Single "tap tempo" function for mutiple pedals

[ianmgull]

Hello all,

So I own an Line 6 Echo park and just recently picked up the boss RC-2 Looper. Both have tap tempo functions so I was wondering if there was a way to combine them. Both pedals are digital so I don't know how realistic I'm being. It would be nice to have a single momentary switch to be able to sync up multiple time based effects though.

Anybody ever attempted something like this?

Thanks,

Ian

[shredgd]

Hi,

yours is a good idea, a "master tempo" control would be a nice way to reduce the feet-dance over your pedals.
I realize you would like to use the tap tempo function on your echo-park to set the tempo on your RC-2, am I wrong?
However, the tap tempo function on the echo-park is too much integrated into the circuitry of the pedal, so I don't think you can create a "tempo out" jack from it. BUT, if there is enough space "under the hood", you might add a momentary switch in the echo-park and connect it to the RC-2 "tap tempo in" jack. This way you will have a "Boss FS-5U work-alike" integrated in your echo-park. You might encounter problems with tapping the tempo and at the same time having your echo-park acting like crazy because of the multiple stomping, though.

Giulio

[Alex C]

Here's a thread from a few weeks ago about a similar idea.

-Alex

[ianmgull]

Hey thanks guys. It would be nice to use the echo park as some sort of "master tempo control" but I think thats a bit out of my league. I was leaning more towards a separate box. If I just used the boss momentary footswitch, I guess I would need to find a way to give it an extra output to go into the echo park. The thing is, all of the tone core line of pedals are these small digital modules that get put into a generic case. I wouldn't know where to begin...

[ihattwick]

Your biggest problem will def figuring out how the tap function of the echo park works. BUT, and I am guessing here, if the footswitch on the EP has a dedicated momentary for when you are tapping tempo, as opposed to turning the unit on/off, then you could find where that connects to the dock for the circuit board, hook that up to an external jack, and then simply wire it in parallel to the boss momentary. I've done this with both tap tempo pedals for a DD20 and a dod D12.

[ianmgull]

Ok so I'm finally gonna give this one a try...

Looking inside of the line 6, it looks like there is a small surface mount dpst momentary switch (normally off). Does anybody know what goes on inside the boss fs-5u (momentary) footswitch to tell if it is similar to the one in the toncore pedals? If so, I guess it would be easy to mount a jack inside the tonecore and make this work. I put some pics of the switch in the tonecore below. It is the small black switch to the bottom left of the large silver/black circle.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

When you 'tap' something, you are (usually) shorting a voltage to ground.
Maybe, an optoisolator would suffice (the digital kind, with a fet and a led inside, not the LDR kind).
If it did, it would be easy to make something where you 'tapped' and drove two optoisolators at the same time.

Another  'clunky' (pun intended) way to do this would be with small fast relays.
In fact that is what I would try, if you have a relay that has a two pole switch on the output, then you can just parallel those switch contacts across the contacts of the switches of the effects. no need to worry (or know) what is happening in the electronics.

[ianmgull]

Hey Paul, thanks for the tips. I still have to read up on relays as I know next to nothing about them. What advantage would there be to use relays as opposed to just some kind of double pole momentary switch in an external box that controls both pedals?

[ianmgull]

So does anybody know what's going on inside a boss fs-5u?

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Hey Paul, thanks for the tips. I still have to read up on relays as I know next to nothing about them. What advantage would there be to use relays as opposed to just some kind of double pole momentary switch in an external box that controls both pedals?

No advantage whatever.
I am still slapping my poor bald head and shouting D'oh!

[Mark Hammer]

The EP, like all the Tone Core pedals, uses dual switches under one treadle for bypass and tap tempo.  What distinguishes the two switches is a little concave disk of spring steel that "clicks" when enough pressure is applied to produce bypass/engage.  Lighter presses leave that switch un-actuated but still actuate the tap-tempo switch.

My sense is that what you want to do is route the two contacts involved in tap tempo in the two pedals externally to a unit where ONE momentary switch will electronically close the two tap tempo switches simultaneously.

Gotta catch a bus, so I'll leave it there for now.  But the take-home message is that it is feasible.  Take a look at some of the CMOS-switching ideas on Andrew "Tone God's" page and at geofex.