Where to get TS-10 switches?

[Jayco]

Hey gang,

Sorry if this isn't the right part of the forum to post this in...

I have an old TS-10 that I still use regularly.  Problem is, it has started showing its age.  It was having trouble turning on (you'd step on it and sometimes it would and sometimes it wouldn't).  Lately, it has been turning on, but even with the gain and distortion cranked, there is still clean signal bleeding through.

In looking at the schematics, it looks like there are a couple things that could be wrong...  the most likely being a bad switch or one of the FETs that handles the switching (if I remember right, there is one to turn on/off the distortion side and one to turn on/off the clean side...  it seems that perhaps the clean side one is failing to change states).

Anyhow, I saw that Small Bear had replacement switches, but they required a block of wood to be glued on to make the pedal button reach the shaft.

Does any know of a supplier for the actual switch that doesn't require modification?  I'd like to get this thing working again.

My other thought is perhaps replacing it with a TS-808 build...  that would be fun, but much more involved

Thanks,
Jim

[smallbearelec]

I did a fair amount of homework on this issue before settling on that Cherry switch. Ibanez has no more of the OEM part, which was an ALPS tactile switch. I did contact the manufacturer, and I was told that they no longer made it. The good news is that several people have reported successfully using the Cherry part to resurrect useful pedals.

[Jayco]

Ok...  thanks for filling me in on the reasoning.  I appreciate it.

What exactly needs to be done to make it work (you mention a wood block glued to it on your site)?

Thanks,
Jim

[MartyMart]

There's some extra distance from the inside of the "moving" foot plate and the top of these switches.
A small piece of wood needs to be glued inside the foot plate, so that the amount of travel is enough
to actuate the switch.
I've done it on something similar and I used a piece of thick rubber ( like an amp cab bottom foot )
superglued, worked a treat.
MM

[hendrix2489]

yea, i did something like that with a pen cap and some superglue to a boss ds-1 and a  badmonkey.  works perfect, turns on/off 100% of the time

[Jayco]

Thanks guys... I'll give it a try.

I've decided that since I need to crack open my TS-10, that I'm going to go ahead and do the TS-9/808 mods to it...  why not!?   *grin*

I'll let you know how it all goes.

Jim

[SonicVI]

The switches can also easily be opened up for cleaning or you can improve the contact between the metal bits inside by slightly bending the main part out very slightly.

[Jayco]

I just cracked my TS-10 open and noticed a couple of things...

The switch is a SPST... I was always assuming its a DPDT, so I guess that means its not the switch that's the problem as the distortion always reliably turns on, its just the clean path that doesn't reliably turn off.  I guess that would indicate that perhaps the FET on the clean side of the flip-flop circuit isn't doing its job.

I noticed also that I already have a JRC 4558 opamp in mine... which is good.  I always new it sounded nice, so I thought perhaps mine might be one with the 4558.

I think I'll still do the remainder of th mods just to see what they sound like.  I guess its off to the parts store after lunch!

Jim

Jim

[Jayco]

Well... I tested the two JFETs that control the signal path on my TS-10 and they both seem to be good.  They jump between ~600 ohm and several Mohm when switched between on and off.

So, now I am back in the dark as to what the problem might be.  I basically get very light distortion even with the distortion cranked and there always seems to be a clean signal introduced into the unit as well - though when I turn the output gain down, it changes the volume (so its not like there is a signal bleeding through that is bypassing the controls).

I notice another strange thing...  the LED is pretty dim.  This is of course subjective, because I don't remember if it was ever bright... but none the less it seems weak.

Could it be that this thing is choking off the voltage somewhere and causing it to not work quite right?  Any ideas what I might check?

Thanks... any help would be great.

Jim