3PDT footswitch mounted directly to PCB or wired?

[Scrotal Recall]

Hello everyone,

I am new to forums and would appreciate any advice if I am not saying or doing anything correctly.
I was wondering if anyone could share their thoughts on potential pros and cons of mounting the switch directly to the PCB (containing populated components).
Could this be potentially detrimental to sound, cause clicking through kinetic energy (not capacitor popping) etc?

Thank you

[Kipper4]

Welcome Scrotal.
Not a phrase I ever imagined I'd be saying 

You could attach the switch lugs to the board.
The main reason I don't is because I try to fit the pcb below the level of the switch lugs.
It gives some distance between enclosure and pcb,componants.

There are lots of switch based pcb out there. Much smaller affairs with ins outs power led's
all sorts.
Welcome aboard .

[idy]

It's easier to replace a switch that is not soldered to the board.

[antonis]

On the contrary, it's easier to mount a switch soldered on the board..
(half number solder joints, no wiring cut/tin, etc..)

[Mark Hammer]

Many problems with stompswitches occur when builders apply too much heat, liquifying the grease inside them, which then flows along the contacts inside and acts as an insulator.

Clearly this risk has been overcome by commercial producers, who regularly install stompswitches this way, without any problems.  Board-mounted switches often anticipate precise machining of holes in the enclosure.  If you're dealing with premachined enclosures, and everything is mounted precisely on the board, then simply solder sensibly and enjoy.  If you are machining the enclosure yourself, and are relatively new to soldering up such switches, I'd suggest wiring it instead, to avoid potential unnecessary aggravation. 

I would add that it can be a good idea to slip a little heat shrink over the wire/lug joints on the switch if NOT mounting it to the board.  Bending the connecting wires can yield stress fractures, so some stress relief is helpful insurance.  As well, there is the occasional risk of the switch being mounted at a height that unintentionally puts the solder lugs in contact with the bottom plate of the enclosure.

[italianguy63]

Many problems with stompswitches occur when builders apply too much heat, liquifying the grease inside them, which then flows along the contacts inside and acts as an insulator.

Clearly this risk has been overcome by commercial producers, who regularly install stompswitches this way, without any problems.  Board-mounted switches often anticipate precise machining of holes in the enclosure.  If you're dealing with premachined enclosures, and everything is mounted precisely on the board, then simply solder sensibly and enjoy.  If you are machining the enclosure yourself, and are relatively new to soldering up such switches, I'd suggest wiring it instead, to avoid potential unnecessary aggravation. 

I would add that it can be a good idea to slip a little heat shrink over the wire/lug joints on the switch if NOT mounting it to the board.  Bending the connecting wires can yield stress fractures, so some stress relief is helpful insurance.  As well, there is the occasional risk of the switch being mounted at a height that unintentionally puts the solder lugs in contact with the bottom plate of the enclosure.

I always mount to a PCB.  If the switch is not PCB mounted I use a daughter-board.  I like that the PCB holds the pin alignment for the switch and does not allow them to wiggle around causing the issue Mark mentioned here. 

I only solder one or two contacts at a time... and after soldering I operate the switch several times... and then allow the assembly to cool before I go on to solder a few more... thereby keeping the switch innards from building up too much heat at one time.

I have had great success in this manner... And soldering wires to a PCB is FAR easier than to switch lugs.

My $.02!
MC

[duck_arse]

I'm always doing things the hard way, including soldering X-wing f/s's to perf or vero, via short wire legs. the board will usually have the mill bypass and polarity protection guff on it. the giant lugs on x-wings require more soldering heat/care, because the plastic around the lugs can/will soften and allow the lug to shift under the intenal spring press. this can render the switch N.B.G., often in an erratic manner that is hard to track down.

ahh, rereads thread title, sees he is off-topic-ing somewhat. welcome to forums, Scrotal Recall.

[soggybag]

I like to mount as much to the PCB as possible. The fewer off board wires the better. The switch has 9 terminals! That said I often end up wiring the switch, while more often I mount pots to the PCB.

I go easy on the heat when soldering the switch lugs. Besides all of the other problems mentioned, I notice the glue around the lugs gets soft when it gets hot which seems like it could cause a failure of the lug got out of alignment.

[ElectricDruid]

Welcome!

As others have said, if you can get the mounting heights to work, then go for it - mount the footswitch on the PCB. If not, mount it on a daughterboard PCB, and connect it via a little jumper - this type of thing:

https://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/3PDT_True_Bypass_Daughterboard/p847124_12774515.aspx
https://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/Direct-Connect_pre-stripped_ribbon_cables_4_6_7_and_9way/p847124_13242332.aspx

More off-board wires is more possible ways to mis-wire something, and more potential breakages. So anything that reduces that is an improvement in reliability in my view. PCB connections only break if they're exposed to movement - that means making sure that the footswitch nut is tightened and not loose, and similarly with jacks, if they're also mounted on the board. If they can wobble *at all* the solder joins *will* break sooner or later. This is why some people prefer wired connections - you can let the jack or switches get looser, and the wires give you some leeway that allows you to get away with it for a little while. But it's a false sense of security; if the switch can move, the wires will break too although if you're lucky they might survive slightly longer. Solid mechanical mounting is vital. The majority of pedal failures aren't electronic - they're mechanical (aside from "dead battery", I suppose!).

Tom

[Scrotal Recall]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all ever so much for replying and sharing your personal experiences and methods, I greatly appreciate it 

I've decided to mount the switch to the board as I have plenty of clearance with a height of 38mm (Hammond - 1590BBS) and in regards to soldering I'll ask one of my colleagues at work to solder for me (electronics manufacturing/assembly).

Kind regards

[DIY Bass]

One of the best schemes that I have seen requires more components on the board, but works well.  This has a 5V coil relay (DPDT for true bypass) and a separate 5V line just to power the relay. There is also a LED on the 5V line.  The stomp switch then just has to turn on/off the 5V.  2 wires.  with the 5V switched on the relay closes and the pedal engages and the LED turns on.  With 5V off the relay is in bypass and the LED is off.  Does need more components on the board, but the switch wiring is so so easy.  If you wanted to be really fancy I guess you could ground the relay coil, not just turn it off.