Pickup Booster wiring question

P

proverbial turnip

New member
Hi, this is my first post.

A little bit ago, a friend of mine gave me a broken SD Pickup Booster, but with no casing, footswitch, or jacks. It had been installed in a guitar (anybody's guess as to why), and then removed.

I've replaced the jacks, and the DPDT footswitch (I'm confused about how true bypass and and LED can be achieved with a DPDT.."millenium bypass", maybe?, but that's not a big deal..), and rehoused it into an enclosure from Small Bear Electronics.

The "slider switch" for the "resonance" was going to be tricky to mount in my new enclosure, so I picked up a 3 way toggle switch, with 3 lugs, from radio shack, so I could use a drilled hole. It's working, but I'm not sure if it's working right.

I can DEFINITELY hear a difference in one position of the switch. The middle, I suppose, is "off", and the 3rd position sounds quite a bit like the middle. I can tell a difference in the "hiss" frequency, but the actual difference in tone is subtle, at best. I'm using (mostly) a '93 Hamer T-51 (tele) with an SD "Broadcaster" in the bridge position, iirc.

I was just wondering if the 3 way toggle I wired up is correct. Is there really any variation between one 3 way, 3 lug switch, and another? Also, how can I test the switch to be sure it's working correctly? If it's supposed to be a super subtle change, that's cool....I just have no way of knowing, really.

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this kind of question. I couldn't find anything more obviously "tech" oriented.

Thanks in advance,
Steve
 
Re: Pickup Booster wiring question

bump.

I figured maybe the Seymour Duncan forum was the most appropriate place to ask a question about a Seymour Duncan pedal. Go figure. Friendly forum you've got, here.:grumble:
 
Re: Pickup Booster wiring question

Chill, my friend. You only gave it two hours. This is a highly technical question. We're thinking. ;)

But now, its Friday night. Let me cogutate on this tonight and get back to you in the morning. In the mean time, do you have a meter? The difference between the three switch positions is definitely subtle. Also, GuitarElectronics sells this item without the case exactly for the purpose of installing directly into a guitar. Perhaps thats the version you have.

Back atcha tomorrow.

Welcome to the coolest place on the net. :)

Artie
 
Re: Pickup Booster wiring question

It was Tuesday (the 6th) when I first posted, actually. I gave it more than 2 hours...

Anyway, yes, I have a meter. What is it that I'll be measuring, and how, though? My multi doesn't have a "resonant peak" setting.:(

I checked out the "Guitar Electronics" site. Mine is the normal pedal version, though. Full sized circuit board and the solder pads for board mounted jacks (which I have replaced with wires to real jacks, and jumpers). I'm pretty sure I have it working right, anyway, but I would like to know how to test it.
 
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Re: Pickup Booster wiring question

Here's another bump. It's bewildering how much stuff I've seen posted that doesn't have the first thing to do with SD products since first posting this, in light of the fact that I'm having such a problem getting a couple of simple questions answered...

I guess in the odd case that someone decides to answer, I may as well ask for the lowdown on how the "true bypass switching" works with both an LED and a DPDT. I'm starting to suspect the obvious, on this point, though a nice technical explanation could change my mind, I suppose.

Mostly, I need to know how to measure the "resonant peak", though.
 
Re: Pickup Booster wiring question

This isn't a support forum, it is a discussion forum. You can try writing, emailing, calling the SD company if you want specific information on this kind of thing. Also, being sarcastic and rude is not going to get you an answer. Did you ever think that nobody answered because that it is not a common thing? Artie is one of our expert electronics guys and I'm sure he can give it some thought and maybe help you out, but being rude is probably going to get you ignored fast.

By the way, welcome to the forum. :banghead:
 
Re: Pickup Booster wiring question

proverbial turnip said:
I guess in the odd case that someone decides to answer, I may as well ask for the lowdown on how the "true bypass switching" works with both an LED and a DPDT. I'm starting to suspect the obvious, on this point, though a nice technical explanation could change my mind, I suppose.

Mostly, I need to know how to measure the "resonant peak", though.
Click to expand...

Sorry. I had forgotten about this. The original SFX-01 comes with a 3PDT switch. Not DPDT. Thats how they do true bypass plus LED.

The difference between the switch #1 and #2 positions is subtle. Its not a huge difference at all, and it works best with single coils. I barely hear a difference with humbuckers.

It would be difficult to explain how to measure resonant peak in this forum. But I'm not sure thats actually what you're looking for. Did you just want to test the circuit to see if its working?
 
Re: Pickup Booster wiring question

yes, just need to know that the "resonance" switch is working...I'm pretty sure it is, though...it's just a subtle change. I can hear the 60 cycle hum shift when switching it, moreso than the actual tone..

Mine was wired up with a DPDT toggle when I got it, and I just transferred the wires over to a DPDT stomp-switch, and it works fine. The LED has both leads mounted directly to the board, which is a factory wiring, for sure. I don't think I have any other lugs or solder pads that aren't accounted for with the DPDT arrangement...

I'm not trying to be "rude" I appreciate your help...it's just frustrating that only one person out of a whole forum dedicated to Seymour Duncan products would respond usefully to relevant questions. Not "preaching to the choir" here. Thanks, Artie.

YJM...you didn't have to read the thread, let alone post in it. Especially since it seems that your main contribution is taking issue with my posting style. I guess I'm just used to seeing more response to actual on-topic threads. I thought this one was about as "on-topic" as they come, especially considering that this is the closest thing on the SD site to a technical forum (which I looked for first).

E-mails to companies almost always result in form letters and ad copy. Forums are USUALLY a more effective way of getting this kind of information than e-mails.
 
Re: Pickup Booster wiring question

proverbial turnip said:
I'm not trying to be "rude" I appreciate your help...it's just frustrating that only one person out of a whole forum dedicated to Seymour Duncan products would respond usefully to relevant questions. Not "preaching to the choir" here. Thanks, Artie.
Click to expand...

No prob man. My "chill" comment was probably made after a brew or two, on a Friday or Saturday night. Sometimes I forget that not everyone knows my sometimes sarcastic sense of humor. :)

Tomorrow, when I get home from work, I'll post a diagram of how my SFX-01 is wired. That should answer a couple questions. Hopefully.
 
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