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building a foot switch


budget bassist
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Basically i have a guitar amp (i know i know it's not bass but i might venture into the bass FX building world some time) and there's a footswitch jack at the back but no footswitch, and being able to switch channels like that would be very handy for me. My dad is going to give me a hand with the electronics side of things, but i need to find a case for it. Is there a UK based website that supplies pedal components? I know of a couple in the USA but no UK based ones. I've had a look on maplin and had a quick search on here and found a [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=1751"]diecast aluminium enclosure (GU62S)[/url] and it's 112mm long by 62mm wide and 30mm deep, and i was wondering, would that be deep enough to accomodate [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=2362"]this[/url] sort of thing? It says the body of the switch is 21mm deep and the box is 27mm deep inside so i'm guessing that should be alright, but would there be enough room to solder any necessary contacts on? I'm just wondering if there's anywhere else that sells anything slightly more appropriate for my application? I'd rather have something a bit more hefty, say about 15mm x 15mm by about 40mm-50mm deep, but maplin don't seem to do that sort of thing i don't think. Also i'd like to know in case i fancy building anything in the future. Sorry if that was a bit long winded!

Edited by budget bassist
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should be ok if you're tidy with your soldering.

one thought though - i'd be inclined to fit a [url="http://westernhardware.thomasnet.com/ImgMedium/lock%20washer.jpg"]lock washer[/url] inside the box on the switch shaft. hopefully the switch will come with one...if not i think malins sell them.

this may reduce the clearance between the body of the switch and the bottom of the box, but only by a few mm.

don't forget to show us pics !!

Edited by ahpook
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1 - what's your amp and how many functions will the footswitch perform? I have a Laney LC30 and use a standard Marshall footswitch modded with a couple of LEDs to let me know what's happening on a dark stage.
2 - try www.e-fects.co.uk. E probably won't sell you any components, but you can probably get him to make you a switch in one of his stock enclosures for not much money.
3 - if you do want to make your own, you should be able to buy components to go in the case from Maplins, I don't know where you would get the case from.

IMO, there's nowt wrong with one of the Marshall footswitches and they are only about 16 quid. Call me a lazy bastard, but I don't think I could be arsed to make one!

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A couple more things to consider...

First, some amps use momentary foot switches, while others use latching switches. It would be worth checking to see which applies to this amp. Maybe if you post the make/model of amp somebody could confirm what you need.

Also, if the stock foot switch performs more than one function you will need to use a stereo jack on the end of the lead. Using a mono one may short the other function on (or off) – so if you have a foot switchable reverb, for example, you won't be able to turn it off (or on) using the front panel button.

Finally, Banzai Music sell all sorts of pedal parts – they're based in Europe, but ship to the UK:

[url="http://www.banzaieffects.com/"]http://www.banzaieffects.com/[/url]

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Ah thanks guys, i only need to be able to change the channel and that's it, under the output jack for the footswitch it says reverb though, but it's not switchable on the front of the amp so i'm just assuming you can only switch channels.

The amp is a randall RX75R but i might try a marshall one. I'm pretty sure it's [url="http://www.instrumentpro.com/P-RANRF1.html?PHPSESSID=2ca734f8313511a27429f26684cc0aab"]this[/url] footswitch i need, but i can't find it in the UK or be arsed to ship it, though at 10$ it might be worth it, if i can find someone that will ship here.

Oops, just found one [url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop/flypage/product_id/22592/?gclid=CPLew6f-x5YCFQSB1AodBAywwQ"]here[/url], but they're a bit expensive

How do i find out if it's a momentary or latching switch?

Edited by budget bassist
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