Members RuXTaR Posted October 11, 2009 Members Share Posted October 11, 2009 Hey guys, I've seen all the effect switching systems such as the Carl Martin Octa-Switch and I thought, how hard can it be building one? So I went online, ebay to be more accurate, and found some DIP switches for real cheap. LED's are cheap, all the parts are cheap so I thought, should I try and build my own and customize it the way I want? I though, YES! However, my problem is schematics. I know I can build it if I could find the schematics for it. Does anyone have the schematics for it? If yes, please give me a link or anything like that and I'll keep you posted on what happens.. Again, the one with the DIP switches.. Thank you guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted October 11, 2009 Members Share Posted October 11, 2009 I doubt youll be able to find the exact schmatics but Heres some simular schmatics based on a simular design. I've seen others posted here long ago, maybe someone else has them they can post. The DIP switches are cheap enough but when you add up the cost of the foot switches and jacks, Chassis, and LEDs etc. Then spend the time building it you're still looking at a good $200 in parts alone or more. When you're done its got to be road worthy being stomped on so things like soldering skilld do come into play especially with the small plastic dip switches. http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/fxswitchr/fxswitchr.htm http://home.centurytel.net/flanneldrawers/3-loop-w-tuner-out-master-bypass.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g130/i2k92/Switching.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RuXTaR Posted October 11, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 11, 2009 Thanks man, these seem to help a bit.. I know thing will cost me some money, but in the end I have my own custom controller. The Carl Martin give you 8 possibilities and it goes for about $350.. The one I'm thinking about building might give me up to 50 options.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Watt Posted October 11, 2009 Members Share Posted October 11, 2009 RuXTaR! As soon as I saw your "building an effects switching system", it flipped a few synaptics in me.When I built my first footswitch it changed my onstage identity.It let me use everything and think of it as a system right under my feet.The only thing I recognize in your posting is the term LED, so let me show you what works for me. I'm looking at this like you can have racks on your amp and boxes on the floor. These "double-pull, double-throw" switches were $15 each in 1977.My music store owning friend couldn't find them in Canada, and ordered from an American company.Some are stamped in silver, 8020, others say "Assembled in Mexico 8031". 3amp 250 V, 6amp 125 V, UND LAB INC, A-H&H. U.S.A. Nice values for heavy tone.The gray plastic spacer is soft plastic plumbers' pipe, making them ready for 1/4" thick plastic. You might be sayin' switches are cheap, but what you really sayin'bout soundin'thin,when a more expansive electrical potential helps soften the tone, adding to it, and deaden switch sounds.The Switchcraft toggles are lined up so you can see them, and the $21.95 price tag is on a new Ibanez clone, a markdown from $27.95 retail. The three switches from a Redmere Soloist, non-clicking and silent, are from the inventors. So the LED's have their circuit so you can see what's on or off, and the other wires have their switch.This is two stereo echoes and one stereo panning, using their footswitch wiring.And I had to throw in my favorite Marshall boot-boxes. This is some cut down sign aluminum, with a slot for 1/4" plastic. The first photo is natural lighting, the second with a Lumilite flashlight laying against it. Good luck building the heart of your system.and sorry for the whales... they're migrating around behind me... as always, John Watt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted October 12, 2009 Members Share Posted October 12, 2009 These "double-pull, double-throw" switches were $15 each in 1977. If you're paying those kind of prices you're being totally ripped off even today. You can buy high quality stomp switches for $6 and even cheaper on EBay in bulk. Last batch I bought I got for $3 each in a lot of 10 which is what I paid in the 70s for switchcraft. Even cheaper when I did repairs and bought them wholsale. I paid a dollar for them and that was alot. "You might be sayin' switches are cheap, but what you really sayin'bout soundin'thin,when a more expansive electrical potential helps soften the tone, adding to it, and deaden switch sounds". Thats complete bull{censored}. A properly functiong switch switch is a conductor and has no impact on sound especially in low voltage/current applications where the contacts dont arch and carbonise. Its simply a conductor like a piece of wire. No more No less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Janeyro Posted October 23, 2016 Members Share Posted October 23, 2016 Hey guys! This discussion is a bit old but it's the only one I found on the internet about building an effect switching system, and I'd like to know if there are more recent schematics, or links. I'd like to build my own customized effect switching system. The Harley Benton FXL 8 Pro is quiet cheap and looks pretty good but I need stereo in/out for reverbs and delays, and maybe inputs for expression pedals (like the Boss ES-8), but I don't need neither midi functions nor channel switching (for the amplifier). (I cannot afford the Es-8 haha and it takes too much place for what I need!) Thanx !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RuXTaR Posted October 24, 2016 Author Members Share Posted October 24, 2016 Hi Janeyro Okay, so, yes, this is a REALLY old thread. Since then my playing style had changed as well as the amount of effects I'm using. I've always looked up to the Edge in terms of sound and wanted to have access to that kind of flexibility. I got rid of most of my effects. What's you're talking about needs some serious work. I personally have moved to a more simple setup. I got a Line 6 M9 along with my effects. I split my cable running it through distortion into the top boos of my vox ac15 and the other through the Line 6 for 100% wet effects like delays and verbs into the clean channel of the same amp (100% wet to avoid phase). I simple mute, using a tuner and the tuner option on the Line 6, whatever channel I'm not using or have them both on when needed. I'm planning on building a simple A/B/Y switch for that, hopefully before Christmas. Yeah, I know this is in no way helpful to you, but maybe just some insight. I've found I was trying to achieve my tone using many pedals instead of going for the one pedal that will get the job done (for distortion can get anything better than Boss-SD1 and the Joyo clone of the TS9. thinking about the Rat but that's it). I can't remember what I had on mind when I said the one I'm thinking about building will have 50 presets, but I sure don't need that many. With my current setup I can do clean, crunch, quarter note delays as well as dotted eighth with the beautiful Line 6 weird verbs for pad and synth sounds. Not trying to tell you what to do, but after a while I personally got tired of hauling everything around, so try to keep it simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted October 24, 2016 Members Share Posted October 24, 2016 You can do allot just using effects loops. loops are very simple to build and putting several in series may be all you need. I built a dual loop for about $25. This isn't a huge savings over just buying but I had a bunch of the parts needed so it was pretty simple for me. This site has decent process on single and double effect loops. http://www.brightonion.co.uk/dual-looper/ Here's a typical single loop schematic. Having an LED to tell you when the loop is engaged is purely optional. If you have multiple loops I can see it being beneficial. If you use loops for different types of pedals like Phase, Drive, Reverbs, echoes you'd be able to hear those effects when engaged. Guitarists tend to know what they have running to so the need for LED's may not be necessary, but you'll have to decide if the extra components and more expensive 3PDT switches are necessary. I used DPDT switches with mine and I have no problem remembering which peals are bypassed or running. If you used more loops it might get a bit complex so again, you'll need to decide. I'm able to put several pedals in a loop and bypass them all with a single pedal stomp. Since I have two loops I can select one loop or the other or bypass both so I have 100% clean guitar with all pedals taken off line and bypassed. Its gets rid of a huge amount of tone sucking and it also lets me have pedal combinations that can be turned off instead of doing a one legged paper hanger routine trying to turn a bunch of pedals on and off at the same time. If you're looking to make a milti channel loop bypass this site explains a good deal of it. http://www.singlecoil.com/tb-strip/tbstrip.html A multi loop is no different then a bunch of single loops linked in series. If you can wire a single you can wire a multiple by connecting te output of one loop directly to the input of another and therefore eliminating two jacks. I will agree with Ruxtar here however. In my studio my pedal boards are quite massive. I have two boards with 15 pedals each. Playing live I bring the absolute bare minimum. A comp, two drives a chorus and echo, that's it. I can do anything I need with those and I can get buy without one trick pony's I may only use for a single solo in one out of 40 songs. Its not worth it for me to haul any more gear with what clubs pay these days and the audience sure as hell doesn't miss them. The only extra items I may bring is my Talk box which I made myself using a horn driver. Audiences seem to like hearing that live, but again, overuse gets old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Janeyro Posted October 25, 2016 Members Share Posted October 25, 2016 Thank you guys! Actually I found more info on another french forum so I will continue on that side (I'm french). I don't really want to make it complicated for now: what I need is several mono and stereo inputs/outputs for effects + one input and several outputs for an expression pedal (in order to control let's say a feedback on a delay, or the wet signal of a delay). I don't really need to change the effect order, so I just have to create a bypass system, witch I can save after and make patches. (I will keep an eye on the True Bypass Strip Project you send me). I don't mind if it will take me a bit long, it's part of electronic projects that I have in mind, to practice. Actually I'm still a student and I guess that will be a good personal achievement Thank you anyway to have taken the time to respond, that's really kind of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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