My Boss Flanger case finally fell apart. I'm putting the board in a Hammond box and while I'm at it, I was thinking of putting in a "True Bypass" switch. I read this can be done by hotwiring the effect to be always on, then using the DPDT. The original Boss switch only uses 2 wires. Does anyone know how this can be done? Thanks for any help.

http://www.jpl-audio.com/images/alwayson.pdf

I allways thought of the Boss casing as indestructible :wink:

The cases ARE pretty indestructible, but the foot treadle mechanism requires a spring, thumbscrew and bolt-type hinge to function properly, and people do lose these things from time to time when something gets loose and isn't attended to immediately (it's also not as if these things are always used in surgical-quality lighting either).  Once the treadle becomes unstable, it is only a matter of time before the physical structure of the switch becomes compromised.

jplaudio's "how to" document is pretty good, though not everyone can find the FETs in question easily.  In general, the FETs used for switching will be of a 2SKxxx type, such as a 2SK30A or 2SK118.  As is typical of Japanese transistors, the 2S part of the part number is omitted so that the remaining characters can be printed a little larger.  2SK30A will come out as K30A, etc.  On the BF-2, it can be found near the middle of the board, about 2/3 of the way from the non-lead end of the board to where the leads are attached, right beside a big fat 100uf cap.  

You will see a diode labelled D5 right in front of the FET.  That diode will go to one of the pins on the FET.  Jumper the other two pins of the FET (e.g., with a small piece of wire straddling the two solder pads) and it is now bypassed with the wet/delay path always "on", regardless of what the status indicator says.  You may now stick the whole thing in another chassis and wire the input and output leads up to a stompswitch.

Please note that the solid state switching IS reparable (Small Bear carries the switches), and that you can probably obtain the various screws and springs from *somewhere*.  I honestly don't know how bashed up the pedal is, but it may well be a lot easier and cheaper to repair this thing than to install it in a new case with switch (figure at *least* $20 for that, and a whole lot of machining).

could you just put it in another box witha momentary switch wired
in the place of the original surface mount?

Quote from: caseycould you just put it in another box witha momentary switch wired
in the place of the original surface mount?

yeah..
but most people who go to the trouble of changing the box out usually just go ahead and make it truebypass.. personaly i just remove the whole switching circuit..  and go from there..

Thanks for the info. I'll just install a real switch while I'm switching cases. By the way, one the screws holding the actual pedal to the Boss case has completely worn out one of the screw holes. Thats why the case is trashed. I don't think even duct tape can repair this!!!! Thanks again.

You could heli-coil the stripped threads, but unless you already have a heli-coil kit, or know someone who will do a freebie, it's not worth the bother.