contacts on switched jack

[rhdwave]

Hey everyone,
I'm struggling with a concept here and i'm sure it's an easy solution.  I have a a stereo jack which has a NC connection between the sleeve and the ring.  If i wanted to use this to add an expression pedal, how would this work? I have read RG's article on the subject, but for some reason it's just not clicking with me.  Maybe it's just too late to be thinking about such things, but i was hoping for some clarification on the subject.

So, what i seem to understand is that somehow inserting a plug into the jack will enable the use of the remote expression pedal and obviously it's pot and at the same time short out the pot that's already in the pedal.  As per RG: http://www.geofex.com/

Once you have your pot and rocker assembly ready, start the mods. Install a 1/8" closed circuit stereo jack in your pedal. Take the wires that went to the pot loose, and connect them to the *signal lugs* on the 1/8" jack. Take two new wires from the switched contact on the stereo jack, and connect these to the in-pedal pot's non-grounded contacts. Set up like this, when there is no plug in the jack, the pot in the pedal is still connected as it used to be, and works normally. When the plug is inserted into the jack, the contacts open and the pot in the rocker pedal is connected instead.

Now i'm assuming the signal lugs refer to the tip and the ring, but if this is the case and when no plug is inserted at least in the jack i have, it seems the ring and sleeve are connected.  Does the switched contact refer to in this case the ring or the sleeve?

I'm sorry for this seemingly stupid question, but the more i think about this i just seem to get more and more confused.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

[rhdwave]

Okay i've been doing some research and i think the jack i have is not the right kind and is possibly the source of my confusion.

Is the number 1 picture in the following image the jack that i would need for this kind of an assembly?



It has five contacts.  I'm thinking that the two tips and the two rings connect with each other as normally closed and the sleeve is isolated for a ground connection.

Any responses are greatly appreciated
Much thanks!

[RickL]

The number 1 jack is the one you want. The ground (sleeve) will be connected to both the existing pot and the expression pedal when it's plugged in. Plugging the expression pedal in will disconnect the wires of the existing pot connected to the tip and ring and connect those wires to the same lugs on the pot in the expression pedal.

Note that the plastic jacks commonly used in Marshall amps (and a lot of other things including Coloursound pedals) will also do the same thing in addition to switching the sleeve if you want.