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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Re: Stomp box switches?

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5/7/2000 1:07 PM

Steve Daniels (Small Bear Electronics)

Re: Stomp box switches?

Hi Jeff--

It's OK...I myself got the idea for B.O.B. from seeing similar arrangements in commercial pedals.

As R. G. has pointed out, the key to making a B.O.B. actuator work is very careful attention to the mechanical tolerances. Making a drilling template and setting up the board design with a drafting program are mandatory to avoid butchering the case. With these done, you have the essentials of a standard "chassis" applicable to any given box. The positions of the E-switch part and the controls are fixed by the drafting program, and you design the rest of the board around them.

I already have drilling templates available for the Jameco #11965 box and the "Bear Face" PC board dimensions, and I will be doing same for the "Wild Mouse" board. Sooner or later, I or someone else will work out the dimensions for B.O.B. in the standard Hammond box. Waaay down the road, I hope to have enough capital to have a contract shop design a kit for me that uses the B.O.B. method. Meanwhile, have a good time learning to sweat solder...

5/7/2000 4:23 PM

Steve,

I've been looking at your B.O.B. and doing some brainstorming. The ideas that I've come up with are still really rough, but I think that there may be an easier way to accomplish this (less labor intensive). I'm also a bit weary of mounting the switch directly on the board, for durability's sake. Did you try any other designs before arriving at the one posted; if so what kind of stuff did you try (ie: what were the failed/reject designs, so I can avoid repeating mistakes). Any info would be helpful. If I get something together that works well I'll post the results. Thanks and take it easy.

Jeff S.

PS, I started sweating solder about a year ago now

5/7/2000 11:21 PM
Ivan	I saw dpdt Footswitches on my local electronics shop that have kind of M letter and made in Japan texts on it. Do anyone know who have made these switches and are they good? They are something like $10 (50 finish marks) so not so cheap but on the other hand not so expencive. Thanks all of you, Ivan

5/8/2000 2:56 PM
R.G.	Not a bad price at all.

5/14/2000 6:59 PM

Ivan,

I use these switches you describe, with kind of a big M on top and made in Japan...I order these from Maplin in the UK (http://www.maplin.co.uk order number FH93B for 4,9Ł Uk pounds a piece)
You can go to the Maplin website, type in the order code and you get a picture.
I can't tell you anything about reliability though, I just starting building my own effects, and all the seven times I've stomped on these switches, they worked :-)

:-)

I just ordered a shitload of these, so they better be good.
If these are the same switches you are talking about then $10 is way to much, 4,9Ł UK pounds is equivalent to $7,4 US dollars...try Maplin, they are really fast with deliveries.

Peter.

5/14/2000 8:03 PM
Stuart	Re: Maplin stomp switch reliabilty They're not bad - I've only had one fail in 9 years. They feel a bit sloppy compared to a Carling, but no worse than those cheap Arrow ones. Beware of Maplin's order packers - I've had to return incorrect parts a few times, so check everything carefully...

5/19/2000 12:32 PM
Jamie	I could swear I've seen a switch like that in an Orange Sunshine pedal. JT

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