Un-official Tonelab LE Discussion Board

[tojoslo]

Have you had problems with the footswitches not engaging properly? You're not alone! I had my ToneLab for just a little over a year, and the UP button and a couple of the Bank buttons wouldn't function realiably.
I tried some of the techniques mentioned in this forum, but I still had problems.

Vox didn't use real footswitches. Instead, they use a microswith that's mounted directy on the control PCB. The foostwitch button is actually just a long pole with a spring attached. When you stomp on the button, the spring pushes down on the microswitch. This is fraut with probelms, as the spring may not always make good contact with the microswitch.

Finally, I decided to replace the microswitches with real footswitches. And now, my footswitches are very reliable. This ruggedization is very important for me, as I use the TLLE for live performances.

This is not an easy task. You have to be good with a soldering iron.
I went to Small Bear Electronics and purchased seven SPST momentary footswitches (normally open) SKU: 0206A. They are about $4 each. These replace the UP, DOWN, 4 Banks, and the Control buttons.

If anyone is interested in having their Tonelab ruggedized with real switches, but don't want to do this themsleves, you can contact me.

[wagdog]

Please post what you did here, I'd like to know.

I found the switches would stop working at the most inopportune times when playing live.

I routinely "spin" them, which seems to bring them back to life.