Small PCB to help wiring 3PDT switches

[hubble]

whoa!  mucho easier

[QSQCaito]

No offense, just my opinion, in order to make it worth doing a pcb for that, i strongly believe that it should be more functional.. maybe led, more complete i dunno.. just my humble opinion, hope it helps

bye bye

DAC

[sfr]

Nice.  This is cool.

I've always meant to throw one of these together, and never got around to it. Now I don't have to.   I love the larger quasi-perf setup too.  Makes like easy. 

I often reuse the same enclosure for multiple projects until I find something that I really want to have in my "playing out" pedal chain, leaving the offboard components wired and in the box (other than pots) for use with the next project.  Seems like if you tweaked this board for a molex-style connector or some sort of screw-in terminal or something, it could make this even easier - just plug the in/out wires from the board into the connector.  Regardless, swapping wires out on a board when you want to re-use a switch and the original wires aren't long enough to reach the new board or something, is much easier than getting in there and redoing the switch.  (I've been reusing the 3PDT switches from some of my very early builds and cursing my stupid habits of both just cutting the wires off the switch and folding the wire lead around the lug when soldering onto the switch.  I stopped doing this years ago, and I don't know why I ever did.)   

I've got a similar little mini-board layout somewhere I'll have to dig up and post - somehow I ended up with a handful of board-mount Lorlin rotary switches, and made a PCB around one and a DIP socket to facilitate experimenting with different caps or diodes when tweaking a circuit. 

[sfr]

Now if someone would stock the PCB-mount version of the 3PDT (it has pins instead of solder tags), this could be revolutionary. 

Hint... hint... hint...   

P.S. They make a momentary version too.  Awesomeness awaits.   

Momentary?  My first thought is "that would be nice" - I've been meaning to make the switch on my Flanger momentary, since I usually only use it for very brief passages, and turning it on then off again is just annoying. 

But I can't figure out why I'd need a 3PDT switch if I was doing momentary - I'm pretty sure I can tell when it's on if it's only on when I'm standing on it, so I don't need an LED.  And if I'm using a momentary switch to activate any sort of fancy electronic switching, why not just use fancy enough electronic switching to allow the use of SPST or SPDT? 

[RedHouse]

Bump...

Hey Bluesboy or Soggybag,

What dimension are the pin centers (lines) on these switches? I emailed Aron once but he didn't have the numbers, and I have yet to find a datasheet PDF on these.

Could one of you measure the pin spacings and post it? or point me to the datasheet?
(you know, like how a DIP is on .100" centers)

[Blues_Boy_4096]

Bump...

Hey Bluesboy or Soggybag,

What dimension are the pin centers (lines) on these switches? I emailed Aron once but he didn't have the numbers, and I have yet to find a datasheet PDF on these.

Could one of you measure the pin spacings and post it? or point me to the datasheet?
(you know, like how a DIP is on .100" centers)

Is this what you need?

http://tvtel.pt/jmoutinho/DIY_Effects/PDF/PUSH_BUTTON_SWITCHES.pdf

[Dave_B]

But I can't figure out why I'd need a 3PDT switch if I was doing momentary

Ok I got a little ahead of myself.     I was thinking about having the reliability of a Cliff switch in a momentary version.  I couldn't come up with a use for the 3 poles either.   

[Gilles C]

I didn't find a nother supplier for these, but this is what you want I think. A Carling monentary footswitch

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=35033&doy=25m7&C=SEO&U=strat15

I also have them in mind for a PIC controlled circuit with a pcb soldered to the swich.

Gilles

[bwanasonic]

No offense, just my opinion, in order to make it worth doing a pcb for that, i strongly believe that it should be more functional.. maybe led, more complete i dunno.. just my humble opinion, hope it helps

I'd probably add a few components (or fit onto a complete board), but even in this form, you could step-repeat , and make a whole bunch on one PCB.

Kerry M

[soggybag]

I don't remember what the spacing is on the pins for the 3PTD switches. But I took some pictures that may help explain:
http://www.webdevils.com/stompbox/index.php?m=06&y=05&d=29&entry=entry050629-204323

Here I made the switch fit a piece of perfboard. The holes on the perfboard are spaced .1. Along the flat axis, where the skinny sides of the tabs align, it looks like the tabs .1. On the other axis, where the flat face of the tabs face each other, I had to files the holes a bit to make everything fit.

I remember when I designed my PCB I placed the holes on one axis at .1, then measured with a ruler in 1/64", converted that number to decimal inches then placed the holes. Then I printed the PCB and compared the pins on the switch to the print out. It took a few prints to get it just right.

Looking at the PCB in the app I used to make it the holes are spaced 210 mils along the wide axis and 180 mils along the narrower axis. Since I could not find an specs on the switches these numbers were found by trial and error and could be off by a couple mils. But the PCBs I had made if the switches perfectly. I used a 95 mil hole diamter. It was more expensive to make slotted holes which would have been an improvement, so I opted to go with round holes.

[Dave_B]

I didn't find a nother supplier for these, but this is what you want I think. A Carling monentary footswitch

That's true, and I've got one of those.  I've heard bad things about their reliability, though.  Zvex had an interesting account about his grocery bag full of Carlings here.

Trivia: The Cliff switches were originally created for use in vacuum cleaners. 

[Gilles C]

Vacuum cleaners?... That could explain a few things...

There is one kind of switch I once bought that gave me problems. It was made for 110V, and doesn't work well with signals. These switches need higher current to keep the contacts clean 

I am still in search of a local supplier of good footswitches, momentary or standard.

I don't remember what the spacing is on the pins for the 3PTD switches. But I took some pictures that may help explain:
http://www.webdevils.com/stompbox/index.php?m=06&y=05&d=29&entry=entry050629-204323

Here I made the switch fit a piece of perfboard. The holes on the perfboard are spaced .1. Along the flat axis, where the skinny sides of the tabs align, it looks like the tabs .1. On the other axis, where the flat face of the tabs face each other, I had to files the holes a bit to make everything fit.

I remember when I designed my PCB I placed the holes on one axis at .1, then measured with a ruler in 1/64", converted that number to decimal inches then placed the holes. Then I printed the PCB and compared the pins on the switch to the print out. It took a few prints to get it just right.

Looking at the PCB in the app I used to make it the holes are spaced 210 mils along the wide axis and 180 mils along the narrower axis. Since I could not find an specs on the switches these numbers were found by trial and error and could be off by a couple mils. But the PCBs I had made if the switches perfectly. I used a 95 mil hole diamter. It was more expensive to make slotted holes which would have been an improvement, so I opted to go with round holes.

Hey,very nice info on that webpage.

After reading it, it remembered me a trick I used to drill holes BETWEEN the holes of a perfboard (as on your site) or stripboard. I drilled the holes first in a steel plate to be used as a guide and can be used over and over again. I lost the one I made many years ago, but I gave me the idea to make another one again for my future project with a stripboard.

Gilles