Momentary Switch

[GuyaGuy]

i have a few FX boxes (mostly boss) which can be used with a momentary footswitch for tap tempo and the like.
does anyone have a diagram for a universal one or know of one online?
i've checked geofex to no avail, so i'd appreciate some help! and don't tell me to buy one cuz that takes all the fun out of it!!

[wolf]

Well I guess someone should reply to your question.
Could you be more specific as to what you want?
Also what is "tap tempo"?

[GuyaGuy]

hey, wolf.
tap tempo is a function of some newer fancy-schmancy effects pedals that allow you to determine the tempo of the effect by tapping a switch. the time between the first and second tap is your tempo, e.g. your delay time, your rise and fall of the phaser, etc.
many boss pedals have a tap tempo mode but it's difficult to get into and out of. BUT they have a jack for connecting a momentary (non-latching) switch.

would i just need a non-latching stomp switch connected to a jack in a box? (yes, pun intended! )

[StratLover]

Good one "Guya" (Jack-in-a-Box)----Ha-Ha-Haaaa!!!

If I am thinking on the same lines as you are, we're talking about going through the E.G.-Out or DIRECT-Out on the pedals and then from the momentary on through the chain of effects. {Step--ON, Release--OFF}

If YES then I would think a switch would be ALL that is needed unless you choose to have outlets for ALL of your effects from the "Jack-in-a-Box". ;D

Lets say 6 effects from one main line, all going to the "Jack-in-a-Box" then out from the "Jack-in-a-Box". Effects could be set and either run in line or in a split series so you could adapt the "Jack-in-a-Box" for a burst of Chorus etc.

This sounds like a KILLER idea, and ALL the Boss(tm) pedals are equipped with a secondary outlet for just such purpose.

You gonna build it?------If so, from aluminum.......or what?

[bam]

You can use sustain pedals for electronic keyboards/synths. Even the cheapest one will do.

In Indonesia, there's a lot of local manufacturers replicating the Roland (forgot what series), hard plastic casing and solid aluminium bar (replicating a center piano pedal) which sells such things for about $10 each.

[GuyaGuy]

StratLover, that's not was i was talking about but it's not a bad idea! one of the nice things about multi fx units is that you can switch from no fx to od/flange/delay in one stomp. what you're talking about would be a good way of getting that w/ individual stompboxes.

basically, i'm wanting to connect a non-latching pedal to my stompboxes--the kind that bam is talking about. boss pedals have a jack to connect that kind of pedal, like on the ph-3 (on right side below input):
www.bossus.com/index.asp?pg=1&tmp=12

roland and others make em but i don't trust some of em. PLUS i was planning to have 3 cables coming from one pedal so i can use that one non-latching pedal for all 3 pedals that i have w/ tap tempo capabilities. clever? i thought so too!
i have 2 AB boxes, one one of which i'm planning to convert to an aby box (as in another thread). the other i want to convert into a non-latching pedal for tap tempo.

as far as i know i just need to connect a non-latching switch to 3 jacks in a box. if anyone knows otherwise, let me know!

[wolf]

If you are going to have 1 switch control the "tap tempo" for 3 different boxes wouldn't that 1 switch always affect the 3 stomp boxes each time?

And another question - what is a non-latching switch?

[GuyaGuy]

yes, wolf, it would. that's why i want to set it up like that: automatic synchronisation! but also if i don't want one effect to be affected, i just need to unplug that cable. i mostly want it set up like this so that i'll need only one non-latching switch. (i have way too many pedals so space is precious on my board!)
non-latching switch: i'm only semi-literate electronically speaking so i'll let others do the talking for me:
>>Latching means that you hit the switch and it changes from "off" to "on" until you hit it again, a non-latching switch is only "on" as long as you hold it down<<
also:
www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/relays/relays_for_switching_audio_signa.htm
i believe stompboxes and AB boxes have latching. (my AB box can be used for tap tempo but i'd have to tap 4 times rather than twice. )

[wolf]

A non-latching switch is what I call a momentary switch. (A doorbell "button" is a good example of this).
I tried looking at various effects but couldn't find the information I needed to answer your question. Basically, do some effects pedals (stomp boxes) have an input for a second switch to control the "tap tempo"?

[GuyaGuy]

Basically, do some effects pedals (stomp boxes) have an input for a second switch to control the "tap tempo"?

yes.

GuyaGuy said:

hey, wolf.
tap tempo is a function of some newer fancy-schmancy effects pedals that allow you to determine the tempo of the effect by tapping a switch. the time between the first and second tap is your tempo, e.g. your delay time, your rise and fall of the phaser, etc.
many boss pedals have a tap tempo mode but it's difficult to get into and out of. BUT they have a jack for connecting a momentary (non-latching) switch.

you can see the jack on the right in this pic:
www.bossus.com/index.asp?pg=1&tmp=12
this is the switch that boss makes to plug into it:
www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/fg=102/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/421382/

[wolf]

Okay here is a diagram I just drew.



Granted it is pretty simplistic but it shows you how you could "rig" one switch box to control the "tap tempo" of 3 effects pedals. As far as the SPST momentary pushbutton switch you could use this one from Radio Shack:
www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=275-609
Of course, it is NOT made for rugged "stomping" on-stage use. You could always try using a doorbell button as a switch. (No joking). It would work and might be a little more substantial.
As far as one switch controlling all 3 boxes simultaneously, I have no idea how it might interact with the effects. I know you'd like all 3 synchronized but it might not be possible. If anything you could make 1 switch per output jack (3 switches in one box) and it woulf be MUCH cheaper than buying 3 of those BOSS switch boxes.

[bam]

if it's that diagram you're using, you could even mod a Roland non-latching pedal. If you simply don't like Roland, get a Korg or Yamaha. Nice units, too.
(I recommend factory-built pedals since I think we can't DIY one as good <a.k.a.solid> as theirs)

(but, why don't trust Roland if trust Boss )

[wolf]

bam
Certainly using that Radio Shack push button switch would make it quite vulnerable to damage. A cheap solution might be to use an old (and broken) wah wah pedal. I've heard that guitar shops have plenty of these lying around and you could get one relative cheaply.

2 holes are already drilled in them and adding a 3rd (or even a 4th) should be no problem. (I've seriously rewired my wah pedal including mounting the jacks in front. The metal is called die-cast and is relatively easy to drill).

As for the momentary switch? Well again maybe the Radio Shack push button switch previously mentioned could be substituted for the SPDT footswitch found in most wah pedals. In this way, your foot won't come in direct contact with the delicate switch and it wouldn't be too much trouble to arrange the wah pedal to prevent it from depressing the switch too far.

Just a thought. Hey, we are the GuitarNuts™ and so we must be resourceful.

[GuyaGuy]

wolf:
thanks a lot for drawing the schematic! i appreciate it! it is simplistic, but i think that's all i need! i'll check radio shack's switch and see how sturdy it is. i might have to buy a regular stompbox switch. they're more expensive, but i can swing the $15 for the project since i'm re-using parts i have already for everything else!

i just did a test with my AB box, which, as i mentioned, can be used for tap tempo but you have to stomp 4 times. i connected 2 cables from the input jacks to the tap tempo/footswitch jacks on both the PH-3 and DD-20 delay pedals and it seems to synch them up! so if i rig it up like yr diagram it should work perfectly! thanks again!
(btw, the cool thing about the DD-20 is you can select quarter note, 3/4 notes, triplets, etc. so with this tap tempo box, i can have a superlong phase as long as a whole note combined with perfectly synched quarter note delay!! extravagant? yes, but why the %*#@ not?!)

bam: i don't mistrust roland or boss. it's just that i need a sturdy switch and box i can rely on. i've not seen the boss FS switches in shops so i don't know how they're made, if they'll hold up, or even if they're made of metal. i'm using rugged AB boxes (DOD and another brand, i forgot which) and jacks, so it's all good sturdy stuff. i guess the only thing i'll be adding is the momentary switch. i'd like to find a metal spring-loaded switch that allows you to feel the "click" when stomped for precision tapping. boss pedals usually have plastic ones under the battery cover, which are fine for most stomping, but you can't feel the exact moment that the switch occurs. i know, i'm picky!

[jdtogo]

I would like to just say we are very lucky to have wolf . this guy can whip up a drawing like no one I know . so for all your help wolf thank you . what makes this work we are all working to help each other .

[bam]

I used that Roland fake for KB'ing for 4 years already (I have a KB, too); .. not much damage except scratches and rat-bitten cable..

uh, and wolf, the switch inside that pedal I was talking is a SPDT non-latching, exactly built like in your diagram.

As I've said, you can grab one of those Roland pedals and mod it right away.

Wait for a photo in a few hours, ok ?

[wolf]

jdtogo
Thanks for the compliment.
And I draw all those diagrams with Microsoft Paint !!! Sure it comes free with any version of Windows - but it is well worth the price. ;D

[GuyaGuy]

jdtogo: amen to that, brotha!

wolf: somehow i didn't see yr post before my last reply. but in any case, as i said, i have an AB box that i'm using to make the footswitch. i got it a while back for about $10. it has the 3 jacks, so i just the swtich. and it's smaller than a wah, which is good cuz i don't have room for another big wah on my board! how did i end up with so many pedals?! ;D

however, i am intrigued by the use of those old dead wah pedals as seen on geofex. you can connect a pot to a jack, run a cable to a wah pedal that has the same pot and--hello, expression pedal! (under "FX projects" on www.geofex.com/ )

[StratLover]

Second that "jd"---;D---