modification for quiet foot-switches (2880, stereo memory man, cathedral)

[davidandree]

just swapped out the switches on my 2880 foot controller, stereo memory man with hazarai and cathedral. thought there would be someone here who might be interested / benefit from the quiet (and smoother) operation. the mod is very straight-forward - you just drop in soft-switches in place of the spdt switches that come stock on the pedals. they work great...just wondering why i didn't do it sooner.

for more images, including gut shots, head over to http://www.davidandree.com/blog/?p=1525

[billygomberg]

I looked into doing this on my Strymon Capistan but the build quality is actually too good for this operation to be cheap/safe...

[davidandree]

I looked into doing this on my Strymon Capistan but the build quality is actually too good for this operation to be cheap/safe...

yeah, i looked at the inside of the el cap as well ... it uses dpdt switches that are soldered directly to the board. however, i'm not sure if they are using both poles or not as it is hard to trace the circuit with the stacked boards (if they are only using a single pole, it might be possible to swap them out, but it would get a little messier with such a tight fit in there...).

doesn't the timeline use soft switches?  if so maybe there is a drop-in replacement available with the right height requirement. i think i'll send strymon a note and see what i can find out...

i could see how you would want to mod that one - it ends up being pretty loud in context with your projects.  congrats on the minneapolis show by the way, i really enjoyed both your work as fraufraulein and nathan's set as well. you guys complimented each other quite nicely - great pairing. (i wanted to say hi, but didn't want to interrupt your conversation with andrew)

[billygomberg]

let me know what you find out from strymon.  I'd be willing to send mine in for a pro softswitch mod.  as you heard...it can be very hard for me to use the strymon's switches in concert.  speaking of which, you should've just come on over and interrupted.  I always do.  I'm glad you were able to make it!

EDIT: and yeah I thought the pairing w/nathan was particularly good, and a great venue too.  good times all around.

[oootini]

i actually emailed them about this but got a fairly non commital response so promptly forgot about it. i'm building a few pedals of late and would dearly love to have the soft switches i have for those in the el cap...

if the switch is soldered on board, it shouldn't be that hard to desolder right? i haven't opened her up though...

terry from strymon had this to say:

"
We use those switches specifically because they have a proven track record of being ultra reliable.  While I'm all for DIY'ing ... the switches are part of the mechanical mounting internally and as such will be difficult to replace. You could replace them but you'll need to add a pull up resistor on the center pin of the existing switch."

[davidandree]

i got the same word from strymon (it is possible to be done with a spst softswitch). that is great to hear.

if the switch is soldered on board, it shouldn't be that hard to desolder right? i haven't opened her up though...

oh yeah, that would be the easy part. make sure to get a desoldering pump if you don't already have one (around $5).

seems like it could work something like this:

first thing would be to have an anti-static mat and wrist strap (and a properly grounded soldering iron). as this pedal is like a little computer, you have to be mindful of static around the chips/dsp.

the second thing would be to install the pull up resistor (5k) from the 3.3v pin to the center pin.

thirdly, if you look at the way the boards are mounted, the switches hold that side of the board(s) in place so an alternative way to secure the board is needed.

i already think i have a clean solution for that problem. if you look inside you'll see they use a post to connect two boards together. i imagine you could find a post at a hardware store that could continue from the point they secure the boards together to say the bottom of the case where you could secure it with another screw.

the posts i am referring to would be like these:



once thats done it seems like it would just be dropping switches in and running wires from the contacts on the switch to the contacts on the board. i don't have any extra on hand to do a dry fit, but it seems as though they might fit inside the chassis as is (might have to bend the contacts on the switch to avoid the round over on the front of the case though, which would be no problem).

let me know what you find out from strymon.  I'd be willing to send mine in for a pro softswitch mod.  as you heard...it can be very hard for me to use the strymon's switches in concert.  speaking of which, you should've just come on over and interrupted.  I always do.  I'm glad you were able to make it!

oh sorry, i didn't ask about sending it in, as i figured when i find time i'd just do it myself. i was asking more for technical details / if it can be done with the existing circuit. if you send them a note they'll get back to you quickly - terry was really helpful.

and hey i didn't want to interrupt, seems like he would be a good guy to know. fraufraulein would fit in well with the taiga lineup in my opinion

[mfischer]

yeah, the el cap switches are SO LOUD. i would love a solution.
i know taylor + i both emailed strymon and got pretty much the same answer that you guys did.

what soft-switches were you using on your EHX mods?

[oootini]

on a slightly unrelated note, i recently fried my little orange pocket amp and my ipod by incorrectly wiring a footswitch for a pedal i'm building, causing 9 volts to shoot down both jacks. ouch.

[davidandree]

yeah, the el cap switches are SO LOUD. i would love a solution.
i know taylor + i both emailed strymon and got pretty much the same answer that you guys did.

what soft-switches were you using on your EHX mods?

you can use any momentary, normally open switch.

i personally use these particular spst switches: http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=672
they don't click and have a really smooth travel. if you press them slowly/carefully enough you can cut loops with an open mic and not pick them up. the new switches on the foot controller are way better in this regard than the buttons on the 2880 itself.

i recently changed my kill-switch over to a soft-switch too. i needed a normally closed switch for the operation i wanted and spent a long time trying to find an equivalent to the switch i posted above, but normally closed. so if anyone needs a normally closed soft-switch i would recommend the carling 170 (with the metal pushbutton). the travel takes a little more pressure, but is smooth and click-less. http://uk.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Carling-Technologies/170/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsqIr59i2oRcopNahx%252bXQ5wFhcVWHJzwAo%3D

[gjhardwick]

I too would be interested in getting the switches on my El Capistan swapped out!

[gjhardwick]

FAO: DavidAndree;

I know that you've posted about it elsewhere on the forum (can't find the precise thread right now), but if I wanted to mod a SMMwH to use one of the soft press switches but also so that the record/overdub in Loop mode didn't require the switch to be held down constantly, what would need to be done?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[davidandree]

gareth-

you have a couple of options depending on what you want

1. (this is what i did, there is a picture below) replace a the tap-tempo/record switch with a quiet softswitch + add a toggle switch in line (for when you don't want to hold the footswitch down). the upside of this is you retain the momentary switch and tap tempo functionality, while adding the ability to stay in record mode hands-free without having to have a separate remote foot-switch. to downside is you have to use your hand to go in and out of held record mode.

2. everything the same as #1, except instead of a toggle, wire in an audio jack that you can run to a separate box that would have a selecting foot-switch (not momentary). the advantage here is you could go in and out of record with your foot, but it would be loud - kind of defeating part of the reason to mod in the first place.

3. if you want a quiet softswitch and have it be a toggle (press once to record, once to stop recording), then you'll have to use something like cusack's tbs2 system - this would probably be the messiest since it requires power to work the relays... also, you would lose tap-tempo function.


 

[gjhardwick]

1. (this is what i did, there is a picture below) replace a the tap-tempo/record switch with a quiet softswitch + add a toggle switch in line (for when you don't want to hold the footswitch down). the upside of this is you retain the momentary switch and tap tempo functionality, while adding the ability to stay in record mode hands-free without having to have a separate remote foot-switch. to downside is you have to use your hand to go in and out of held record mode.



 

Just to clarify, when you do the above option, the toggle switch gives you two operating modes for the foot switch;
1. Tap Tempo/Hold to Record (i.e. how the pedal works pre-mod)
2. Click to engage record/overdub, click to disengage record/overdub (though in this mode you cannot tap tempo)

Is that right?

[davidandree]

Just to clarify, when you do the above option, the toggle switch gives you two operating modes for the foot switch;
1. Tap Tempo/Hold to Record (i.e. how the pedal works pre-mod)
2. Click to engage record/overdub, click to disengage record/overdub (though in this mode you cannot tap tempo)

Is that right?

1. yes - the tap tempo/record switch will work the same as it always has (except it would be quiet if you swap it out for a softswitch).

2. yes - the clicking to engage record/overdub would happen with the toggle - flipped one way would be record/overdub, the other would just be normal (when it is engaged the tap tempo would not work because electronically, it is the equivalent of just holding that momentary switch down with your foot).

hope this helps!

[gjhardwick]

I'm about to carry out a switch transfer on my Line 6 M9. 

Hopefully I will not kill my pedal in the process...