Does anyone make a footswitch like this?

[daz]

Ok, let me clarify. They are momentary switches. They're those cheap little plastic circuit mounted ones, and the way they make them work as footswitches is to use metal footswitch type buttons attached to a spring which goes over the switch's button. With me so far? Anyways, unlike any other circuit mount plastic momentary, they make a rather loud and obvious click when you press them that sounds like a latching switch. But they are NOT latching. So my worry was that maybe these were specialized so that they would latch then unlatched even if they are held down so as to not keep the circuit latched and prevent overheating a device. If that were the case then using a latching switch as i want to do may not be safe. But because they DO stay latched as long as they are depressed, then it's obviously safe for the contacts to be connected at least for a short period when you might have your foot on it more than a split second. Was that clear? The question is, could it still be unsafe if left latched for long periods.

[Chuck H]

I thought that was what you meant but couldn't be sure. It might have been better to just omit the discovery of the audible "click" on the momentary switch since it's really a moot point. That information only served to confuse when you used the term "latching" in the complex description since the switch, as it turns out, is not a latching switch. It is a clicking switch that specifically doesn't latch.

It's probably a bad idea to leave a continuous contact where a momentary contact is normally used. Because momentary contacts are typically used for logic circuits I wouldn't expect any overheating, but that depends on a lot and I don't know the circuits in question. There could be other consequences to leaving momentary switch latched. Logic could become confused under specific conditions or a chip could possible be damaged in some static way from a continuous voltage. I don't know except to say that it's designed for a momentary contact for a reason. The notion that some extended foot depressing should be within tolerance for the circuit doesn't at all, and shouldn't be taken to mean that a continuous contact might be ok.

Try the arrangement I proposed above rather than seeking a shortcut. Whether it works will depend on the switch timing. If the latch switch switches faster than the momentary switch it should work. And I actually expect this to be the case. But if the momentary switch contacts before the latch switch pole shift I predict that the channels will just flip flop each time the two buttons are pressed. If this happens I would suggest just using the two momentary switches as proposed earlier since a better solution doesn't exist. Left low, right high. It's tricky for me but I think you could manage it

[daz]

I would suggest just using the two momentary switches as proposed earlier

Don't you mean one momentary and one latching? I'll try that then. It's actually a better solution because i am thinking of designing the board with a scenario where the latching idea i tried would cause me to lose another function. (not gonna confuse you with that one, and it would take an hour to explain) So the 2 switches are the better solution. I just hope i can make it mechanically reliable with epoxy. Maybe some sort of metal link then epoxy on top of that.

[Chuck H]

Don't you mean one momentary and one latching? I'll try that then. It's actually a better solution because i am thinking of designing the board with a scenario where the latching idea i tried would cause me to lose another function. (not gonna confuse you with that one, and it would take an hour to explain) So the 2 switches are the better solution. I just hope i can make it mechanically reliable with epoxy. Maybe some sort of metal link then epoxy on top of that.

I said:

But if the momentary switch contacts before the latch switch pole shift I predict that the channels will just flip flop each time the two buttons are pressed. If this happens I would suggest just using the two momentary switches as proposed earlier

The two momentary switches are still plan B.

[daz]

I said:



The two momentary switches are still plan B.

I tried hitting the 2 stock switched simultaneously and that doesn't work. So if thats the scenario that you say was suggested it isn't going to happen.

I suppose whether or not the momentary and latching idea works or not will be dependent on the length or each switch's engagment. Ig the latch engages in a shorter length than the momentary then it should work.

[Enzo]

What is this overheating thing? A momentary switch only closes while you push it, for circuits that want that. A latching switch simply stays on or off. Like the reverb or trem switch on an old fender. The switch has no idea if anything was heating or not.

I still think that if you have two "channels" to switch back and forth, that it is simpler to wire one channel in as default then have a single button to switch to the other channel. Whether that second channel is another actual channel circuit or just an effects loop really doesn't make any difference to the switch.

[Chuck H]

What is this overheating thing? A momentary switch only closes while you push it, for circuits that want that. A latching switch simply stays on or off. Like the reverb or trem switch on an old fender. The switch has no idea if anything was heating or not.

I still think that if you have two "channels" to switch back and forth, that it is simpler to wire one channel in as default then have a single button to switch to the other channel. Whether that second channel is another actual channel circuit or just an effects loop really doesn't make any difference to the switch.

It's a program bank. It only allows you to choose "go to next" from one switch or "go to previous" from a different switch. daz wants to be able to choose between them like channel switching with one switch. I'm as certain as you that there are many simple ways to accomplish something similar but this is how daz wants to do it if he can.

[daz]

What is this overheating thing? A momentary switch only closes while you push it, for circuits that want that. A latching switch simply stays on or off. Like the reverb or trem switch on an old fender. The switch has no idea if anything was heating or not.

I still think that if you have two "channels" to switch back and forth, that it is simpler to wire one channel in as default then have a single button to switch to the other channel. Whether that second channel is another actual channel circuit or just an effects loop really doesn't make any difference to the switch.

Either you misunderstand when i'm modding or i misunderstand what u r say. Not sure which. but this is a digital modeling amp, a fender mustang to be exact. I don't know if being a fender warranty repair person you have access to schematics, but i don't think they are considered field repairable and i don't see schematics on thier site for it. In any case, it has 100 preset slots and i want to use 2 of them, one for my normal sound and one thats exactly the same but with the volume in the preset a tad higher. The footswitching offers two possibilities....one is up/down which uses 2 buttons, one that goes up one preset each time you hit it and the other goes down. The second option is you can program it so that each of 2 buttons can be assigned to any preset you want. Again, you need to hit one 2 different buttons to get the volume boost this way. I don't know what you mean enzo when you say I still think that if you have two "channels" to switch back and forth, that it is simpler to wire one channel in as default then have a single button to switch to the other channel. Whether that second channel is another actual channel circuit or just an effects loop really doesn't make any difference to the switch. It has nothing to do with my amp/footswitch.

As to the overheating thing....i'm just saying the amp uses momentary switches and my concern in using a latching switch to accomplish what i'm trying to do will leave the contacts that do the switch function latched for as long as it is before i switch it again. In other words, this logic switching system makes momentary contact of two circuit points to accomplish the function, right. What if you made that contacl latch for a time. Maybe an hour? I might be using the amp at home and have no need for the vol boost function so if i play an hour, those contact points will be connected for that entire hour. The question is, is that detrimental. Can it damage the logic circuit? Anyways, the test i did with a SPDT latching switch that i soldered to the contact points worked exactly how i wanted. The only issue is will it damage anything.

[daz]

I'm as certain as you that there are many simple ways to accomplish something similar

Besides the switches glued together, what might those be?

[Chuck H]

Besides the switches glued together, what might those be?

Only the obvious stuff that all has compromises attached from your perspective. They all include forgoing the use of two programs and adding an element elsewhere that modifies the use of one program instead. I wasn't suggesting that you do this, I was aligning with Enzo that there are indeed simple solutions and aligning with you that they aren't your solutions.

[daz]

Only the obvious stuff that all has compromises attached from your perspective. They all include forgoing the use of two programs and adding an element elsewhere that modifies the use of one program instead. I wasn't suggesting that you do this, I was aligning with Enzo that there are indeed simple solutions and aligning with you that they aren't your solutions.

Thats basically what i was doing with the relay box. Using one preset and changing the signal strength in the loop with the relay and a pot. But i want to simplify it and just do what i can do now using 2 buttons but to do it with one. I know it all seems crazy to you guys, but from a players perspective that is often singing too, i can't be controlling a million things while doing that. Thinking which button to push to change to or from one volume to another interferes with the end target....playing music. Thats why i generally keep things as simple as i can, but this is one of the very few things that to me is essential.

[g1]

Thats basically what i was doing with the relay box. Using one preset and changing the signal strength in the loop with the relay and a pot. But i want to simplify it and just do what i can do now using 2 buttons but to do it with one.

Maybe a few more details will help clarify what you are trying to accomplish. Why does using the relay box require 2 buttons? Or, what is the other button doing?

[daz]

Maybe a few more details will help clarify what you are trying to accomplish. Why does using the relay box require 2 buttons? Or, what is the other button doing?

It doesn't. The amp's digital footswitch requires 2 buttons to go from one patch to the other either by programming it for one button=preset up, second button preset down. Or one button assigned to a given preset and the other to another. Either way i can only go back and fourth between two presets with 2 buttons. I want to accomplish that with one button. The relay thing has nothing to do with this, it was just an example of how i was accomplishing this task till now, which is to put a pot in the effects loop and taking it in or out of circuit with a relay to have 2 different volume levels.

In the end i want to accomplish the same thing without the relay box, but by switching between two presets that are indentical except one has a bit more volume. But i want to do it with only 1 button so i don't have to be thinking about which to hit while i'm trying to play and sing. For decades i've had the relay box thing and one button for volume up/down, and i want that to be the same.....one button that alternates vol up, vol down.

[eschertron]

Maybe posting the user manual for the footpedal that you're using would also help.

I have no experience with newer Fender products. The footpedal for the modeling amp I have comes with a variety of button options, some which are 'Easter egg'-like, revealing their usefulness only after careful examination of the documents. I can use one button to turn on and off a programmable effect (boost, or OD for example) but only after pressing another button to unlock the hidden level. Once that's done I'm golden and can use the single button at will. But I have to set it up first, before I can use it. I'm hoping that your pedal may allow a similar kind of simple user programming.

[RODNEY]

How about this....one SPDT switch (latching) and two 555 timers ICs (or indeed one duel 556 timer IC) configured as monostable circuits (the "output high" period is up to you to decide) and implement a very simple edge triggering circuit, connect the SPDT switch common (say...pole 2) to ground , connect pole 1 to the trigger of one 555 circuit and pole 3 to the trigger of the other 555 circuit and connected the outputs as required. You must use a latching switch is case the switch bounces from pole 1 to pole 3.

This might help to make sense, "http://electronicsclub.info/555timer.htm#monostable", the edge triggering circuit is a little further down the page.

If switch bouncing is a issue, (on either pole), look up "SR flip flop switch debounce circuit" and connect "Q" to one 555 and "NOT Q" the the other 555.