I am Making my own 3 way Aux Switch

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    • March 16, 2009 at 4:52 pm #106121
      Hansel
      Member

      I just ordered parts from radio shack to make my very own 3 way Aux Switch with LEd indicators I am just curious to see if anyone else has made their own and if they wanted to post pictures. I will post a picture of mine as soon as the parts get here and I finish it. It cost $37 total, I probably could have gotten it cheaper but I didn't feel like shopping around.

      So $37 for a fully functioning Aux pedal with Led indicators and a Case, did anyone else do it for cheaper?

    • April 29, 2009 at 10:02 pm #118551
      ppboogers
      Member

      hi, i'm curious, where did you get the plan for building the switch? i still haven't taken the time to go forward and make one, i need to.

      many thanks
      walter

    • May 16, 2009 at 4:21 am #118608
      jc_rocks
      Member

      Same Here , would love to see the components and how to…..THX

    • May 17, 2009 at 11:21 pm #118614
      Hansel
      Member

      Here is how I would describe the job using 3 colors of wire and switches #1, #2, #3

      REMEMBER: you must test this using a "1/4" stereo cable" not a regular guitar cord. The plugs on the stereo cable have a sleeve, tip & ring. Plugging a guitar cord into a stereo jack shorts the ring to ground.

      Identify the ground lug on the jack, that is the one that connects to the sleeve of the jack. The tip lug is the one that connects to the long spring contact of the jack. The ring is the remaining one, that connects to the shorter spring contact. The most common mistake is to mis-identify the lugs on the jack.

      1. Solder a black wire to the ground lug of the jack. This is your ground wire.
      2. Solder a black wire to one lug of each of the three switches.
      3. Connect all the black wires together for this I would just use a wire nut. Now all your ground wires are connected.
      4. Solder two red wires to the tip lug of the jack.
      5. Solder two green wires to the ring lug of the jack?
      6. Solder a red wire to the remaining lug of switch #1
      7. Solder a black wire to the remaining lug to switch #2
      8. Now you have a red and a black wire left over. Solder both of them to the remaining lug of switch #3.

      When you press switch #1 you are grounding the tip signal. When you press #2 you are grounding the ring; press #3 you are grounding both the tip and the ring.

      sorry I don't have a schematic for you but if you follow these instructions everything should turn out great.

    • November 5, 2009 at 4:15 am #130527
      jck
      Participant

      the digitech FS3x foot switch comes with a stereo cord for only $40.  works flawlessly.

    • December 11, 2009 at 12:35 am #130756
      noredr2
      Member

      Just a heads up for anybody else doing this….if you're not putting LED's in it, you still need diodes (1N4001 is good).  Here's a link to a diagram I found:

      http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=79945&d=1201287404

    • December 11, 2009 at 9:49 am #130757
      Dreamsy
      Member

      It's so obvious when you see it….

      too bad I just ordered a Momentary 2PDT to do the same thing yesterday (i didn"t thought of diodes)… that will make a spare to do something else !

      thanks for the link!

    • December 11, 2009 at 5:02 pm #119639
      cacibi
      Participant

      http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=74449.0;topicseen

      I posted a thread awhile back on this at the DIY stomp forum

    • September 8, 2010 at 6:08 pm #131924
      forgivenick
      Member

      I just made one of these without the LEDs and did a short write up on my blog:

      Eventide Timefactor Auxiliary Pedal DIY

      and a short video explanation:

      Eventide Timefactor DIY Aux Pedal Part II

    • April 28, 2011 at 1:02 pm #133328
      TimothyT
      Member

      did you guys use momentary SPST for the aux swithes?

    • April 30, 2011 at 3:13 pm #133333
      guitarlesson
      Member

      Yes, you want momentary switches. If you want a REALLY cheap solution, try doorbell buttons from the hardware store. That's what I did. It works pretty well.

      Something like this:

      http://www.rejuvenation.com/fixshow8312/templates/selection.phtml

    • May 7, 2011 at 2:37 pm #133360
      ctc
      Member

      That's beautiful. But what about the LEDs?

    • May 7, 2011 at 4:21 pm #133361
      rabiddiabetic13
      Member

      I made 3 – 3 button aux switches one for each factor without LED's too.  Not sure what the LED's do for you.  Am I missing a reason for them.

    • May 7, 2011 at 4:36 pm #133362
      brock
      Participant
      Quote:
      Not sure what the LED's do for you.

      Diodes are required in the circuit for the third switch function [TIP+RING].  Light-emitting diodes [LED] can be substituted, and they provide visual feedback on the switching.  But then you'll need to provide a power source (battery; power supply) for the LEDs.

    • May 7, 2011 at 9:11 pm #133363
      rabiddiabetic13
      Member

      Thanks Brock,

      Yes I have the diodes installed for the T&R just was not sure what advantage the LED gave you for visual.  I have never said to myself I wish there was an LED so I can see the light come on over the switch as I am banking down.  The switches are momentary would they not light only when you press on them? Seems like a step that can be skipped ( no pun intended)Big Smile

    • May 8, 2011 at 12:02 pm #133364
      brock
      Participant
      Quote:
      The switches are momentary would they not light only when you press on them? Seems like a step that can be skipped ( no pun intended)

      Absolutely.  In that scenario, it's just eye candy (for those who like their pedalboards looking like the Space Shuttle console).  I suppose that one could make the case for a different colored LED on each switch in a crowded floor layout.

      I have a couple of switch sets for my PitchFactor that invert the polarity of each main aux switch, and also momentary – latching action, using two small toggle switches per aux switch.  In that kind of circuit, the LEDs become more useful.

      Since the Aux SW are programmed globally, I find the occasional advantage to flipping the polarity externally.   But my main target for this kind of circuit is the Flex switch.  Many times, I find the need to latch that action, and toggle it back off with a second press (octave shifts; doubled MicroPitch values; PitchFlex; etc.)  The LEDs (along with the PF display) indicate where I'm at, and how I got there at a glance.

      With 9V power-on at the input jack, though, I don't have to tell you what comes next.  If I had to do it over again, I'd might've left out the LEDs, power requirements, and minor headaches that go with them.

    • November 3, 2015 at 10:21 am #141423
      Maarkus
      Member
      Hansel, can you show your scheme how to make it? I have no very good skills in it but I try to improve it that’s why I want to clarify to myself how it should be. I have never heard about handmade aux switches before and as usually order it via internet like this page http://hardware.nl/hulpschakelaar/siemens but last time it became very expensive so I think I can do it by myself and also quality will be better then any purchase

       

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