• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Polarity Switch

Ok guys i need some help. I have a box that i need to install a SPDT footswitch on. However there is not enough space on the inside so i need to make an external box with a jack to house the switch. But i need to send 3 wires to the switch in the other box. The SPDT switch takes 3 conectors. What do you guys think the best way to send that signal?
 
You can't do phase switching with a single pole. You need a DPDT switch to do that.

The exception is to use a single pole switch to control a DPDT relay, but that can be problematic in ways. First off, if you didn't have room to add a switch, there probably won't be room for a relay. Second, relays can tend to make things noisy, and do require a rather high current to operate.
 
there is a SPDT slider switch on the bottom already. I want to reroute it to a SPDT Footswitch. But it wont fit on the top.

Can you get a picture of the wiring?

From what I see online, I would assume that the two terminals of the jack go to the common terminals of both switches, and then the normally-open terminal of the main switch goes to one throw of the polarity switch, and the normally-closed terminal of the main switch goes to the other throw of the polarity switch. If that is the case, all you have to do is replace the attached cable with balanced, two conductor cable, and put a TRS jack on the end. Then the two sleeve terminals of the external footswitch box can be connected together (Make sure you wire the common terminal on the M-Audio SP-2 to the sleeve.), and the new footswitch can select either the tip or ring from the M-Audio SP-2, to go to the tip terminal of the jack going to the keyboard.
 
I'll be honest, your description of the issue is still confusing to me. To clarify: you have a slide switch, but you want to use an external footswitch instead?

The optimal solution would be to install a stereo jack in your current unit and another in the enclosure that houses your footswitch. With a TRS/stereo cable, you can send all three signals independently to your footswitch. However, if you don't have room for the switch now, you probably wont have room for the jack.
 
Here's a schematic of what I would do.
8598391027_56c6244949_o.png
 

Latest posts