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Basic switch/V/T on a PJ question.

Discussion in 'Pickups & Electronics [BG]' started by Volker Kirstein, Jul 1, 2020.

  1. Jul 1, 2020 #1
    Volker Kirstein

    Volker Kirstein Blippy the Wonder Slug

    Jun 16, 2019
    Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany
    All the switch/V/T diagrams I find show DPDT switches with 6 poles. I ordered a prewired harness, and the switch only has 4 poles. 3 on one side, and one on the other.
    IMG_20200701_202653.jpg
    IMG_20200701_202354.jpg

    Now I'm confused. The wiring on the switch doesn't match any of the diagrams I've found. I want N, N+B (series), B. Do I just connect the hots to the poles? That can't be right? I thought I understood basic electronics, but it seems I may be a dunce.
     
  2. Jul 1, 2020 #2
    Killed_by_Death

    Killed_by_Death Snaggletooth Inactive

    Jan 2, 2015
    14 Megameters from Groong Tehp
    You're confounding POLES & TERMINALS.
    DPDT = Double-Pole Double-Throw (2 poles)

    Here's an example of a pickup selector switch:
    [​IMG]
     
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  3. Jul 1, 2020 #3
    Liko

    Liko

    Mar 30, 2007
    DFW Metro
    Easiest way to find out is to take a multimeter to various combinations of the switch terminals.

    This looks like an Asian copy of a Gibson 3-way. That being the case, the outer terminals are inputs for your pickup leads, and the center is "common". The fourth terminal, out on the edge, is a shield ground, you don't have to connect anything to it, but you might get less noise tacking this wire to some shielding foil or a pot shell elsewhere in the cavity.

    This switch by itself will only give you a parallel combination of the two pickups in center position. I'm pretty sure a series combination is not possible with this setup. It might be, with some out of the box thinking (such as shorting a pickup instead of switching it out), but without some time and some graph paper to try to trace something out I'm gonna say this setup will be parallel-only with the switch in your hand.
     
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  4. Jul 1, 2020 #4
    Volker Kirstein

    Volker Kirstein Blippy the Wonder Slug

    Jun 16, 2019
    Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany
    OK. So it has 4 TERMINALS instead of the 6 TERMINALS I see on most diagrams.

    I don't understand your drawing. On the harness, I believe red is "ground" (TERMINAL 3) and white is "hot" (TERMINAL 4). I think your image is telling me to put the hot from the neck pickup on 1, the ground from the bridge pickup on 3, and the hot from the bridge on 4? Do I jumper 2-3?

    1 x
    2 4
    3 x
     
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  5. Jul 1, 2020 #5
    Killed_by_Death

    Killed_by_Death Snaggletooth Inactive

    Jan 2, 2015
    14 Megameters from Groong Tehp
    Get out your multimeter, set it to the lowest Ohms Ω (Resistance) & see what points have continuity (Zero Ω) when the switch is in different positions,
    then attach your pickup leads accordingly.
    Series wiring is out of the question with this switch.
     
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  6. Jul 1, 2020 #6
    Volker Kirstein

    Volker Kirstein Blippy the Wonder Slug

    Jun 16, 2019
    Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany
    Taking a meter to it, I think you're right.

    1 x
    2 4 (white wire)
    3 x

    Switch towards 1: continuity 1-2
    Switch middle: continuity 1-2-3
    Switch towards 3: continuity 2-3

    EDIT
    Hot from neck to 1, with jumper to 2?
    Hot from bridge to 3?
    1 | x <-- Hot from neck (or bridge) pup to 1
    2 | 4 <-- Hot from bridge (or neck) pup to 2, leave 4 (GND) as is
    3 | x <-- leave 3 (HOT) as is

    GND from both pickups to GND.

    Gives me

    Switch towards 1 - pup 1
    Switch middle - pup 1 + pup 2, parallel
    Switch towards 3 - pup 2
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2020
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