BOSS and Ibanez Spare Parts

[smallbearelec]

Roland will not sell that little thumbscrew that holds the pedal actuator in place in bulk at a reasonable wholesale. This got me annoyed enough to cobble a replacement, so here is what I did:



1. Stick a piece of clear tape down to a sheet of paper, sticky-side up. You can also use double-sided tape if you have it. The "mold" is a 1/4" long piece, cut from a McDonald's drinking straw.

2.  Mix of very small amount of J-B Weld epoxy, only enough to fill the bottom of the mold. Use a steel pick or toothpick to load enough of the filler into the mold to cover the bottom. Give this a few minutes to set.

3. The screw shown is an M3 .50 pitch, 16 mm long, which is available in decent hardware stores for about $.15.  Clean the head with a little acetone, mix another small amount of epoxy, and dip the screw head in to cover it thoroughly. Carefully stick the screw head into the mold. You may need to add a little more epoxy to completely fill the mold. Hold the screw vertical long enough for the epoxy to set, usually no more than a couple of minutes. Let harden several hours.

4. With a razor blade or knife, slice the mold and remove it from the piece.

5. Use a knife and/or a small file to clean up and provide a reasonably flat surface where the screw enters the top.

I realize that it might seem like a good deal of trouble.  However, if you already have the materials around and just need the screw, it does work.

The most common request that I get for a replacement part for Ibanez pedals is the tiny little tactile switch that is soldered to the PC board under the actuator on the pedal.  Again, the manufacturer won't sell this to me.  If you have successfully done this repair and know a part number for a suitable replacement for the switch, please let me know.  I will be happy to stock it.

Regards
SD

[Mark Hammer]

Are there not Allen screws that will substitute?  I mean, they may not be the sort of thing you can tighten/loosen with your fingers alone, but it should be possible to find one of the right length and thread and a person can just stick an Allen key in there and pop it open in a jiffy.  There's a fastener place not too far from me.  I'll bring over a Boss pedal and see if they have anything suitable on the weekend.  I'll let you know if it's a go and what the dimensions/specs are.

[Joe Kramer]

Very nice work Steve.  I've been known to experiment with scratch-creating hard-to-find replacement parts myself.  (I wish someone would do a generic knock-off of the DOD battery door, for instance.)  But while I understand the pleasure of the accomplishment, couldn't you have easily got hold of something like this?:

http://www.unicorpinc.com/metric_thumbscrews.htm

[smallbearelec]

couldn't you have easily got hold of something like this?:
http://www.unicorpinc.com/metric_thumbscrews.htm

I could not believe that something like this would be available from stock, so did not do the google search. I will follow up. THANKS!

[smallbearelec]

couldn't you have easily got hold of something like this?:
http://www.unicorpinc.com/metric_thumbscrews.htm

I called them. Most of their stuff is made-to-order, as one might expect. I could get as few as 100 pieces, but close to $5.00 each my cost! 1,000 pieces about $2.75 each, and I expect the price would go down in larger lots. I will call them occasionally and try to "piggy-back" on someone else's order.

SD

[Joe Kramer]

Thanks for the info Steve.  Although "Unicorp" was just the first thing Google handed me, I'm sure somebody out there's got a decent workaround for a decent price.  If I come across something better in my travels, I'll drop you a line. . . .

Joe

[cobra94]

Steve,

After a quick search I found these guys.  They seem more inclined to discount smaller quantities.

http://www.idsmachine.com/thumbindex.html

Cheers,
Peter

[Craig Browning]

I acquired a used a Boss PS-5 with Frozen Thumb Screw.  Fortunate it was Frozen in the "Open" position, so I could test it.  I've tried lubricating the threads, it is as if welded in place.   The plastic knob is still on it I was thinking about trying to salvage the plastic knob and gluing a new screw into it.

I take it, M3 .50 pitch, 16 mm long, is the thread Spec. I should look for?  I usually don't deal with metric hardware.

Might J. B. weld work with attaching a new screw to the the Knob, assuming I can salvage it from the original screw?

I tried contacting Roland, they have never returned my call.

[smallbearelec]

I acquired a used a Boss PS-5 with Frozen Thumb Screw.  I was thinking about trying to salvage the plastic knob and gluing a new screw into it.

I take it, M3 .50 pitch, 16 mm long, is the thread Spec. I should look for?  I usually don't deal with metric hardware.

Yep.

Might J. B. weld work with attaching a new screw to the the Knob, assuming I can salvage it from the original screw?

Maybe, or I did find these:
http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/thumbscrew/

[Electron Tornado]

The most common request that I get for a replacement part for Ibanez pedals is the tiny little tactile switch that is soldered to the PC board under the actuator on the pedal.  Again, the manufacturer won't sell this to me.  If you have successfully done this repair and know a part number for a suitable replacement for the switch, please let me know.  I will be happy to stock it.

Regards
SD

Steve, is this switch for pedals like the TS-9 or the TS-7?

[smallbearelec]

Steve, is this switch for pedals like the TS-9 or the TS-7?

This one:
http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/mountain-sw-101-0621/
is commonly used as a work-around for older TS-9s. The TS-7 uses this:

http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/alps-sppb512300/