Switchcraft enclosed jack grounding

[Bret608]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying out enclosed jacks for the first time, some nice Switchcraft I got with my last PPP order. Do both the in and out have to have the sleeve grounded with those?

Thanks,

Bret

[Govmnt_Lacky]

Depends on who you ask...

If you ask me, I always ground the sleeve on In and Out jacks.

[Bret608]

Thanks! I think I will just go ahead and do it to be safe...

[pickdropper]

There is no one single approach to whether or not the output jack should be grounded.

If the Switchcraft is not insulated (they make both kinds) you don't need to ground it if the jack is making good mechanical contact with a metal enclosure and the enclosure itself isn't insulated by paint, powder coat or other contamination.

There are benefits and concerns with both approaches.

1.)  Running a ground wire to the output jack.  The advantage of this is obviously that the ground stays connected if the jack gets loose.  This will help ensure that pedal works until you have a chance to tighten it down again.  The disadvantage of this is that it creates a situation where two circuit nodes are connected by multiple paths (the wire and the enclosure).  In some situations, this can create a ground loop, which can lead to hum.

2.)  Not running a ground wire to the output jack.  This is the most common wiring scheme in guitar pedals (including commercially built ones).  The advantage is (not surprisingly) that it eliminates the chance of ground loop hum between the input and output jacks.  The disadvantage is that the output can become intermittent (or go away entirely) if the jack gets loose.

I have had one issue with a high gain pedal where grounding it caused a problem, but I can't recall any issues when I tried grounding the jack.  If you do wire it, it's easy enough to clip it off if you have noise issues.

I usually don't ground the output jack.  I make sure that I have a good mechanical connection (occasionally I take a file to the enclosure and scrape a bare spot) and then I use lock washer (if I can fit them) to make sure the connection holds.  That usually works well for me.

[Bret608]

Thanks Dave! I'll check the enclosure and see how much powerdercoat there is on the inside. You're right though; no harm in trying and just clipping the wire later.