Foot-switches (DIY)

avantronica · 2023-05-05T23:14:09.700Z

Just picked up a bunch of Taiwan Alpha DPDT foot switches - got them from Rapid (UK) so ended up buying more than i might otherwise have, they never responded to me on Ebay about the same switches.

These would functionally be the kind of switches you’d find in most modern pedals, so the device takes care of ‘soft’ latching states and so on, being double throw you can set up a toggle to allow the switch to be normally closed (the boss standard) or normally open (for full flexibility)

Anyway - they looked nice on arrival, but my heart sank a bit when i noticed they clicked quite positively … i’m thinking oh no these are Latching … but they are Momentary (and marked so)

This is the heart of the question, these are supposed to be the less common low force variety intended for guitar pedal purposes

The official blurb states …

This rugged momentary foot switch has a soft touch action and electrically silent operation that makes it ideal for applications where switch noise would be intrusive, such as guitar pedal boards, PA systems, keyboard foot switches, etc.

Low actuating force

Doesn’t ‘clunk’ when actuated in amplified applications

Ideal for foot pedals in music applications

Use for equipment control leaving hands free

DPDT contacts

Momentary action

However, given that they had a ‘latching’ feel, i was thinking, these are not quiet, they’re louder arguably than most devices i have with outwardly these types of switches

So i’m thinking that they may have a nice positive feel which is important, but i’m concerned i might have been sent the vanilla type and there’s nothing uniquely identifying on the genuine switch save a hand stamped ‘AJ2’

I’ll be stuck waiting until Tuesday (at least) before i can try these (in case they are wrong) given the anachronistic nonsense happening in the UK this weekend

AJ2 leads to nothing online, at seller or Maker - the differentiation between the two viable options is a 027 suffix (as per these) and 011 for the vanilla ones

Anybody rocking these, have either types or have insights

They aren’t stiff, per se, but they need to be clicked through, which is not at all what i was expecting … the maker’s blurb emphasises doesn’t ‘clunk’, but they are perhaps playing with expectations, it may only be electrically ‘quiet’ … these are nothing like say the relatively silent switches on a Zoia or Analog Drive, these would probably mechanically click in say an ambient performance

Either way, i’m probably stuck with them, but. happy to take recommendations for quiet alternatives if i bail on them, but before i can see how they are in-situ i just need to know if the extra stamped AJ2 reference can identify these as the ones i ordered or the less ‘clunky’ ones

Slim hopes, but might as well ask, no joy browsing this or looking at modwiggler etc

Manufacturer Part Number : SF12011F-0202-20R-M-027

I was going to wire up a few of these dual switches up or maybe use them in a microcontroller based MIDI project with 4 or so to expand fx pedal functionality in a small footprint

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if you have no response to the specific question, feel free to share any DIY footswitch pics/info or tips for switches with a good feel (has to be 10mm rad for the toppers)

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shigginpit · 2023-05-06T00:34:15.161Z

I don’t know about your part number but if you have an LED light, a battery and a resistor to match the led color and battery voltage there’s an easy answer to whether it’s latching or momentary.

Switch13264×2448 1.03 MB

Switch23264×2448 1.08 MB

Left side is spst momentary soft switch, as advertised it is soft and makes a slight squeak as it passes through the bushing but there’s not much question it doesn’t latch. Right side is a 3pdt latching switch and there is both an audible click and a feel of the tumbler or literally “latch” flipping from side to side, the sensory feedback is prominent.

There are indeed momentary switches which will give a bit of a firmer throw, but I’d just hook one pole to the battery and put a resistor in line with an LED and see if clicking the switch proves to turn on the LED light or just lights it and it dims as you release the actuator.

If you were sent the wrong switch no reason to keep it, as it won’t do you any good unless you intend to build a few guitar pedals. Let us know the result.

Here’s a resistor calculator, you also need to know the forward voltage of your LED but otherwise it’s pretty simple. When in doubt, use a resistance greater than what’s necessary.

LED Series Resistor Calculator | DigiKey Electronics

I can dig up a link to these parts if you’d like but the supplier is in the US so I don’t know that it’s of any use to you. From my experience, since the switch is not microphonic in the sense of how it works electronically it won’t matter how noisy the click is in a recording, but if you’re performing ambient guitar looping in front of a crowd and you CLICK to loop, it detracts a bit from the mood.

Juniper_Steels · 2023-05-06T00:53:42.932Z

Smartypants

blurrghost · 2023-05-06T02:50:54.022Z

I might be confused about the question but if it’s about whether the switches are momentary I’d just check the contacts with a meter for continuity and see if that changes after pressing and releasing the switch.

avantronica · 2023-05-06T08:18:20.116Z

blurrghost:

if it’s about whether the switches are momentary

avantronica:

they are Momentary (and marked so)

I already knew they were momentary, i had a multimeter on them before typing this topic up to sanity check the big M (for momentary) punched in the front due to the excessive (and unwelcome) ‘clunk’ … this has created the concern these are not the pedalboard friendly ones and are the regular industrial variety

.

avantronica:

they may have a nice positive feel which is important, but i’m concerned i might have been sent the vanilla type

avantronica:

AJ2 leads to nothing online, at seller or Maker - the differentiation between the two viable options is a 027 suffix … and ~~011 for the vanilla ones~~

The two Momentary switches offered are thus … ( … between which the only difference is the force required to engage and presumably a ‘franked’ ID … mines have AJ2 in white ink)

avantronica:

Manufacturer Part Number : SF12011F-0202-20R-M-027

and

Manufacturer Part Number : SF12011F-0202-20R-M-~~011~~

I am looking for anyone with insight on these specific parts to clarify whether it’s the less ‘clunky’ guitar-centric variety 027 (which i ordered) or ‘vanilla’ ~~011~~ type

I could have explained this more clearly, but i was knowingly addressing a small audience who would understand what i was focused on establishing

avantronica · 2023-05-06T08:59:20.107Z

shigginpit:

There are indeed momentary switches which will give a bit of a firmer throw

Having had a play with all the other switches on pedals I own to sanity check my purchase i was amazed at the variety of ‘feel’

As i said, i’m not entirely concerned about the click from a user perspective, it gives a positive bit of haptic feedback, but i am annoyed at Taiwan Alpha for their marketing spin … it’s leading the unsuspecting imho, it’s probably perfect for a powered guitar pedal rather than a (non audio path) control pedal

tbh, given the cost on these switches, if i didn’t already have all the pedal housings and sockets, i’d have been better off sourcing the ampero switches shown above

the other devices i own with this kind of footswitch have vastly quieter and softer throws, some may only be single throw internally … ironically i was maybe going to use some of these ‘low force’ ones to swap them out

I was keen to wire these up, but it’ll be a long wait to check that they are what i ordered, which i sorta fear they are … probably great muffled underfoot, but not ideal if you try to tap Morse code in a desktop application … these are nothing like i had hoped and i went all in too

Annoyed with myself in hindsight, I should probably have stuck with SPST (normally closed) and foregone polarity ‘flexibility’ in a quest to functionally clone a FS6 …

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shigginpit · 2023-05-06T09:03:22.223Z

I read the sales blurb on the page you linked, sounds nothing at all like what you received. The cost was not exorbitant but at the same rate, the same price should yield the exact switch as described. I don’t think you were “had” but I also don’t think their description is accurate in the least. I think you’re correct, the use case is more along the lines of guitar pedals or something, even tap tempo might be a bit of a workout if it’s too firm.

Even if the part number represents the product, it almost seems like they changed suppliers for some component and didn’t rewrite the ad copy to reflect it.

If I were building the ultimate midi foot boat I might invest in these

Footswitch - Lehle, SPST, Momentary, Soft Click, Long Life | Amplified Parts

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But as it stands, the cost per part isn’t worth it for any of my projects. Great form factor though.

avantronica · 2023-05-06T09:18:33.858Z

shigginpit:

even tap tempo might be a bit of a workout if it’s too firm.

this, and in particular critical looper timing are what i was planning to be doing like a boss (no pun intended) … the clicks made my heart sink and even if they are the right part having to push through the click will interfere with that timing

thinking about it more, i suspect that the vanilla switches will have a stronger spring and an easier quieter throw, whereas these are engineered to be ‘electrically’ quiet and in insuring this with less force means a more ‘positive’ throw

i might just save these for a midi pedalboard and buy polarity specific single throw ones per use case

shigginpit · 2023-05-06T09:22:08.796Z

I bought these spst short softies from that same vendor with the link I dropped, they’re pretty cushy. Let me see if there’s a manufacturer name on the vendor site.

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Footswitch - SPST, Momentary, Solder Lugs, Soft Switch | Amplified Parts
Normally open operation, they don’t list the manufacturer but the switch is labeled SCI, I googled the part number and got this page
Product Highlight – SCI Pushbutton Foot Switch - Suntsu Electronics

which calls out SCI as “shin chin industrial co” , I’m thinking you can buy this on ALIexpress or something for about the same $3USD I paid.

avantronica · 2023-05-09T19:32:06.723Z

for closure

avantronica:

AJ2 leads to nothing online

Seller responded without saying too much (well typing too much, no phone contact, last time buying there)

AJ2 has been stated as likely being a batch identifier, which may account for why there was literally zero google hits

i have no evidence either way, it’s basically faith that the processes for storing/dispatching are robust - i’m certainly not convinced it’s the wrong part, but i guess i’ll have to buy a ‘normal’ one at a later date to know

time to see how these feel/sound in-situ

I’ve a couple of these original (amp style) Roland footswitches (for the Boss Micro-Racks I picked up at launch) which were rocking hefty Roland made Latching switches, and also a few of those small RS project boxes to kit out - both going to need some foam damping inside to tame the clicks

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shigginpit · 2023-05-09T21:42:00.128Z

That seller would be on my shitlist. Nice looking housing, proper footswitch. I can see what you mean about needing to tame the click inside of it however, as that type of material is a bit resonant. If you have a spare sheet of acoustic foam or an old bass trap in particular that you could shave a bit off of, that would be ideal.

Pedalbox3264×2448 1.14 MB

The little metal ones as pictured on the right are a bit easier to insulate against interior noise because it doesn’t transfer through the body as much (rigidity) but the cheaper plastic ones as on the left act like a drum head and distribute sound throughout the whole thing. If it turns out to be a real firecracker kind of situation, you may consider affixing standoffs/posts to the base plate just shy of the interior ceiling height with some adhesive rubber feet at top of them used to make up the difference between the post and the top panel. They should act like Roman columns as to stiffen the chassis and isolate the travel of the noise a bit, so even if it’s like a drum, it’s like a tight drum. That way your additional insulation will be more effective in that it won’t be doing the double duty of having to both stiffen the walls and block the sound travel.

The metal box you picture should be fine but I’d be aiming to use the one that looks like a purpose made footswitch as I like that kind myself.