Momentary Kill Switch

ctesoro

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I've installed a switchcraft 903 momentary to use as a kill switch. It has 3-poles A-B-C. Anyone know how to translate this schematic to wire it correctly? See diagram 1-C.
 

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Re: Momentary Kill Switch

I just know thg you wire it in parallel to the output jack so when it's pushed it shorts the circuit to ground...

I have no idea why that's got 3 poles though? Is one a ground wire?
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

can be wired for NO (normally open) or NC (normally closed). I believe NO is how I need to wire it but it does not specify. Maybe I just use A & C from what it shows in the diagram?
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

C- input from pickups...ie volume pot
B- output to jack tip
A- ground
 
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Re: Momentary Kill Switch

No need to connect the input for pickups - might result in a pop. Just have it connect the two contacts of the jack together when pressed in.
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

Terminals A & C to the tip/ring of the output jack. Doesn't matter which goes where.
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

No need to connect the input for pickups - might result in a pop. Just have it connect the two contacts of the jack together when pressed in.

View attachment 44934

Do tell me then....what signal goes to the jack if not the pickups?

There is a physical connection being made between the 1/4" male plug and the tip connector of the jack. Even if you connect the lugs together, all you're doing is splitting the pickup signal between tip and sleeve (parallel connection), which means some of the hot signal is still going to the tip. Only way to avoid that is to insert the equivalent of an A/B switch between the signal and the jack lugs.

I've wired kill switches in the past and found that when you don't ground the pickup signal, it can often result in some low-volume noise. Grounding the pickup signal makes it totally quiet - a proper kill.
 
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Re: Momentary Kill Switch

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the schematic. I'm reading it as:

Button not pressed: C connected to B, A connected to nothing
Button pressed: C connected to A, B connected to nothing

If this is true then:

The output from the volume control and the ground terminal on the volume control go to the jack as normal. Then either bring two wires from the jack [or from the same two points on the volume control, obviously] to terminals C and A on the push switch. This would mean that when the switch is up, the guitar is wired normally, and when it is pressed, the jack is shorted (and so then is the hot signal from the volume control). There's no way you can get noise (or indeed any sound) when the jack is shorted - because there can't be a voltage difference between the two contacts on the jack.


It would also mean that with your suggestion:
C- input from pickups...ie volume pot
B- output to jack tip
A- ground

You've got:

Switch not pressed: guitar output goes through switch to jack (fine).
Switch pressed: output from volume pot grounded, jack tip not connected to anything (noise).

So yeah. Maybe I'm reading the schematic wrong.
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

Guys . . . I don't mean to sound arrogant here, but I covered this in post #6. Doesn't matter which of those switches is used. Doesn't matter which terminal goes to the tip and sleeve of the output jack, as long as it's A & C.

Any questions? :naughty:
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

Well in that case I was right in #5.

That would mean I was reading the schematic right and CTN was wrong. Is that what you're saying Artie? You haven't really been clear.


Sent from one of my four iPads
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

Well in that case I was right in #5.

That would mean I was reading the schematic right and CTN was wrong. Is that what you're saying Artie? You haven't really been clear.

I haven't been clear? :eyecrazy:

You were correct. But you didn't identify the terminals. Thats all I'm saying. ;)
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

GUITAR IS DONE THANKS - WIRED IT THE WAY ARTIE SUGGESTED A/C TO TIP/RING OF JACK - TOTALLY QUIET NO NOISES OR HUMS. IMG_1244.jpg
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

You know, a three way switch with the neck vol on zero can do that too....

Cool axe.
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

You know, a three way switch with the neck vol on zero can do that too....

Cool axe.

Yes but not as quickly and rhythmically as an "arcade switch".

You can do some really whacky things with a button like this and if you sync up your tapping with a delay or two then it just gets nuts.

Nice job on your axe bro. What kind of pickups did you load her with?
 
Re: Momentary Kill Switch

Yes but not as quickly and rhythmically as an "arcade switch".

Watch me. I grew up on Ace Frehley Toggle Switch tricks. Not Bucketead video games....

HAd to walk up hill to school, in the snow, both ways too. It was hard back in the olden days, but we found a way.
 
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