How to: Modify 3 or 5 way blade switch to a momentary killswitch.

[xadioriderx]

Alright well I got an email from a guy who had a single pickup on a telecaster, which had a useless 3 way switch on it. He wanted a kill switch in place of the switch, but he wanted it momentary, not detent.

 

So i took a 5way switch i had laying around apart to see what i could do. Theres no way to spring load it using a spring, however they are already spring loaded by use of a bearing and leaf type spring.

 

To get the board off (this all may vary from one switch to another), first we twist the 4 sets of holders so they are straight, and not holding the board on:

 

Heres the board off, should look like this:

 

Now, the switch should slide out, but be careful of the little ball bearing! its loose, so it will fall out and you DONT want to lose it! you can see it sitting in the metal part.

 

now, here is where the bearing goes, youll see the spot on the side. this is the side where the "gear" part of the switch sits. you can see i used pieces of binding to build up a slight stairset. you will have to fine tune this yourself. the goal is for the metal handle of the switch to stop right after position #2, so you cant get into position #1. its not pretty, but a little super glue will do the trick!

 

now, your switch still has positions 5, 4, 3, and 2. and they still detent, but the ultimate goal is to have the switch stay in position 3, and kill then return when pushed to position 2. so we have to add a block in the "gear", then modify the shape some so its just one big ramp. the bearing will roll up it, then pop back into the middle position.

 

okay, now test it out, and see if you need to lower the ramp a little bit so it will move further. to do this, place the board on and peak in to see if the pins will touch the correct part of the board. its hard to see in the picture, but when you have it in your hand it will be easy to tell:

 

heres what it looks like without the board in place. in my case, the part on the gear actuall holds it back from switching the other direction into 4 and 5, but you may have to add a larger stairset like you did in the beginning in the actual housing on the opposite side.

 

go to the next post to see a video of it in action (bench test)

[xadioriderx]

heres how it moves (click)

 

and heres the test of how it works. every time the needle jumps, it will kill sound (click)

 

 

Now, to wire this to a single pickup as a kill switch is very simple.

 

This is an import switch, so the middle 2 lugs are common. one of the pins is typically for the middle pickup, and one pin is for the neck (or whatever your position 1 is)

position 2 connects common (output), position 3 (middle), and lug #1 (for position 1)

 

lug 1 is only connected in positions 1 and 2, but we dont have position 1. just 2 (which is the momentary position). so this lug goes to ground.

the middle lug comes from the pickup, and the common goes to the volume or output.

 

 

simple as that!

[shadesofcraig]

Wouldn't have been much simpler to go to Radio Shack and get the right switch and do it that way???

[xadioriderx]

if they existed.. i found no blade style momentary switch anywhere. have you actually seen one?

[WRGKMC]

All you have to do is short the position you want to have as a kill position to ground.

It will depend on the type of switch you have though. A standard strat switch that has

dual contacts on both sides of the disk will do it. A cheap import switch like you have there

likely from a squire might not do it because it doesnt have all the individual contacts

standard rotary has.

[WRGKMC]

 

if they existed.. i found no blade style momentary switch anywhere. have you actually seen one?

 

 

I've seen them and owned them. As a tech you get to see all the cool stuff at one time or another. I know a place in town that sells them.

They have tons of oddball NOS and canibalized industrial parts. They come from old rack unit gear used in radio or factory controll units.

High quality stuff though that has lasted a lifetime and will likely last a few more. They had some that had one position that was spring loaded

as a momentary which was cool. They werent cheap though. Those old rotary blade switches sell for $20 apiece. They have really cool knobs for them too.

[Belva]

I commend the OP for coming up with something to satisfy someone in need. Shows some ingenuity. What I can't understand is right in the first sentence. A 3 way switch in a single pup Tele that's useless? If it's wired in typical Esquire fashion, the switch is far from useless. Maybe you could set this switch up to retain the momentary kill in position #2 and have #3, 4 & 5 act like an Esquire.

[xadioriderx]

it was his choice. i tried to have him go with a momentary push pull pot instead, and then hook up the switch so one position was a blower, and another was with the volume and tone connected or something. in the end, he has no use for volume or tone control, he says he has his amp/pedal setup do everything he needs.

it wouldnt have been my choice, i still think its a little hokey that he just has pots sitting there not connected, but its not my guitar.

 

i think itd be cool to have a switch like you mentioned above with a kill in 2, then settings in 3 4 5. would be pretty unique! unfortunately my little ramp to make it momentary killed that idea because it hits the little stairset and stops it from going back =(

[Belva]

 

it was his choice. i tried to have him go with a momentary push pull pot instead, and then hook up the switch so one position was a blower, and another was with the volume and tone connected or something. in the end, he has no use for volume or tone control, he says he has his amp/pedal setup do everything he needs. it wouldnt have been my choice, i still think its a little hokey that he just has pots sitting there not connected, but its not my guitar. i think itd be cool to have a switch like you mentioned above with a kill in 2, then settings in 3 4 5. would be pretty unique! unfortunately my little ramp to make it momentary killed that idea because it hits the little stairset and stops it from going back =(

 

Giving me ideas. I like the Esquire format. Simple and versatile. Maybe a 4 way switch with one being off? That's so simple even I could figure it out. Trouble is, the 4 way mod for a 2 pup tele is way cool as well. So many options, so little money.

[xadioriderx]

the only issue is that im not sure (at least this switch) could be modded to have 3, 4, 5 and momentary on 2. because the gear piece gets in the way. im guessing each switch type is a little different, so one may be able to and others may not. i wish i had more switches to pull apart... lol