BLMS 3pdt opinions?

[copachino]

hi, i have always bought from Lawrence enclosures and switches and some times DC jacks, but sometimes i get that some 3pdt stop working in a while, i know they are cheap, but could it be that its me the one how apply to much heat??, i have seen sometimes that i melt the red protector on them and some lugs have moved..

[culturejam]

I've used maybe half a dozen of his footswitches, and so far no trouble. But then again, I don't take my pedals on the road for weeks at a time and jump up and down on them like a mad man. 

In all my years of building pedals, I've had two 3PDT footswitches fail on me after having them in a pedal for a short while. One was from Tayda (no surprise) and one was from Smallbear. Never had a failure from the other suppliers. But I'm sure this is more chance than anything else.

Dave (pickdropper) says the BLMS toggles look like the same type/make as Tayda. He's mostly likely correct. But frankly, I've not had any Tayda or BLMS toggles fail or act wonky. I've only used maybe 50 between the two, so perhaps my experience isn't a statistically relevant sample.

My advice is that if you are sourcing for personal builds, buy whatever you want. If you're sourcing for products you intend to market and sell under a brand name, it's probably best to pay a bit more and go with established manufacturers of hardware (switches, pots, jacks).

[muddyfox]

based on the description, i'd say you are overheating the lugs. you might get away with occasional red stuff melt but moving lugs is definitely a problem. try with higher heat but halve the time the iron is in contact with the lugs. you might also consider not soldering all nine at once but three at a time (one from each switch within).
dunno about the grease inside, never opened one, but aome flux on lugs might help you get in and out quicker as well.

[GermanCdn]

I haven't bought any 3PDTs from Lawrence (or Tayda for that matter), so I can't offer a specific opinion on the product (I buy mine in lots of 50 from a supplier in China for a better price than I can get from either, and it's likely the same place they buy theirs from), but like muddy says, I think you're probably overheating the lugs.  Are you using 3PDT breakout boards?  If not, consider investing in them, because you can do all of the wiring off of the switch, then it's just a matter of soldering the board to the switch, which you can do without putting the iron to the lugs, as you can rest it on the edge of the lug hole and flow solder into to the joint.

[jimilee]

hi, i have always bought from Lawrence enclosures and switches and some times DC jacks, but sometimes i get that some 3pdt stop working in a while, i know they are cheap, but could it be that its me the one how apply to much heat??, i have seen sometimes that i melt the red protector on them and some lugs have moved..

I've had 1 bad one in the hundreds I"ve bought from him. I sent him an email, and he said no worries, just let him know when I place my next order and he will make it up. I didn't just because he is a standup guy, I was impressed. Just make sure it's not an overheating problem though.

[copachino]

i think it was me then, i think they are cheap, but that why it makes doubt ajaja, the seems too cheap to be longlasting switches, enclosures are really cheap and fine if you ask me, never had to complain about it, but i need tobe more careful on the soldering of the switches

[Blues Healer]

I did have one of his fail, and it caused me to re-examine both the part, and my soldering.
I think the resin on BLMS's do melt kinda easy if you aren't careful. I'll also accept some responsibility for my impatient soldering at times. It's probably better to rest the part in between solders, rather than constantly heating it.

On the one that failed, it was apparent that I over-heated the lug. My solution was to use a new switch with a wiring board, and I'll probably stick to that method -- in finding a solution to my problem, I also discovered I kinda like using boards now.

I did some research ... some think Fulltone has the best switches. I read that he has his built, and they're bakelite rather than the regular plastic, so they're a little more heat-resistant and durable.

I also read that better switches have separate pours of the resin, as opposed to one big glob. I just can't confirm that, FWIW
I ended up getting some other switches to try out, including the green ones from Mammoth, and some that *look like* Alphas from these guys:
http://guitarpedalparts.com/product-category/switches/

time will tell ... in the meantime, my solution of using boards with BLMS's seems fine for now. If I'm building for someone, as mentioned, I'll go to the better switches.

[jimilee]

I am spoiled with the boards now too.

[selfdestroyer]

When I first started I was soldering directly onto switches and I struggled with it to either look good or not kill the switch with heat. I started using 1776 Effects 3PDT boards until I made my own etchable one. Its all I use now. I like how clean the daughter board makes it look and I have yet killed a switch due to heat anymore. all in all its really just used because I like how they look and the ease of the build. Offboard wiring is the one thing I am not a fan of with this hobby. I can populate boards all day but boxing them up is another story.

Cody

[Blues Healer]

yeah, using boards solved a few problems for me : ease of wiring, no ruining the switch, and also it makes the led wiring easier and stability a lot better. I kinda think the board acts as a heat buffer for the lugs.

I've bought boards a few different places, but so far I've just used the ones from smallbear, which I like 'cause they're small and get the job done. That pushed me to design my own, which I should get back from OshPark in a week or so.

[chromesphere]

On the topic of too much heat; if you haven't seen inside a 3pdt footswitch before I would suggest watching this video. Its a youtube video from none other then Mark Hammer showing and explaining the anatomy of a 3pdt.  Worth watching!

Check it out:

[jimilee]

One seen that, very cool. I just never can get them open without a hammer.