BigRedX Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I'm making a kill switch foot pedal for my Theremin. I have all the bits but no suitable enclosure to put it in. Last time I needed to make something like this (in the early 80s) Maplins used to sell a suitable foot-switch style box made of ABS Plastic (or something similar) with a sloping surface for the switch and a heavy duty non-slip rubber surface on the bottom. Of course now I can't find anything suitable. Anyone know where I can an enclosure of the type described above? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwood662 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Does it have to be plastic? Maplin do a metal box I'm using to build a pedal, similar in size to the zvex enclosures that might fit the bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 Can you provide a link? I couldn't see anything foot-switch shaped on the Maplins site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwood662 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1751"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1751[/url] More specifically it's the LH70 I'm using. The pictures on the maplin site don't do it justice, it looks exactly the same dimensions as the one zvex use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 That doesn't appear to be very foot-switch shaped? Looks just like a rectangular box to me. Am I looking at the right thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Heeley Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) most of my stompboxes are rectangle-shaped, these are the standard enclosures used by home-build pedal makers. Does it HAVE to be sloping? GU62S is the box I normally use. Edited July 17, 2010 by Al Heeley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Get the cast cover from the side of a motorbike engine, that would be cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 In the days when I used to build my own pedals - late 70s/early 80s there were plenty of sloping enclosures specifically designed to build pedals in. It seems that these are no longer 'cool'. If I'd wanted a plain rectangular box I had plenty to chose from when I was in Maplins this morning buying all the other bits. Personally I expect my foot pedal enclosures to be reasonably ergonomic and foot-friendly. Is this a thing of the past? I find most 'boutique' pedals unbelievably unergonomic and ugly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackLondon Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Will this do : [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1681"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1681[/url] Or this : [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1694"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1694[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 Thanks. The top one would be perfect - except that it's tiny! I saw the second type when I was in Maplins yesterday. Not bad, except I doubt it would take the battering it would get as a foot switch. The irritating thing about this is, that if I wanted to build it in an ordinary rectangular box I could have bought one ready made for less than what it would have cost me in time and components... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackLondon Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Well, if you can't find what you're looking for readily available then I suggest getting in contact with a workshop that can do that sort of thing for you, it shouldn't cost much and would take no longer than 30 minutes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardH Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 (edited) Has [url="http://www.doctortweek.co.uk/"]Doctor Tweek[/url] got what you're after? EDIT - no it looks like he doesn't (just read your thread properly!) CPC used to stock loads of those angled enclosures... off to have a look now.... How about [url="http://cpc.farnell.com/_/115p-5/abs-desktop-instrument-enclosure/dp/EN55637"]these[/url] or [url="http://cpc.farnell.com/_/115-5/abs-desktop-instrument-enclosure/dp/EN55641"]these[/url] Edited July 20, 2010 by RichardH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackLondon Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 There's also this but with postage will be a bit steep : [url="http://www.musikding.de/index.php/cat/c206_Plastics-enclosures.html"]http://www.musikding.de/index.php/cat/c206...enclosures.html[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mottlefeeder Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 I've also been looking, on the basis that someone must be making the pedal enclosures that the manufacturers use. No joy - googling 'foot pedal' brings up things like industrial foot switches, etc. One possibility would be to buy two die-cast rectangular enclosures, cut and re-join them to make the shape you want, and use car body filler to smooth over the join Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackLondon Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Well most manufacturers (big companies) will buy in bulk and have stuff custom made to their spec, the smaller boutique builders will use what the market has or at a push go for custom to be 'different''. The US also has a much better supply of things like that in general, even when it comes to painted rectangular enclosures they have so many more options available... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daquifsta Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 (edited) Just buy a complete footswitch from one of the cheaper amp manufacturers, like this [url="http://www.dv247.com/amplifiers/epiphone-2-button-amplifier-footswitch--59811"]http://www.dv247.com/amplifiers/epiphone-2...otswitch--59811[/url] Rework/ repaint as required. (That looks identical to the one that came with my Marshall, in all but name!) Edit: even cheaper :-) [url="http://www.dv247.com/amplifiers/marshall-pedl10008-single-footswitch--54660"]http://www.dv247.com/amplifiers/marshall-p...otswitch--54660[/url] Edited July 22, 2010 by Daquifsta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 22, 2010 Author Share Posted July 22, 2010 What a brilliant bit of lateral thinking! There I was not seeing it because I was too focussed on the fact that these boxes used to exist and now they don't seem to. Off to order the Marshall single footswitch now... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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