How do you install your footswitches ? What to do with the various rings ?

I think they don't put these precious white washers just on any 3PDT. From what I could gather, there's a lot of kinds of 3PDT with various tension on the spring inside. I guess they give us the plastic ring when necessary, on the harder 3PDT with higher tensions, with big clicks.

You'll probably never find a plastic ring on momentary switches, that's an other evidence showing the shock absorbtion purpose.

Please note that I am not saying it works like a charm, or it's a good idea, I am not a pro-white washerist.... I am just trying to stay neutral and understand what the factory have in mind...
 
I am not pro white washers, but I do think, based on solid evidence like flat nylon washer datasheets, that if your 3PDT has one, it needs it to be quiet. If you throw them away you are most certainly making both a big mistake and a terrible waste, right ?
 
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right ! dismissing the 3PDT plastic ring is indeed unreasonable, to say the least. On the other hand, putting it shamelessly on the enclosure, for the whole world to see, is either bad taste or political statement saying : "it's all over, let's do anything now, who cares ?". Like wearing a shirt upside down in public.

Isn't it ?
 
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Obviously we need to get "That Pedal Show" to do a blindfold shoot out of white washer vs non white washer sound tests to see:
  1. does is suppress audible clicks?
  2. does is help cut through the mix?

The thing is on the ground, under your shoe, while you're playing freaking electric guitar, ideally to an audience that is over THERE>>>

When I tell my wife about tweaking frequency response with capacitors she thinks I'm nuts. I am NOT mentioning this discussion...

I say the factories are including them to discretely dispose of unwanted byproduct of some other manufacturing process...

Or, Danelectro once placed an order for switches with them and specified cheap, plasticy WHITE washers to go with their whole aesthetic and it just kinda became a thing...

Personally, I think they look like ass on the outside of pedals.
 
jimboto_brass_washer_with_spikes_e9188e92-c0cc-480a-a560-803a471ec79c.png
 
My next build is the Pathogen distortion. The whole kit with drilled enclosure cost me around 60 euros. The hand-made washer I'll order from Peccary cost me 75$ (it prevents the 3pdt from sudden explosion though) plus around 30$ for shipping from the US i guess.

Orthodoxia, good manners and safety in stompboxes come with a certain price.

I don't want to be cheap, but....
 
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peccary said:
In reality everyone needs to use custom, hand-made, brass, knurled washers or else their footswitch will explode.

I happen to have some available for $75 a piece. A small price to pay to keep your house safe from an untimely explosion.

View attachment 40043
Click to expand...
I actually have one or two of these, or what seem to be these, around but have no idea where they came from. Assuming you where joking, where did you get these?
 
jhaneyzz said:
I actually have one or two of these, or what seem to be these, around but have no idea where they came from. Assuming you where joking, where did you get these?
Click to expand...

I made these at home on my lathe. I had a few little stubby bits of brass leftover from making knobs and decided to bore them out and cut them off to match the dimensions of the fabled white plastic washer. I was just thinking of ways to reuse some of the scrap I was making.

So it was a joke, but they are *technically* "custom hand-made" :ROFLMAO:
 
peccary said:
I made these at home on my lathe. I had a few little stubby bits of brass leftover from making knobs and decided to bore them out and cut them off to match the dimensions of the fabled white plastic washer. I was just thinking of ways to reuse some of the scrap I was making.

So it was a joke, but they are *technically* "custom hand-made" :ROFLMAO:
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You have better toys than me… I’d have to hand file the knurling…
 
Btw I need lock washers for pots and toggle switches, which come without them often enough.
I don't use them with PCBs of course but for off board controls they are necessary and I never know which size to order.
Is it 8mm for pots and 7mm for toggles?
 
This was quite the illuminating thread! Personally, I hate the way the white washers look but I wouldn't turn down a great sounding pedal if it had one. I feel like I've read somewhere that they help protect the 3pdt by absorbing some of the impact of being stomped on. So, while they look ugly, they'll help improve the overall lifespan of the switch (or so I'm told). As a bedroom guitarist, I have a hard time seeing how I'll ever wear through a 3pdt, but who knows.
 
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