Hello,
I hope this question doesn't come across as OCD or uninformed, but it's something I've been curious about for a while. After a friend saw my homemade flight case type pedabloard, he asked me to make one for him. This led to several local bands showing interest in my city, and I've since built a few more. I love woodworking and the community, and I haven't charged a cent for it. It's just an excuse to go to a workshop.
However, there's one specific question I've had that perhaps those with more experience could help answer. I haven't been able to find any statistics on this topic.
qww
To get straight to the point: I'm curious about the likelihood of failure in 3PDT switches or momentary switches with relays, particularly when mounted at an angle. Many commercial pedalboards are angled, and I'm wondering if a more pronounced angle, say between 30 and 60 degrees facing away from the user—would significantly impact the lifespan of these switches. Considering human ergonomics and the variability in how people operate these switches, would such steep angles exponentially increase the failure rate of high-quality or lower-quality switches? I've seen some professional pedalboard makers get fairly steep with their angles. I'm building one and I have a space issue.
From my experience, these footswitches do tend to fail quite often. For instance, I've worked on two Big Muffs where the issue was either a "pro" failed ribbon cable connecting the 3PDT or the switch itself. In most cases, leaving the nylon washer might help with the angle situation. But I don't know if there is a limit within comfortable operation. I've also heard that overheating during soldering can misalign the metal plates inside the switch, just a tip. I'm always terrifiied in that part of a pedal buuild.
I hope this question isn't too niche, but I believe it's an interestigtopic worth discussing. Any insights or data on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
I hope this question doesn't come across as OCD or uninformed, but it's something I've been curious about for a while. After a friend saw my homemade flight case type pedabloard, he asked me to make one for him. This led to several local bands showing interest in my city, and I've since built a few more. I love woodworking and the community, and I haven't charged a cent for it. It's just an excuse to go to a workshop.
However, there's one specific question I've had that perhaps those with more experience could help answer. I haven't been able to find any statistics on this topic.
qww
To get straight to the point: I'm curious about the likelihood of failure in 3PDT switches or momentary switches with relays, particularly when mounted at an angle. Many commercial pedalboards are angled, and I'm wondering if a more pronounced angle, say between 30 and 60 degrees facing away from the user—would significantly impact the lifespan of these switches. Considering human ergonomics and the variability in how people operate these switches, would such steep angles exponentially increase the failure rate of high-quality or lower-quality switches? I've seen some professional pedalboard makers get fairly steep with their angles. I'm building one and I have a space issue.
From my experience, these footswitches do tend to fail quite often. For instance, I've worked on two Big Muffs where the issue was either a "pro" failed ribbon cable connecting the 3PDT or the switch itself. In most cases, leaving the nylon washer might help with the angle situation. But I don't know if there is a limit within comfortable operation. I've also heard that overheating during soldering can misalign the metal plates inside the switch, just a tip. I'm always terrifiied in that part of a pedal buuild.
I hope this question isn't too niche, but I believe it's an interestigtopic worth discussing. Any insights or data on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
