LED is on when GGG Tube Screamer is switched off

[MikeH]

It's possible that you overheated the switch when soldering it, or that it was defective to begin with.  As a rule of thumb, I always test my switch before I solder it to make sure it's making the proper contacts.

[skrapasor]

In that case, would it be feasible to turn the switch 180 degrees and wire it the same way? At this point I believe that one throw to be defective, and it is possible I over heated it, the switch took me a while to solder.

[skrapasor]

I've now figured out that using either throw won't turn the LED on, and I looked closer and it appears that I screwed up the pole when building it. All the red stuff around it is almost gone because it melted. I think that's the problem. Knowing that the middle pole is useless, what should I do? I could get another switch or wire it as a DPDT switch (although I don't know how to do that). Any suggestions?

On the bright side, I've learned a lot about switching from this.

Would this be a good place to buy a new one? http://cgi.ebay.com/3PDT-SWITCHES-TRUE-BYPASS-NEW-EFFECTS-BOUTIQUE-ROHS_W0QQitemZ200422406204QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item2eaa1b383c#ht_993wt_1102

Or...
http://pedalpartsplus.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PPP&Product_Code=9000&Category_Code=SWI
http://www.effectsconnection.com/oscommerce/shopping_cart.php?sort=2a

Any of these any different?

One last question: How could I wire it without the LED as a DPDT switch? I don't really need the LED.

[Quackzed]

if you don't need the led just remove its wire from the center pole. then it'll never be connected to ground and will be effectively out of the circuit. you can remove the led as well...since it' s not being used.everything else should work normally.

[MikeH]

Those blue 3pdts cant handle much heat at all.  I solder mine very quickly with a hi-heat iron (I think about 60 watts).  That way the solder goes on very quickly.  it also keeps from melting the grease inside, which will make a switch noisy.  Really with those 3pdts de-soldering and re-soldering is very tricky, and 50% of the time it ruins the switch, so I try my darnedest to make double check every connection is in the right place before I solder.  If you do have to try and desolder them, make sure you dont pull on the wire you're desoldering while it's still hot, because this will cause the plastic around the pole to deform (because it's still hot) and that's what causes the switch to fail.

[skrapasor]

How else can you get the wire out? Suck off the solder with soldering braid or something first, and then pull the wire out when it cools?

[Quackzed]

or just use some wire cutters and cut it close to the pole,close enough so it wont make contact with anything else , i wouldn't bother soldering it off, just more risk of overheating the switch...