Need help understanding superswitch wiring please!

[Mrdum]

Hi,

I’m installing a super switch with two humbuckers, so I’ve been browsing the internet and reading every guide I can find on how they work.
I’ve been reading up on coil splitting at the same time, and understand the idea of sending connections to ground leaving the coil you wish to isolate as a part of the circuit (I think).

Push/push for splitting makes sense, understand how that’s done, not that many guides that I can find on superwitchs but thought I had it sussed out.

Then I started looking at wiring diagrams, saw lots of examples where two pickup wires are being wired to outside common lugs, and now find myself utterly confused lol

Soooo...

I understand how the following diagram works, where the two sets on the right hand side are sending signals two ground.... but then it states to split to the outer coils, that wire should go to the volume instead of being earthed?? How does that work?




Following this, the next one has two wires from each pickup wired to common points and the only wire going to earth seems to serve no point or function?



What am I missing? Feeling like an idiot lol

Thanks!

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Need help understanding superswitch wiring please!

Welcome to tha forum!

That's another way to split apparently.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Need help understanding superswitch wiring please!

That ground wire from the switch in the bottom diagram (the upper right part of the switch) is what splits the neck pup to the north coil in position 3. The bottom right part of the switch is what splits the bridge pup to its south coil in position 3.

The Strat superswitch is just 4 separate independent switches mechanically (not electrically) connected together. Each switch is a 1 pole 5 throw switch, meaning that it has one "common" terminal ("pole") that can be connected to any of 5 different terminals ("throws"). You can wire up each of these switches to do totally different functions in different switch lever positions.

Yes, it can be complicated and confusing, but it is really an amazing and very convenient way to get certain automatic settings (like coil splitting, and coil and/or pickup combinations) at different switch positions.

 

[Mrdum]

Re: Need help understanding superswitch wiring please!

Thanks very much for that.
I can see how positions 1, 3 and 5 are working in the bottom picture, just still cannot see how the split works in positions 2 and 4.

The earth in the top right of the switch is only affecting the circuit when the levers in position 3, and I see no other earth connections leaving the switch.

Keep looking at it, keep failing lol

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Need help understanding superswitch wiring please!

OK, look at the bottom diagram. In switch position 2, the lower left part of the switch connects the bridge's north start on lug #2 to its common lug which connects to the input of the vol pot and to the lug #2 on the lower right part of the switch which is connected to its common lug. That common lug is connected to the north finish and the south finish. Thus the north coil is shorted out to itself and only the south coil is active...its finish goes to the vol pot (the south start goes to ground).

In switch position 4 a similar thing happens with the neck pup. The north coil's start wire goes to lug 4 on the upper left part of the switch which is connected to its common lug. That common lug is connected to the common lug in the lower left part of the switch which goes to the vol pot input. The north finish and south finish connect to the common lug in the upper right part of the switch which is connected to its lug 4 which is connected to the wire that goes to the vol pot. Again the north coil is shorted out to itself and only the south coil goes from ground (south coil start) to the vol pot (south coil finish).

I know this can be confusing. Just remember that the superswitch is 4 separate switches physically connected together. When the switch is in position #1 all of the common lugs are connected to their respective #1 lugs. When in position 2, all of the common lugs are now connected to their respective #2 lugs. Etc.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Need help understanding superswitch wiring please!

I have to say, I am learning in this thread, too. The Super Switch is something I 'get' if I am researching and in the middle of the wiring project, then I forget it when it is over.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Need help understanding superswitch wiring please!

Yeah, isn't that the way it is. Even with simple things...I learn, I do, I think I'm always going to remember, then I forget , and next time I need to learn all over again.