Kill switch help?

[digitalaudioshop]

(moved to Electronics by sumgai - it's not about guitars. )

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Hello all. I have not much knowledge of electronics, but what I want to do is simple enough it seems. I want to install a momentary kill switch in my Strat.

Could someone advise me on this? I understand that it must go between the volume pot and the output, but I'm not sure if just the lead wire needs to be soldered on, or the lead and the ground wire? And how exactly? I don't really have any experience with electronics in this way, so I'm not entirely sure of the soldering process (which prongs of the switch to use, etc).

Your help is greatly appreciated.

[UnklMickey]

Welcome to GuitarNuts2.

Most guitars with a single volume control will have the wiper (middle) lug of the volume pot feeding the output jack. If you connect the 2 wires from the kill switch to that lug and the ccw lug of the volume pot, the signal will be shorted to ground when the switch is pressed.

It's a little different for LPs with 2 volume controls.

[sumgai]

das,

I also welcome you to the Forums.

If you simply interrupt the guitar's output signal, then any amplifier noise will become obnoxiously apparent, because the guitar's tone usually over-rides that noise. The proper method for installing a kill switch is to ground the signal going out of the guitar, so that the amp goes quiet.

That means that you need only connect the switch across the output jack, thus shorting the signal to ground. One lead from each of the jack's two terminals to the corresponding switch terminals, and you're all done.

And this works on any guitar. Well, any guitar with a standard ¼" jack, that is. (Other output options require a bit more work.)

HTH


sumgai

[digitalaudioshop]

Fantastic. And thank you for the warm welcome. This seems like a great place for discussion and learning.

I'm not too savvy on electronics and wiring. A computer, I can tear apart, but otherwise, not so great. So I'm not very familiar with these terms, but by looking at the wiring in the guitar, I think I'm figuring it out.

So to make sure I have this right:

There are two wires going from the ouput jack to the volume pot. One is white, one is black. The white is the hot wire, the black is ground. So I simply cut the wires, and then solder both of them on the two prongs of the switch.

Question about it though - I solder each wire from both cut ends to the same prong, correct? For example, I cut the hot wire, and then solder each cut end onto the same prong of the switch. Then I cut the ground wire and solder each cut end onto the same prong. I know solder carries a current, so I was wondering of the signal would be carried through the other end of the wire through the solder even if the switch is pressed?

Picture of the switch for reference:
<a href="http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2160449w345.jpg">Momentary switch</a>

Oh, one more thing! Does the quality of the switch matter? Will it effect noise when used, or signal quality in general? Is a RadioShack a little too cheap and low quality?

Thank you all, once again.

[digitalaudioshop]

Sorry. I just looked back at what you said, and saw that you said only one of the wires.

Cutting wires in my guitars just makes me a nervous wreck.

So I cut that wire (the ground?), and connect each cut end to the separate prongs of the switch?

[michaelcbell]

Let me clarify - You need to connect the two wires coming from the jack when the switch is engaged. Think of it this way: you're not disconnecting the wiring in the guitar with the kill switch, you're bypassing it.

[sumgai]

Or to clarify even more clearly......

The kill switch is in addition to all other wiring, it replaces nothing, and it is inserted between no other wires. Take the following steps, in order:

a) Solder an additional wire to the hot lead of the jack (presumably the white wire's terminal, but it really doesn't matter what the color is);

b) Run the other end of that wire to one terminal of the switch;

c) Solder another wire to the ground lead of the jack;

d) Run that to the remaining switch terminal;

e) Solder both wires on their respective switch terminals, and

[glow=red,2,300]PRESTO![/glow]
You now have a bona fide kill switch. ;D

A diagram would probably do wonders right about now, but pictorial diagrams are not my forté, sorry to say. Perhaps michael, or even JohnH can make one up for us. (Pretty please? )

HTH


sumgai

[digitalaudioshop]

It all makes sense to me now. I'm glad I came here before trying stuff out. Other forums gave me the advice of putting it between the volume pot and the output jack on the hot wire itself. I had several reservations about doing that, so I'm glad I asked. I don't know much about this stuff, but some sort of instinct (I guess) warned me.

Final questions -

1. Now does it matter which end of the ground and hot I wire the switch to? In other words, can I wire both to the corresponding connections on the volume pot? Or, should I, for example, wire the hot to the corresponding volume pot lug, and the ground to the corresponding output jack lug?

2. I need a normally open switch, correct?

3. I'm now trying to decide between a momentary switch or a latching switch. As guitarists, what do you think?

Momentary - Easier to tap faster, not as easily hit while strumming.

Latching - Probably easier to control as far as making stabs of sound, tremolo style. Seems it might be easier to switch on in rhythm of what one wants, than releasing a button in accordance with the rhythm.

Another idea on latching - If I get a latching switch, I was thinking of getting a three-way switch. That way, I could have the up and down position as being active, and only the middle position as dead. In case i were to hit it while strumming, there would be better chances that it would be knocked into an on-position. What do you think?

And if I use this, what would the wiring difference be? Just having two hot connection in the correct positions, and one to ground for the middle position?

[UnklMickey]

digitalaudioshop said:

Final questions -

1. Now does it matter which end of the ground and hot I wire the switch to? In other words, can I wire both to the corresponding connections on the volume pot? Or, should I, for example, wire the hot to the corresponding volume pot lug, and the ground to the corresponding output jack lug?

2. I need a normally open switch, correct?

3. I'm now trying to decide between a momentary switch or a latching switch. As guitarists, what do you think?

Momentary - Easier to tap faster, not as easily hit while strumming.

Latching - Probably easier to control as far as making stabs of sound, tremolo style. Seems it might be easier to switch on in rhythm of what one wants, than releasing a button in accordance with the rhythm.

Another idea on latching - If I get a latching switch, I was thinking of getting a three-way switch. That way, I could have the up and down position as being active, and only the middle position as dead. In case i were to hit it while strumming, there would be better chances that it would be knocked into an on-position. What do you think?

And if I use this, what would the wiring difference be? Just having two hot connection in the correct positions, and one to ground for the middle position?

• 1 - the idea here is that you shunt the signal when in the kill mode.
  that means the 2 wires from the switch connect to the hot output and a ground.
  you could just connect the 2 wires to the 2 connections of the output jack.
  if you are dealing with a guitar that has a single volume control, especially a strat, this will be much easier to connect the wires at the volume control.
  
  
• 2 - YES
  
  
• 3 - a SPST mini-toggle (either N.O.momentary or standard) or a N.O. pushbutton will work. If you want to use a 3 position mini-toggle, and have the center position being the kill, you will need a special switch. a DPDT on-on-on. the wiring of the switch will also be a little bit more complicated, but not terribly so. I think my choice would be a mini-toggle momentary.
  

[michaelcbell]

I'll totally agree with Unk,

1- on a strat, it would be much easier to insert the switch at the volume, and it works the same way, so why not?

3- I had a thought. if you used a 3 way toggle (on-on-momentary on type giving you off-on-momentary off), with the momentary side pushing down, you could have in some ways the best of both latching and momentary.

[digitalaudioshop]

Fantastic. Thank you all so much.

Interesting idea, as well, which the toggle switch.

I think I'm going to try to momentary button first though, as I think I will be able to use it faster.

You are all very helpful. I do appreciate it.

[ltb]

A momentary pushbutton will only kill the signal while you are holding it. You can get a Push on/Push off pushbutton then just slap it to kill signal then slap it again to work normally again.