diy switches

[tysonlt]

I guess the idea of having the whole cap outside is that the cap edges would hit the chassis, thus preventing pressure on the switch.

I agree it would be ugly though. I think a mini pancake sounds like the best idea.

I will let folks know how it goes when I do it.

[bdevlin]

You could use these with a very light foot and the Millenium bypass .  I wonder how these fair in terms of reliability?  

http://taydaelectronics.com/electromechanical/switches-key-pad/push-button/push-button-switch-dc-30v-0-1a-dpdt-7x7mm.html

[DavenPaget]

I guess the idea of having the whole cap outside is that the cap edges would hit the chassis, thus preventing pressure on the switch.

I agree it would be ugly though. I think a mini pancake sounds like the best idea.

I will let folks know how it goes when I do it.

Don't know about pancakes , but i could use a top-filled spring loaded cardboard at the corners of the cap inside , so any pressure will be rebounced .

[tysonlt]

You could use these with a very light foot and the Millenium bypass .  I wonder how these fair in terms of reliability? 

http://taydaelectronics.com/electromechanical/switches-key-pad/push-button/push-button-switch-dc-30v-0-1a-dpdt-7x7mm.html

Yes, that's the way I'm leaning. I'd have the pole poking slightly out of a hole in the chassis, a donut-shaped ring of foam, and a plastic or metal disc for a cover. It might even look good, a may just be reliable!

I also REALLY like the idea of poking a screw through the chassis, surrounding it with foam, and capping it with a grounded metal plate. Some washers and nuts and you have a cheap, rugged, actuator-free stomp switch.

[alparent]

I'm planning on writing an article so people can build their own "T.T.G. style" touch plates as they are really easy and cheap to build. Its one of the things I'm going to give away.

Any time frame on this article? Just can't wait anymore!!!

[earthtonesaudio]

The thing I miss the most when using "touch" style switches is the tactile feedback you get from a more mechanical switch.  That pleasing ka-CHUNK of a rugged footswitch, or the more subtle hysteresis of a laptop keyboard.

That's also my main gripe with iPad type interfaces.  I want my finger to tell me if I pushed the button.  Having to look up and double check is fatiguing.

[tysonlt]

I hear ya. However I'm a fairly soft stomper. I find I prefer a 'quick' action for tap tempo - too much mechanical resistance makes me focus on squishing the switch, and I'm often still playing when I have to adjust tempo. I need a light switch.

In the case of the above-mentioned screw terminal, the metal cap hitting the screw would at least provide some feedback that you've hit the switch. It's a click at least.

On that topic, I am remember as a kid playing with some kind of graphite rod that you slide a contact up and down to create a crude variable resistor. This could be used to make a squishy expression pedal using the PIC's ADC features. Hmm...

[tysonlt]

Update:

1. Take a bolt. Put on a washer, spring, and another washer.

2. Poke into hole in chassis, with spring arrangement on top. This top spring limits plunge depth.

3. Underneath, do washer, spring, washer again, and finish with a nut. This bottom spring holds the bolt to the chassis.

4. Tighten/loosen nut to compress lower spring and thus raise/lower external switch height. When pressed, bolt will always reach the same depth (bolt length minus compressed top spring) regardless of nut position.

5. Put a microswitch under the bolt. (Or, try wiring the bolt to ground and glue a nut on the chassis floor as a contact. Not sure about that, though!)

Viola. The poor man's actuator, reliable and stomp friendly. Photos to follow! My uncle and I came up with it, so I call it the 'Thwaites Actuator'

I put the bolt through a beer cap to redeem some aesthetic credibility. It looks OK.

Only glitch so far is that a very small circular movement is possible, so the bolt may not always travel perfectly downwards. I plan to account for this by using lever-actuated microswitches like the omron ones. I will try to somehow attach the bolt to the lever... Glue perhaps?

[The Tone God]

Any time frame on this article? Just can't wait anymore!!!

I took a bunch of pictures during the last batch of cases but I accidentally deleted them. I have to take a new batch of pics for the article.

The thing I miss the most when using "touch" style switches is the tactile feedback you get from a more mechanical switch.  That pleasing ka-CHUNK of a rugged footswitch, or the more subtle hysteresis of a laptop keyboard.

I was originally going to use a capacitive footswitch design in my pedals so there were no moving parts but when I took it out in the field for testing I too missed the tactile feedback of hitting something when I pressed the footswitch as well as the travel of the surface as I depressed. Here was one of my capacitive plate prototypes:



I decided to go with a mechanical footswitch but one that solved the problems that I have seen with other designs so back to the drawing board I went. I came up with the foot plate design you now see on my pedals.



I put them through the ringer gigging a goo amount. I am NOT a light stomper. I've been using them for more then two years now without a failure and I do alot of stomping in my live loop shows getting different sounds.

I hear ya. However I'm a fairly soft stomper. I find I prefer a 'quick' action for tap tempo - too much mechanical resistance makes me focus on squishing the switch, and I'm often still playing when I have to adjust tempo. I need a light switch.

One of the nice things I like about the foot plates I use is you can customize the resistance of the plate by controlling how big the force resistance material is, in my case high density foam. Want less resistance just cut some of the foam down. Want more then add some more foam. Easy.

Didn't R.G. do a actuator with bolt or threaded rod ? Ah here it is:

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/alteractuator/alteractuator.htm

Andrew

[tysonlt]

Yes, mine is similar, except without the outer container. It's cheaper



Upside down for some reason:



Just the 'Thwaites Actuator':

[earthtonesaudio]

What's the purpose of the spring on the inside of the enclosure?

[R.G.]

Yes, mine is similar, except without the outer container. It's cheaper

Actually, yours is very similar to my version 1. The geofex article is my version 2.

If you're OK with the side-to-side wobble, it's fine. The wobble drove me nuts, so I went with the nipple/bushing to get some stability against side movement. I don't always hit stomp switches straight down, so I found the threads would catch on the hole through the enclosure or in extreme cases, I could bend the threaded shaft. Other people may not be as clumsy when they stomp a switch as I am.    And as you note, it's much cheaper and less work.

In retrospect, if I were doing this today, I'd probably use the lamp nipple or the bushing from a victim/donor potentiometer as a bearing and a smooth shaft, perhaps threaded with a die on each end. That would make a stabilized version of the one you show.

[tysonlt]

@R.G cool, great minds... Naw!

@earth, the bottom spring just lets you adjust the height of the protruding rod... But now that you mention it, you could get rid of the lower spring and just move the nut all the way up to the chassis... Duh! Thanks for the tip!

[tysonlt]

@R.G, now that I have actually tried making an actuator I have a better feel for what is required, and I understand your actuator much better. The only thing that puts me off is filing a nut to make it round.

It all starts to get fiddly for a weekender like me, and I'm starting to think that the pancake is just a better way to go. Do you think a pancake switch could fit under a beer cap?