Post by ChrisK on Feb 1, 2006 19:50:39 GMT -5
The ToggleCaster Wiring Scheme
Chris Kikta ©2005, 2006, 2007
Combinations;
1. B
2. M
3. N
4. B+M
5. B+N
6. M+N
7. B+M+N
8. B*M
9. B*N
10. M*N
11. B*M*N
With the drive switch option in series;
12. B+(M*N)
13. N+(M*B)
With the drive switch option in parallel;
14. (B+M)*N
15. (N+M)*B
It won't do;
M+(B*N)
or
M*(B+N)
and either the neck or bridge in series alone will be OFF (if the drive switch is set to series dominance).
This is a switching scheme that realizes many of the possible combinations of three PUs. It realizes the traditional parallel combinations in a user-intuitive method using two DP3T ON-ON-ON mini-toggles for the bridge and neck PUs (aka as SP3T from the appliance/fan control industry where three disparate power coils could be selected) and a 3PDT mini-toggle for the middle PU, as well as many series combinations.
I chose to have the middle switch position on the ON-ON-ON switches to be the PU OFF position (necessary since this switch really can only switch one thing at a time as it moves throughout its travel). When the switch bat is toward the strings (up/inward), the PARALLEL configuration is selected. Conversely, when the bat is toward the edge of the body (down/outward), the SERIES configuration is selected. Note that parallel configurations are asynchronous/logical OR’s (any PU selected for parallel is generally in parallel regardless of any others) whereas series configurations are synchronous/logical AND’s (generally at least one other PU has to also be configured for series, or the middle selected on). There are exceptions and structure limitations which led to the use of an additional DRIVE structure switch. Also, since this is a simple scheme with simple switches, the middle PU has only ON and OFF positions. Each end of the middle PU inherits its structure from that PU. In other words, when the bridge PU is in parallel, the bottom lead of the middle PU will go to common when on. If the bridge PU is in series, the bottom lead of the middle PU will be in series with the bridge upper lead when on.
I do have a three rotary switch scheme (one per PU) that realizes ALL (but two) possible combinations inclusive of phase, but costs about $80 in switches alone. (The RotoCaster.)
Also note that when OFF, both the neck and bridge PUs are shorted. I’m NOT a fan of doing this, it was necessary to realize the scheme without the use of 4P3T ON-ON-ON switches (which ARE available for about $20, from digikey.com) or the Kent Armstrong “special switch” available from WD (which is NOT actually necessary to do the Brian May series/phase scheme with only three switches (it can be done w/ just three of the DP3T ON-ON-ON mini-toggles). It may be possible to disassemble a DP3T (ON-ON-ON) and a DPDT CO (ON-OFF-ON) (from the same manufacturer of course) and rebuild two switches each with half of each.
An interesting result of such personal blasphemy (coil shorting) was the proof of sustain/tone theft by shorted PU (or humbuckers) coils (A/B comparison was immediate). I’d have the neck or bridge PU only on in “parallel”, pluck a note, and switch the other PU between “off” (shorted) and “series (open, without so enabled neighbors).
This scheme does indeed do most of the possible combinations but not all. Middle * (bridge + neck) and middle + (bridge * neck) are not realized. Some combinations were problematic in that the actual structure position of a particular PU is not just determined by that PU, but is inherited in a situational manner from the selected modes of all other active neighbors.
The DRIVE switch(s) essentially determine whether the outside (bridge or neck) PUs when in PARALLEL are placed across the output (as in + N) or across the middle PU (as in B * [M + N]). There is a tonal difference in that if one were to assume that all three PUs had a 3 Henry inductance, the former results in a combined inductance of 2 Henries and the latter of 4.5 Henries.
Many choices are available in switch selection. A simple DPDT for the DRIVE switch (if even used) is, well simple. I prefer an ON-ON-ON in that I can select drive differences on a neck/none/bridge basis. A push-pull pot on the volume control is a good place for this function since some volume changes are inherent in this mode’s use anyway. I used DPDT switches for PU phase reversal (I reversed the neck and middle since it was a Telecaster and didn’t want to mess with the bridge ground). Of course, push-pull pots (the tone pots on a Stratocaster are good candidates) are equally viable. Note that only N-1 PUs need phase reversal, reversing all is redundant. I find that reversing the middle PU’s phase in conjunction with one other is more flexible than reversing the neck and bridge if the other is already selected for reversal and three PUs are active. The middle phase switch allows single movement selection of bridge dominant or neck dominant tones.
The TeleToggleCaster
This scheme was originally prototyped in a MIM Nashville Power Telecaster. This guitar has three single coil PU’s and a Fishman Powerbridge/Powerchip.
The switches from upper left to lower right are:
piezo phase
mag drive
middle phase
neck phase,
mag/both/piezo
bridge P/O/S
middle ON/OFF
neck P/O/S
The pots are the same as factory original.
The 3/16” aluminum handle is for sight-unaided hand/switch registration.
Chris Kikta ©2005, 2006, 2007
Combinations;
1. B
2. M
3. N
4. B+M
5. B+N
6. M+N
7. B+M+N
8. B*M
9. B*N
10. M*N
11. B*M*N
With the drive switch option in series;
12. B+(M*N)
13. N+(M*B)
With the drive switch option in parallel;
14. (B+M)*N
15. (N+M)*B
It won't do;
M+(B*N)
or
M*(B+N)
and either the neck or bridge in series alone will be OFF (if the drive switch is set to series dominance).
This is a switching scheme that realizes many of the possible combinations of three PUs. It realizes the traditional parallel combinations in a user-intuitive method using two DP3T ON-ON-ON mini-toggles for the bridge and neck PUs (aka as SP3T from the appliance/fan control industry where three disparate power coils could be selected) and a 3PDT mini-toggle for the middle PU, as well as many series combinations.
I chose to have the middle switch position on the ON-ON-ON switches to be the PU OFF position (necessary since this switch really can only switch one thing at a time as it moves throughout its travel). When the switch bat is toward the strings (up/inward), the PARALLEL configuration is selected. Conversely, when the bat is toward the edge of the body (down/outward), the SERIES configuration is selected. Note that parallel configurations are asynchronous/logical OR’s (any PU selected for parallel is generally in parallel regardless of any others) whereas series configurations are synchronous/logical AND’s (generally at least one other PU has to also be configured for series, or the middle selected on). There are exceptions and structure limitations which led to the use of an additional DRIVE structure switch. Also, since this is a simple scheme with simple switches, the middle PU has only ON and OFF positions. Each end of the middle PU inherits its structure from that PU. In other words, when the bridge PU is in parallel, the bottom lead of the middle PU will go to common when on. If the bridge PU is in series, the bottom lead of the middle PU will be in series with the bridge upper lead when on.
I do have a three rotary switch scheme (one per PU) that realizes ALL (but two) possible combinations inclusive of phase, but costs about $80 in switches alone. (The RotoCaster.)
Also note that when OFF, both the neck and bridge PUs are shorted. I’m NOT a fan of doing this, it was necessary to realize the scheme without the use of 4P3T ON-ON-ON switches (which ARE available for about $20, from digikey.com) or the Kent Armstrong “special switch” available from WD (which is NOT actually necessary to do the Brian May series/phase scheme with only three switches (it can be done w/ just three of the DP3T ON-ON-ON mini-toggles). It may be possible to disassemble a DP3T (ON-ON-ON) and a DPDT CO (ON-OFF-ON) (from the same manufacturer of course) and rebuild two switches each with half of each.
An interesting result of such personal blasphemy (coil shorting) was the proof of sustain/tone theft by shorted PU (or humbuckers) coils (A/B comparison was immediate). I’d have the neck or bridge PU only on in “parallel”, pluck a note, and switch the other PU between “off” (shorted) and “series (open, without so enabled neighbors).
This scheme does indeed do most of the possible combinations but not all. Middle * (bridge + neck) and middle + (bridge * neck) are not realized. Some combinations were problematic in that the actual structure position of a particular PU is not just determined by that PU, but is inherited in a situational manner from the selected modes of all other active neighbors.
The DRIVE switch(s) essentially determine whether the outside (bridge or neck) PUs when in PARALLEL are placed across the output (as in + N) or across the middle PU (as in B * [M + N]). There is a tonal difference in that if one were to assume that all three PUs had a 3 Henry inductance, the former results in a combined inductance of 2 Henries and the latter of 4.5 Henries.
Many choices are available in switch selection. A simple DPDT for the DRIVE switch (if even used) is, well simple. I prefer an ON-ON-ON in that I can select drive differences on a neck/none/bridge basis. A push-pull pot on the volume control is a good place for this function since some volume changes are inherent in this mode’s use anyway. I used DPDT switches for PU phase reversal (I reversed the neck and middle since it was a Telecaster and didn’t want to mess with the bridge ground). Of course, push-pull pots (the tone pots on a Stratocaster are good candidates) are equally viable. Note that only N-1 PUs need phase reversal, reversing all is redundant. I find that reversing the middle PU’s phase in conjunction with one other is more flexible than reversing the neck and bridge if the other is already selected for reversal and three PUs are active. The middle phase switch allows single movement selection of bridge dominant or neck dominant tones.
The TeleToggleCaster
This scheme was originally prototyped in a MIM Nashville Power Telecaster. This guitar has three single coil PU’s and a Fishman Powerbridge/Powerchip.
The switches from upper left to lower right are:
piezo phase
mag drive
middle phase
neck phase,
mag/both/piezo
bridge P/O/S
middle ON/OFF
neck P/O/S
The pots are the same as factory original.
The 3/16” aluminum handle is for sight-unaided hand/switch registration.
