not liking miniswitches on stompboxes

[Gus]

Also remember all the crap that get spilled in them.  Beer has carbonic acid IIRC, coffee can destroy traces and leads in a very short time.

So recessed stuff might even make this problem worse

Diecast boxes, I wonder how many break when someone 300 Lbs steps on one and the switch is in a weak spot?

When I built stuff for friends I would kick it , stomp the switch hard, pull on it by the cables, drop it and then test it again to make sure it worked

From talking to friends that play for a living Anything that can be stepped on or kicked or tripped over will be.  The drink on the amp will fall in a bad place.  The fan with a beer will spill it in the effect looking at it.........................

[ADR]

I never use mini toggles. I've broken one just testing it in my hand.

I prefer to use sliding switches, the low profile ones. It takes a bit more work to drill the enclosure and file them square, but they are lower profile, and even less worry when they are mounted on the side of the hammond enclosures. I use metal strapping from homedepot plumbing dept (kinda like bicycle chain), cut it up into little bits and screw my boxes down to the pedal board. As the pedals NEVER move, the switches are safe from getting bumped, but are still accessible to toggle.

As for knobs, I don't like mounting them on top. I'm goind to redo some housings so that the knobs are on the side. so they are safely out of harms way, or settings getting bumped accidentally. I also put all my i/o jacks on the back of pedals, not on the sides. Could never stand that in almost all pedal designs.

If I were to make a cornish or geofex rack style pedal board, I would definitely recess all controls.

IMO, the only thing protuding should be stomp switches.

There are some good solutions posted here though.

[dxm1]

A blast from the past - stage friendly (but inherently unreliable) slide switches. Below knob level, and usually require more force to actuate than a toggle. If only there were reliable enclosed sliders...

[bluesdevil]

This thread kinda reminds of the days back in the late eighties when I played guitar in a hardcore punk band. It got so violent onstage from the stage divers skanking on my pedals that I finally had to get a big skinhead roadie to put a foot into somebody's ass when they got near 'em...... jeez, those were the days!!
   I actually have a video where I do the deed myself and kick someone in the rear and shove 'em off the stage for being stupid. Should be good You Tube fodder.
      Yeah, I'm guilty of using toggle switches in my builds but I'm just not up to cutting those square holes out for slider switches. Also the toggles are cheap and have a smaller footprint..... get a big violent skinhead roadie to guard your board or put barbed wire around 'em so your idiot singer gets the message. Probably wouldn't work for the GG Allin influenced lead screamer though,ha!!

[markm]

As for knobs, I don't like mounting them on top. I'm goind to redo some housings so that the knobs are on the side. so they are safely out of harms way, or settings getting bumped accidentally. I also put all my i/o jacks on the back of pedals, not on the sides. Could never stand that in almost all pedal designs.

I have to say that top mounted pots are a very good solution, they are a tad bit hard to adjust on the fly! 
It does get them out of "harms-way" I suppose though.

[Meanderthal]

 Heh- that reminds me of an old Maestro phaser I had that had foot adjustable knobs labled "Balls" and "Speed".

On my Hog's Foot I stuck a huge Boris Karloff knob so I can adjust it with my foot MXR style.

I'm not big on switches, but mostly because I view effects as something that has a basic setting that you use. Once it's set, it's good. I don't need a whole bunch of cool sounds out of each pedal, I just need one. I can't be bent over my pedalboard live screwing around with switches and stuff for different sounds.  If I have to put switches on there, I put em away from where my foot will be. Same with knobs and leds.

Now, if it's a studio gizmo, the more whistles and bells the better!

[petemoore]

Now, if it's a studio gizmo, the more whistles and bells the better!
  I like having fewer bells and whistles for stage, every time a change a bell, I end up having to tune a couple whistles, on stage that's rediculous...nope, mostly all SSwitches and maybe a volume pot [I put volume pots slightly raised over the others so a foot can turn only the volume] adjustment during a show...I did some lengthy 'bendovers' trying to retune during performance...looks goofy, couldn't really be done right anyway.
  So if I decided it's easy enough for me to have a couple of bell and whistle sets, like two FF's, two Comps etc., instead of a swiss army knife super mod bell/whistled effect, this way wherever I want the tone to go can be gotten to while standing.

[ADR]

I've never had a problem with slide switches, no more than any other switch. I gig regularly, but I'm not an animal with my gear.

When I see toggle mini switches on a pedal, I get cautious when switching, and I don't need the additional distraction.
I have a pedal with minis on it, and I've taken the dremel cutting wheel to it so it's now circumsized properly.

Sliders are inexpensive to buy, and I look after my gear. If something is failing, I replace it. Haven't had to do that yet with any sliders on any pedal I've built.

A blast from the past - stage friendly (but inherently unreliable) slide switches. Below knob level, and usually require more force to actuate than a toggle. If only there were reliable enclosed sliders...

[Gladmarr]

Two things:

1) I've always whacked the singer with my guitar when he/she gets near my pedals.  Two or three nasty bruises on the temple and the singer will learn.    Maybe then the singer will help carry some gear.  HA! 

2) I've had massive problems with slider switches, they're only held together by four little tabs.  If you step on the switch, the tabs expand and the mechanism drops out through the back.  They're not totally bomb-proof, unfortunately.

[ulysses]

i think they are fine if they are away from the foot switch

you do have to ask though - how hard are you kicking your pedals - that you break the knobs off!

perhaps its time to invest in a switching board for your pedals - its easy to make one and wont cost you a fortune to repair when you kick the shit out of it.

cheers
ulysses

[Meanderthal]

 I drop mine now and then... it happens. Get knocked off table... someone plunks a mic stand down on yer pedalboard... Plenty of other ways to abuse em besides with yer foot.

[ADR]

That's why i put them on the side of the  hammond box. They are plenty safe there when everthing is secured on my pedalboard. I put them there with that very intention.

If the pedals were unmounted or if the switches were placed on top near the stomper, then ya, they'd be prone to damage.

Putting delicate switches in harms way is just... dumb.

2) I've had massive problems with slider switches, they're only held together by four little tabs.  If you step on the switch, the tabs expand and the mechanism drops out through the back.  They're not totally bomb-proof, unfortunately.

[Dragonfly]

Like the Blackstone Mosfet OD, set with your "pick" and forget !!

Yep...I like that setup too.

AC

[ulysses]

That's why i put them on the side of the  hammond box. They are plenty safe there when everthing is secured on my pedalboard. I put them there with that very intention.

i think switches on the side of a pedal are ridiculously ugly.

really really bad symmetery.

cheers
ulysses

[ADR]

That's IT?!  Is that the best argument?
When does symmetry of cosmetics become a deciding factor for gigging stompboxes?

Or did a switch-on-the-side do something bad to you?

Cheers

That's why i put them on the side of the  hammond box. They are plenty safe there when everthing is secured on my pedalboard. I put them there with that very intention.

i think switches on the side of a pedal are ridiculously ugly.

really really bad symmetery.

cheers
ulysses

[ulysses]

When does symmetry of cosmetics become a deciding factor for gigging stompboxes?

its a factor for me - bad symmetry just doesnt sit well with me (pun intended) - i wouldnt buy anything with bad symmetry becasue i wouldnt feel right about it.

on the other hand - some people have no concept of symmetry and really couldnt care less - you dont have to look far to see many examples of diy symmetry nightmares - my lord there are some nightmares out there - from pedals to houses and everything diy in between!!

"im going to customise it to just the way i like it, im going to have the knob sticking out of the corner!"

cheers
ulysses

[ADR]

Do you really feel a need to impose your sensibilities? Does it bother you THAT much? Sheesh.

"diy symmetry nightmares."

wow.

There's the anti-welcome-wagon full barrels blazing without even _seeing_ anything.

When does symmetry of cosmetics become a deciding factor for gigging stompboxes?

its a factor for me - bad symmetry just doesnt sit well with me (pun intended) - i wouldnt buy anything with bad symmetry becasue i wouldnt feel right about it.

on the other hand - some people have no concept of symmetry and really couldnt care less - you dont have to look far to see many examples of diy symmetry nightmares - my lord there are some nightmares out there - from pedals to houses and everything diy in between!!

"im going to customise it to just the way i like it, im going to have the knob sticking out of the corner!"

cheers
ulysses

[bluesdevil]

Actually, using the slide switches sounds like a good idea.... I need to look into experimenting with cutting out the holes neatly and see what configurations they come in. I'm just really used to dealing with that one toggle switch hole.
     I know this is one hellava blood boiling opionated debate about these switches, but let's put aside are differences and try understand our point of views in a polite and civil manner and maybe we can all learn something... BUT, I still feel you should feel free to whip and thrash your singer to death for steppin' on your boxes.

[ulysses]

Do you really feel a need to impose your sensibilities? Does it bother you THAT much? Sheesh.

just expressing my opinion

Putting delicate switches in harms way is just... dumb.

as you did

my post was written in good humor.. obviously not read that way though..

cheers
ulysses

[petemoore]

  I'd like to put a scale model of a switch [shown mounted on a board on a wall, in Frankenstein], on top of the box.
 A pole being a blade between throw wipers L/R.
 Dern DIST+, BTW, has a full length toggle, it was between some knobs, still works,  reliably-dodge-ily, only makes funny noises or cuts out when I don't switch it right the first time or have to diddle with it..
 And the one I had offset [1/2 way back] to the SSw on a two knob box..well I drilled that hole to SSw size, and put a 3pdt there.
 I thought:
 I wouldn't need to stomp that circuit bypassed [true].
 The switch would work for a 'while' [not true].
 It looks like the lever has firm stops limiting throw range, but I have...a good number of little blue-ies with blown something, either the lever breaks off [and seems limp even when pushed with a pick from side to side], or the back blows off [sometimes, can be tightened back down using the tabs, other times they're de-sprung-ed..].
 Too bad they're not warrantied, that way I could pass the faulty switch warranty papers around to all interested parties while explaining the failure.