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I was wondering if it is possible to turn a DPDT footswitch into a SPDT footswitch? I am asking because I need to replace the footswitch in my friends Dunlop DB-01 CFH Wah. I ordered a Carling DPDT switch from Small Bear, then went to the Dunlop site...I didn't realize they had parts lists at the Dunlop website, and the switches they say are in the wahs are SPDT, so is there any way to make the DPDT switch I ordered into a SPDT one, or do I need to order another switch?

If this topic has already been previously covered, I apologize as I didn't find any search results that went over this....Thanks!

Just use one side of the DPDT, a DPDT is basically 2 SPDTs in one. Does that make sense?

Thanks devastone. I actually don't think I'll have to convert it now, as I have looked into it more, and the wahs uses DPDT (I looked at the parts list for the Dime Distortion at first). So now my only issue is that the Carling footswitch on the wah looks like it has 3-4 poles on it, but the Carling switch I ordered from Small Bear has 6 poles. Also, there is a PCB attached to the footswitch that has 6 holes, but it looks like 4 (though maybe its just 3) holes are being used. So if anyone has any info regarding Dunlop Wah footswitches and changing them, it would be appreciated.

Sorry, don't know the Dunlops specifically.

To hopefully make this a little easier to understand lets get our terminology straightened out here and then we'll go from there.

The above is a diagarm of your typical Dual Pole Dual Throw (DPDT) stomp switch. Lugs 2 and 5 are the actual "poles". Lugs 1, 3, 4 and 6 are the throws. There are 6 lugs but only 2 actual poles. A 3PDT switch would have another center connector and a throw above and below it. So now you would have 9 lugs but only 3 actusl "poles".

If the Dunlop switch you are replacing only has 3 lugs then it is a Single Pole Dual Throw (SPDT) type switch. If you have a DPDT type switch you can use it in place of the SPDT switch. A DPDT switch is nothing more than 2 SPDT switches in a single package.

Thanks Stephen, sorry to get the terms mixed up, I just built a couple pedals, so the other guitarist in the band thinks I now know how to do everything else pedal related.

That diagram clarifies things up a bit as the diagram looks like the swicth I ordered. However switch that is on the pedal right now looks like it just has 4 lugs (without luugs 3 & 6), that is where I am getting confused now...

So here is my other newbie question (please bear with me): Since 3 & 6 are bridged would clippling the lugs off, or not bridging them at all have any affect on lugs 1, 2, 4 & 5?

And another one, is there any way to change the switch part of the of the switch without having to mess around with lugs? Cause the switch itself won't turn the wah on by foot, but I can turn it on by pressing it with my fingers several times. However, the switch always turns off with just one click, either by hand or foot.

Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time!

You can't have true bypass switching without lugs 3 and 6. When the switch is in Bypass mode the signal coming into lug 2 goes out lug 3 which is shorted to lug 6 which is connected to lug 5 which passes the signal on to whatever is next in the signal chain. Without lugs 3 and 6 there is no way for the signal to get from lug 3, the input, to lug 5, the output.

I'd have to see a photo of this 4 lug switch you're talking about. If it's the stock switch I've never seen one like it in any Dunlop wah pedal before.

Once the mechanical works inside the switch start to fail you have to replace the entire switch. There is nothing on the inside that can be easily fixed by the consumer.

Thanks for your time and help Stephen. I'll try to get a pic, but all I have is a crappy cellphone cam. The pedal is all stock, but it might be a standard Dunlop switch and I might not be seeing something cause I haven't removed the old switch entirely from the pedal. I wasn't going to remove the old switch until I got the new one, because I try not to leave things halfway done because I am afraid I'll forget things by the time I get back around to it. So I'll work on getting a pic while waiting for the replacement switch to arrive, and see if that might clear up any confusion I might be under or may have created in trying to explain what I am seeing...

Thanks once again to everyone trying to help me out with this thing. Should have just said,"Its shot, get the BYOC wah kit, I'll put it together for $50."

I got the new switch, and took some pics. I apologize for the crappy quality of the pics, I have limited resources at the moment, but appreciate any help with my footswitch questions. Thanks.



Here is how the switch looks from the side. The switch I ordered has 6 lugs (Carling 316-PP), the one on the pedal has 4.

However, looking at the PCB for the footswitch, it looks like there is a connection made between what would be lugs 3 & 6 in the diagram provided by Stephen in a previous reply...



So I am wondering if I can use the 6 lug switch I ordered by just going through the footswitch PCB? It seems that I could, but I just would like a second opinion. Or do I need to do some sort of modification or get a new switch?

Thanks for your time & help!

Bump!

Have you got a continuity checker? You need one to determine which lug is the pole and which lugs are the throws.

I have a multimeter, is that the same thing? I know that may be a dumb question...but I am new to a lot of this, anyways, how do I go about checking to see which is which? Which may be another dumb question, for which I apologize but you got to start somewhere I guess...

Thanks!

Continuity is a common function on most multi-meters. When you touch the leads together the meter should make a beeping noise indicating continuity. I would start by placing one lead on one the the lugs sticking thru the pcb and touching the other lead to other lugs to see which one has continuity with the first lead. Once you find that, click the switch and find out which lug contnuity switched to.

Can you post another photo showing the other side of the pcb? I see traces running to the lugs sticking thru the board but I don't see any traces going to the lugs below them. As for the two solder pads that look like they're connect together I wouldn't even worry about those. From the looks of the photo they don't seem to be connected to anything on the switch unless there is a trace on the other side of the pcb. A shot of the wires connected to the pcb might help too.

Thanks Stephen. I'll take some more pics later today and get them posted some time tonight or early tomorrow....

Here is an additional pic of how the footswitch is hooked up to the PCB.



The two eyelets in the center are the only ones wired, though the pic makes it seem as if all 4 are wired.

There are 2 traces on the underside of the PCB that go from the "middle" lugs on the footswitch, trace on the left goes to the round eyelet on the left from the left "middle" lug and the trace on the right goes to the square eyelet on the right from the right "middle" lug. Also on the underside of the PCB (I would have taken a photo but could not get good enough resolution) on the lefthand side, it is marked SW3. On the righthand side, it is lablelled JP8.

I have a cheap multimeter with no audible continuity function, so I don't know if I can check continuity.

Now I am wondering if I can use the 6 lug footswitch I ordered/received, or if I need to order another. However, I am thinking that I can wire the corresponding lugs on the switch I have to the PCB, but I need to find out if that will work, or if there is any easy way to modify the switch that I have to make it work.

Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I'd still like to see a pic of the pcb's other side. Are there any circuit traces on the other side?

If your multimeter doesn't have a continuity tester use your resistance checker. (how old is the thing anyway? if it's a DMM it should have this ferature possibly marked with a musical note) Continuity will have zero or minimal resistance. Like 0.2 ohms or so. If there is no continuity there will be infinite resistance.

You really need to test this thing with a meter. There is no way of knowing whats what by simply looking at it. Unless by chance the switch has a schematic on the side of it's housing. Not likely but there's an outside chance it's there.

Hi Stephen. I'll try to get a pic of the other side, as last night I tried to get one, but the traces were not visible.

As far as my multimeter, I thought $3 was a good deal at Harbor Freight, so its digital but lacks the audible continuity function.

As I stated before, there are 2 traces on the other side that are from the 2nd pair of lugs on the footswitch to that follow a similar route as the visible traces on the top. The underside trace on the left side goes to the round eyelet, the one on the right to the square one. I will attempt to figure out how the footswitch operates with my multimeter tonight and take another pic, and I'll get back to you.

Thank you very much for all your help, I really appreciate it!

I was able to get hold of a multi-meter with continuity. I checked several times, and I am getting no continuity between the lugs on the pcb. I could only get continuity between the lugs and different eyelets on the footswitch PCB, and not from lug to lug. I had power off on the pedal though cause I thought it was supposed to be, but if that was wrong, let me know.

Here is a pic of the underside, and I will try to take a better one soon. You can sort of see a trace from the eyelet SW3 going to the other set of lugs.



Thanks!

My suggestion would be to take it to someone that knows a little about electronics. If the switch is good you should have continuity between some of the lugs. Since you have no experience in this type of thing I can't help but think that you're not checking it right.

Actually the switch that is in the pedal is not good, thats why I am trying to swap it out, but I got confused as the switch I ordered has 2 extra lugs. Was I supposed to test continuity in the old switch thats still in the pedal or the new one?

With the multimeter when I test the switch in the pedal, I am touching one the lugs on the first row, and trying the lugs on the other row and get nothing, so then I switch lug which lug I am on and try the others and get nothing. I thought that was how you mentioned to test the lugs, but when I do it, I get nothing.

I was able to test continuity on the new switch thats not in the pedal, so I don't think I am testing the switch in the pedal incorrectly...when I click on that lugs 1 & 2 - 4 & 5 have continuity, click again, 2 & 3 - 5 & 6 have continuity...

I realize the switch is bad. Even when this has happened to me in the past though the switch would still have continuity between one set of lugs. It just wouldn't switch lugs when you actuated the switch.

To be honest, if it were me I would have contacted Dunlop and gotten the replacement switch from them. Something is really odd looking about the bad switch. It appears to have 4 lugs yet the pcb has 6 solder pads. The switch would seem to be a Dual Pole Single Throw type. I'm not sure I've ever seen one like it before.

Thanks, I'll probably call Dunlop and just hang on to the switch for some future use. I appreciate your time and assistance, I'll let you know if I get this thing fixed...

FWIW, I just went to the Dunlop site and checked the parts list, the switch listed for the Dimebag wah is a SPST switch that is also used in the Hendrix Fuzzwah...

Just got off the phone with Dunlop, and the correct switch is on the way!

Thanks Stephen for all your help. Sorry to be such a pain, but I did learn a few things from it all, so at least I got something out of it...

I know I should have called Dunlop first, but due to my being misinformed by reviews I have read on various review sites about tech support, or mainly a lack of, from some of the bigger companies, I figured I'd just end up getting put on hold indefinitely or transferred around aimlessly. I don't know about other companies, but I was suprised when a live person actually picked up almost instantly as I thought I'd be in some automated system for awhile, but I'll give props to Dunlop for making it easy to get replacement parts and not charging too much for shipping and handling, just $6.25, I've paid higher S&H on eBay...