6PDT Rotary Switch In A Wah Pedal! HELP!!!!

[AC30Dirty]

I have a VOX V847 wah I just finished modding the other day. I made it true bypass with LED indicator, Fasel Inductor and Baja Tech Custom ICAR wah pot, plus the usual resistor mods, and of course variable vocal mod. The wah sound a thousand times better than stock. I bought a 6PDT rotary switch at radioshack to do the sweep selector mod as well but I have no idea how to wire this particular switch. I saw the wiring at GGG for a 6DST rotary switch on their wah and it looks really easy but the switch I have has ALOT OF LUGS!!! Does anybody have a wiring layout or a site I can go to that explains this mod a little better?

[joelap]

Hi, I'm relatively new to this stuff but I think I can help you out.  Don't take my advice until someone else confirms it though 

On my 6PDT switch I'm wiring in my overdrive, theres 12 outer lugs, and 2 inner lugs.  If yours is the same as mine, when you hold it on it's side, you'll see a small metal contact on the bottom level, right above where the lugs are.  Turn the switch, that metal contact moves to the next lug.  The metal contact corresponds to the lug directly beneath it, so turn the switch to both extremes to see where each input ends.  the input for that set of 6 lugs is on the same side of the lugs.  The only difference with 6PDT and 6PST is that in the 6PDT like you have, there are 2 metal contacts, each on opposite sides.  Just ignore the other side of the switch.  As for changing the sweep cap, unsolder the sweep cap from the board,  solder one wire in one of the terminals of the cap and put that in the input (center lug).  Solder each cap into a lug.  From there,  connect the other ends of the caps together and make a wire from the end of the caps to the other terminal.  Viola! (I think).

If you've got some perf board lying around (and the space for it), you might want to consider wiring the caps on that to make it neater, but its not necessary.

Hope I helped (correctly)

[theundeadelvis]

Joe is correct. You can ignore half of the switch.

[R.G.]

I'm afraid that this reply is more along the "teach a man to fish..." lines.

You have a digital multimeter, yes? (If you don't have a digital multimeter, get one. No excuses. I saw one at Harbor Freight yesterday for $3.99.)

So use it. Make a sketch of the back of the switch. Hook up your multimeter, set to measure ohms, to two terminals on the back - any two terminals. Now turn the switch through its full rotation. Did the two terminals ever make the meter go to very low ohms? If not, move one meter lead to another terminal. Repeat until you find a second terminal that connects to the first one at some throw of the switch. When you find it, mark it down on your sketch - both which terminals connected and at what switch position. Then try another terminal.

If you do this in a disciplined way, you will eventually map out the whole function of the switch, no matter how complicated it is.

Although this looks like a never ending process, simply easter-egging for connections, if you do it in an orderly way, you usually find a pattern that you can guess and then it becomes trivial after you find only a few connections. Humans are very good at recognizing patters.

Beyond that, the name of the switch tells you what to expect. You have a 6PDT - that's six poles, two (double) throws. That means that you 'll find six instances of one lug that connects to one of two others, and the switch will only have two positions (throws).

Not what you found? Oops - you really have a 2P6T switch, which means only two poles, each of which can be switched to one of six throws at a time, and there are six switch positions. The number of poles is the number of separate, isolated switching sections. The number of throws is the number of switch positions that is possible.

Get a multimeter, draw up a diagram, and explore! 

[AC30Dirty]

Can I connect a 1M resistor on the bottom of the pcb where the wires are going to prevent the POP?

[lacto]

AC30Dirty can I ask how or where you got the Baja Tech Custom Icar wah pot? I looked on their website and I don't see it listed. Thanks.

[joelap]

Do you have any experience with the Fulltone pot?  If so I'd be interested to know a comparison between the fulltone and Baja Tech pot.

[AC30Dirty]

hey lacto i got the pot on ebay for about $13.00 i believe. It was a while back that i purchased it but I just hadn't had time to install it. and joelap as for the compairison to the fulltone this pot sounds way better to me. The sweep was way smoother and the tone was improved. I use to have a fulltone pot on my wah but was scratchy straight out of the box and about a week later it just fell apart on me. I EXPECTED WAY BETTER QUALITY. So i saw the baja tech one on ebay and so I bought it and I haven't looked back since. If your also interested in a fuzz pedal check out thier DA MOAF pedal. I have one also and IT SIMPLY ROCKS. IT HAS ONE OF THE BEST TONES I'VE HEARD FROM A FUZZ.

[lacto]

Thanks for the response AC30Dirty. I'll have to keep an eye out on Ebay. I'm currently using the Fulltone pot which is
supposed to be an authentic ICAR taper. ALthough it is light years better than the Hotpotz, one thing I don't like about it
is the sweep is all bunched up on the high end. From heel to toe it is like there is very little change until about 2/3rds
of way through the sweep, then you have the quick taper to full treble. Also the bass end is very dull and muted to
me anyway. I have never heard of Baja Tech having there own pot until this thread, so I am intrigued.