Broken Footswitch Blues: Do pedals need to be built tougher?

[phoenix 7]

I've got 6 broken pedals at the moment. Many footswitches seem to fail on me after about a year or two of daily use (and I don't think I'm kicking them too hard). By daily use, I mean several hours of play virtually every day, including practice, rehearsals and gigs. I'd be interested to know if other people who use their pedals this much are having issues with broken footswitches and the like. (I'm not a bull-in-a-china-shop type guy and am not prone to busting other stuff.)

My current injury list:

1. BJF HoneyBee with faulty footswitch (caused it seems by footswitch lubricant leaking into the circuitry - BJF's diagnosis).

2. Klon with faulty DC power supply (1/8 inch jack not making solid contact - have to open it up and check it out)

3. RC Booster with broken footswitch

4. Fulltone Clyde Deluxe with faulty footswitch

5. Retro-Sonic Chorus Ensemble with faulty footswitch

6. Peterson Strobo-Stomp with intermittent input jack

Pedals with really tough, solid footswitches in my experience so far: Keeley loopers, Fulltone pedals (not including the wah listed above). This stuff keeps working for me year after year.

[this1smyne]

i've had a few stomps go bad on me over the years, but they are fairly cheap and easy to replace.... think of it like changing the tires on your car, sometimes its just gotta be done. sucks when you've got a list like that though, cause thats a lot of sweet pedals that need more love ;)

[Jack DeVille]

The blue 3PDT switch used in many effects pedals is garbage.

Half of my business is repair work. There are two VERY common failures I see in effects pedals:

1. Mod job gone wrong
2. Failed foot switch

Mind you, the foot switch that fails is almost ALWAYS the ubiquitous blue 3PDT POS.
As a repairman, I can tell you right now, they will all fail. Its only a matter of time. The installing tech can improve the life of the switch if care is taken during installation, but the notion that the switches life will be improved is akin to the old "polishing a turd" anecdote.

[Ronsonic]

The blue 3PDT switch used in many effects pedals is garbage.

Half of my business is repair work. There are two VERY common failures I see in effects pedals:

1. Mod job gone wrong
2. Failed foot switch

Mind you, the foot switch that fails is almost ALWAYS the ubiquitous blue 3PDT POS.
As a repairman, I can tell you right now, they will all fail. Its only a matter of time. The installing tech can improve the life of the switch if care is taken during installation, but the notion that the switches life will be improved is akin to the old "polishing a turd" anecdote.

The only thing worse than that blue Cliff 3PDT is all the others. Carling is shipping some real cheese these days.

But you're right they will all fail. At least the mechanical bits. There really isn't any way around it, this stuff will break.

I'm sorta curious about the OP's failure #1, as in what in God's name was that switch lubricated with, that it would cause a problem if it leaked. I have a very hard time imagining such a thing. Any substance that would be bad on the circuit board would be worse to have inside a switch.

[Jack DeVille]

One of the problems I see with some regularity is crudely overheated terminals.
This is frighteningly obvious if you know what to look for.

On many of the POS 3PDT blue switches there is a red epoxy (or some type of adhesive)
holding each of the nine terminals in place. When they get overheated, the epoxy melts,
and can run down the terminal onto the rocker contacts inside.

Another theory I've heard discussed is that when the contact is overheated, the lubricant
inside (on the plunger assm. contacts) softens and flows around the contact causing an
interruption/increase in resistance in the contact area.

Here is what I'm talking about:

New switch: Note red epoxy surrounding terminals
http://moodysounds.com/images/Tillbehor/3pdt.jpg

Cooked switch: Note red epoxy has melted onto plastic casing,
indicating excessive heat was applied to the contact during assembly.
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz311/jackdevilleelectronics/cookedswitch.jpg

BRUTAL!


EDIT
Here is a switch that has NOT been cooked: Note epoxy is un-damaged
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz311/jackdevilleelectronics/deguts-1-1.jpg

[It's Time!]

They're not called stomp boxes for nothin' ;)

[Chris_M]

One of the problems I see with some regularity is crudely overheated terminals.
This is frighteningly obvious if you know what to look for.

On many of the POS 3PDT blue switches there is a red epoxy (or some type of adhesive)
holding each of the nine terminals in place. When they get overheated, the epoxy melts,
and can run down the terminal onto the rocker contacts inside.

Another theory I've heard discussed is that when the contact is overheated, the lubricant
inside (on the plunger assm. contacts) softens and flows around the contact causing an
interruption/increase in resistance in the contact area.

Here is what I'm talking about:

New switch: Note red epoxy surrounding terminals
http://moodysounds.com/images/Tillbehor/3pdt.jpg

Cooked switch: Note red epoxy has melted onto plastic casing,
indicating excessive heat was applied to the contact during assembly.
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz311/jackdevilleelectronics/cookedswitch.jpg

BRUTAL!


EDIT
Here is a switch that has NOT been cooked: Note epoxy is un-damaged
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz311/jackdevilleelectronics/deguts-1-1.jpg
That "cooked" 3PDT is actually not cooked. That epoxy wont melt away like that. The actually lug will come loose with too much heat but the red epoxy is fine.

I have many 3PDTs that look like that and are brand new. It's just another style, different manufacturer.

[Jack DeVille]

I know what you're talking about, but that was not the case in this instance. That switch is cooked.

Symptom exhibited was loss of signal when in bypass.
Cause: High resistance in signal path during bypass. Found switch to be the culprit.
Replaced switch: problem solved.

Upon close inspection, the blue plastic casing surrounding the terminal had "melted" or softened during installation, as a result of excessive heat.

[cj_wattage]

Just about any mechanical part is going to fail over time. That includes jacks, switches, and pots.

I'm no pro builder or repair tech, but most of the problems I've run into are pots either breaking down (wiper contact) or they were just bad when they came out of the factory. It's probably just me, though. :)

But the 3PDTs do seem to be the overall weakest component of any pedal that uses them. I read somewhere (can't find it now) that listed the number of actuations you can expect from these. I want to say it was something like 10k, but I might be wrong.

Seems like the best method for bypassing + LED indicator is some kind of relay-based system. Well, relays that don't use mechanical latching.

[Jack DeVille]

I think they're in the 10,000 - 20,000 cycle range, but I can't remember where the hell I got those numbers.

Relays are still mechanical devices, although you can find relays rated at over 10^8 cycles for mechanical applications.

[earthtonesaudio]

Notice the lack of Boss pedals in that list, then reflect on how people like to say their boutique pedals are "better quality."

[Jack DeVille]

I am a huge fan of BOSS pedals.
There are two main reasons I like BOSS pedals:

1. THEY DON'T BREAK
2. They generally sound fine. Sometimes fantastic, but always just fine.

There is a lot to be said for what something is NOT (as in: not sensitive about where it is placed in a chain, not picky about its interaction with other stuff etc.)

I occasionally repair BOSS products. 99% of the time, it is a mod gone wrong.
The remaining 1% is reserved for future "situations."

[Snowdog74]

Maybe it would be a good idea to get one of the true bypass loopers and use that. If you did wear out a switch it would be easier to work on or repair.