. The nuts on the black ones look smaller and weaker. That said everything else looks good. The only thing left is to give them a try.

[John Lyons]

Two things I don't like about them (I have some here)
The lug eyelets are two small for the sire I use. They are about half
the size.
The body of the switch is a good bit smaller. I use the switch body to
secure the battery between the bottom wall of the enclosure and the
switch body. It's a bit less solid of a hold/surface area...

The eyelet size mass is the main problem for me. I could solder the
wires to the lugs but...

[Hides-His-Eyes]

They might be a good choice for wiring straight to board?

[soggybag]

I agree the solder eyelets are too small. The tabs would be good for soldering directly to a PCB. Unless you are using ultra fine wire you'd need to solder the wire to the tab without sending it through the hole.

[edvard]

Funny, maybe I'm using too-thin wire, but I recently built a TS-808 for a friend using this switch, and the wire went through, no problem.
The nut tightened down just fine using a deep-well socket wrench.
If you don't like the original nut, I suppose you could go to the hardware store and find a suitable replacement.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

I wouldn't fancy it for multicore wire. Single core I would hope would fit, or what's the point of even having a hole!

[edvard]

It is stranded.
The wire I use is 'recycled'.
A few years back, I acquired a few old VCR's from the trash bin and saved the wire and other choice bits.
I've also salvaged the twisted-pair front-panel leads from old computers other folks are constantly giving me.
I haven't had to buy wire for quite some time, and it's all about as thick as the leads on a 9-volt snap.
*shrug*