# Pedal rehousing in Canada



## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Hi guys,

Have a bit of a project here but would prefer to keep things in Canada to avoid the boarder hassle.

I want to have my Timmy (love the pedal, hate side jacks and small size) rehoused in combination with my Fairfield Barbershop OD. I want both guts put into one enclosure with top mounted jacks, power supply, and independent footswitches. Basically combine both into one pedal.

Does anyone in Canada do this? Looking for a "pro" job, not somebody who kind of did something like this once . . .

TG


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

Greg at SolidgoldFX will do that for sure! I had one orr two rehoused project form him and that was, each time, a pro job!


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

Ti-Ron said:


> Greg at SolidgoldFX will do that for sure! I had one orr two rehoused project form him and that was, each time, a pro job!


Yep, Greg's the guy for that sort of stuff.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

zdogma said:


> Yep, Greg's the guy for that sort of stuff.


Agreed, Greg does great work!


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Thanks guys - I was also wondering about this...


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Any idea on price?


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

Will depends on enclosure, paint and electronic works.
You better e-mail him.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Just heard back from Greg. He doesn't do rehousing/custom work anymore . . .


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

So there is nobody else in Canada? A rehouse of my Timmy would be great if it wasn't stupidly expensive.

TG


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## bduguay (Jul 15, 2009)

Did you find anyone yet to do this job for you?
B.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

bduguay said:


> Did you find anyone yet to do this job for you?
> B.



Not yet. One board member kind of offered but he is way across the country.

TG


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

have you considered DIY?

I'm no expert by any means but i imagine all you would need a casing and some basic soldering skills and you'd be set...

tie the 2 power outlets together, as well as the output jacks and input jacks and mount it.

it's probably a touch more complicated than that but that's probably the jist of it. unless the jacks are mounted to the PCB, i dont think it would be much more complicated.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

nkjanssen said:


> Too bad. I'll bet that's something he'd do well.
> 
> 9kkhhd


I think I know what you are getting at! 

TG


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

blam said:


> have you considered DIY?
> 
> I'm no expert by any means but i imagine all you would need a casing and some basic soldering skills and you'd be set...


I have a soldering iron (need a new tip) but to be honest, I tend to do more harm than good with it. I am afraid that even a simple job would end up with me screwing up two amazing pedals and wasting a bunch of time and money on parts.

TG


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I'm wondering if mhammer would consider doing this for you. It might be worth sending him a PM 
(in case he didn't see this thread). If not, maybe he knows someone who would be able to do it.

I would love to try it if these were 2 *very* inexpensive pedals involved 
(which would sort of defeat the logic of doing this in the first place...LOL).

I would also wonder that once you paid to have this done (and I'm sure it will be somewhat expensive)
you might have difficulty ever getting the value back for the pedals, should you decide to sell them independently 
.....or combined in single enclosure. 
Converting the pedals back to their original status (for resale) would incur yet an additional expense.

Cheers

Dave


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Thanks Dave, I will contact mhammer and see what he thinks. I understand what you are saying about resale etc. I may just look into having the Timmy reboxed on its own. In fact, I just talked to Paul Cochrane about this (maker of the Tim/Timmy) but it may make more sense to just have somebody else do it.

TG


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Got your note. Appreciate your confidence in me.

First, I think you need to consider whether housing them in the same enclosure is a wise thing to do. If the intent is to simply aim for a smaller footprint, that's one thing. If the goal is to be able to turn them both on with one switch, that's another.

If you're going for the 2nd, I'd recommend a simple loop selector instead. You leave the two pedals on, with whatever preset you like, then select them both simultaneously as a loop, and true-bypass them both in an instant, with the option to use one or the other alone, or to stick some other pedal/s between them. 

Building a loop selector is the DIY project I generally recommend to beginners, because the parts are easy to get, there's nothing really to burn out, no component values to read, and the wiring is dead easy. Equally important, it is a fairly safe conclusion that anyone's tastes in overdrive, or even whether they like to use it, will change over time. You may find yourself saying "It was a good ride, but I'm ready to move in a different direction" in two years. The Timmy and Fairfield may be quite marketable at that time, but less so as a combined pedal. In contrast, you will ALWAYS find a reason to have a loop selector around.

I'm not saying there AREN'T reasons to stick them both in one box. I just think it is more pragmatic to adopt a different solution, especially if it is easy. If you do insist on going ahead with this, the ideal is to place them both in a 1590D chassis so that you can have room for 3 stompswitches and an order-flipper switch.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Leave it to Mark to think outside the box! I win the internet for the worst pun ever!


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## bduguay (Jul 15, 2009)

I've done a number of re-house projects and I could help you out but it is labour intensive and some feel it is can be a bit pricy as a result.
B.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Personally, I find most rehousings that people attempt are motivated by something about the switching. So, for instance, lots of folks want to stick a Boss or Ibanez pedal in a different chassis so as to be able to implement true-bypass switching. Other folks want to rehouse Danelectro pedals, because they feel the chassis are flimsy and they want the feel of a big "click" on the sole of their foot. Again, a lot of this is successfully addressed via an external loop selector, that will provide the true-bypass, the solid "click", the "group-selection", all without having to risk compromising the pedals being controlled.

There ARE reasons to stick multiples in one box. I found that a modded Distortion+ added to the front end of an Ampeg Scrambler makes a terrific effect. But that's more of a mutant circuit graft than a 2-in-1, and certainly nothing whose resale value (as a DIY project) has its worth compromised by being merged.


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

I would do this with 3 or 4 Malekko omnicron modulation pedals and make an analog multi-effects


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Though I suppose I'm beating it to death with a stick at this point, I think the human factors and usability side has to be considered. Ideally, a rehouse should not take up dramatically *more* real-estate, but it should also permit easy mistake-free access to all needed controls and switches. So, a 2-in-1 (or 3-in-1) should let you select each effect individually, plus offer a master bypass. That's at least 3 switches, requiring enough room for the requisite toe-tapping, well away from the knobs so that switching does not risk either damage to the pots, or moving the knobs from the intended setting.

Certainly, if the board is designed from from scratch to accommodate that, it may pose no challenge. But if the board presumes a specific arrangement within a uniquely machined chassis, getting those knobs and switches where they are easiest and least problematic to work with, may be a bit of a challenge.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

I think for now I may just have the Timmy rehoused into a larger enclosure with all top mounted jacks. It is my all time favourite pedal and has never left my board over the last 4 years. I know it is a keeper but hate its small size (keep kicking knobs) and don't like side mounted jacks on any pedal.

I spoke with Paul Cochrane (designer) on the phone yesterday and he said it should be a fairly easy job because the guts of the pedal will easily come out of the current enclosure (none of the jacks are directly mounted to the board). The bigger question is cosmetics and labelling.

TG


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

So, the footswitch on my Timmy crapped out and needs replacing. I might as well rehouse it in the process.TG


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

Since you have to replace the switch and want to rehouse anyway why not upgrade to relay switching and not have to worry about switches again. Jack Deville and AMZ make simple drop in boards to do it. 
It's never if a 3PDT will fail, it's when.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Jeff B. said:


> It's never if a 3PDT will fail, it's when.


While there ARE ways that a 3PDT or DPDT can fail permanently,, when you take one apart, you realize that they can also function forever if managed properly.

When they are manufactured, a small dab of grease is inserted to both hold the internal banana-shaped rocker contacts in place during assembly, and also to reduce switch "chatter" after assembly. There are two basic problems with that otherwise fine strategy. One is that grease has no fixed dimensions like a solid part, so it can end up sticking on things you don't want it to stick to (especially in cramped quarters) and the other is that grease is subject to change under heat. In particular, during soldering, heat is conducted from the external solder lugs to the internal rocker contacts, where it can temporarily liquify the grease, which then flows along the contacts and acts as an insulator.

Though I can not prove it in any definitive way, my sense is that a large proportion of so-called "switch failures" are precisely of this type. I've had many DPDT and 3PDT switches "fail" on me, and when I disassemble them, clean the darn grease off the rocker contacts, reseat the contacts, and reassemble the switch, they go back to working good as new.

When disassembling, _*gently*_ pry up the 4 tabs on the sides of the switch, so that they are 5 degrees or so off their normal position. This will let you jiggle the top and bottom halves of the switch apart, while still maintaining some "re-crimpability" to the tabs so that you can re-assemble. Make sure you don't lose any of the parts inside. The rocker contacts sit with the ends curled towards you (away from the solder lugs). They can simply be tapped out of the chassis onto the table top. Clean them with a Q-tip or kleenex, or whatever, then clean the contacts on the inside of the bottom part of the chassis, and seat them back in their places. Close her up, and you're done.

Some folks may view this as more work than they'd care to be involved with, and I respect that. That being said, _anybody_ can find themselves on a Saturday afternoon with a pedal switch that simply doesn't want to cooperate, and my message to you is that you probably do NOT have to order or buy a new switch, and wait for FEDEX or UPS to show up be back in business.


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## Baltar (Jun 14, 2011)

Thanks for that last post!


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

I am back and forth on this. Just when I get tempted to try it myself, I back out. I just know it will end up costing me big time to do it myself (buying equipment, screwing things up, etc).

One problem is doing graphics. How are you guys putting graphics on your custom pedals or rehouses?

TG


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I take the MXR approach to "graphics": a pedal name in a suitably visible font, legended controls, and that's it. I use rub-on lettering and a couple of coats of clearcoat.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

mhammer said:


> I take the MXR approach to "graphics": a pedal name in a suitably visible font, legended controls, and that's it. I use rub-on lettering and a couple of coats of clearcoat.


That is all I am really looking for. Are you interested in a paid job? 

TG


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

mhammer said:


> While there ARE ways that a 3PDT or DPDT can fail permanently,, when you take one apart, you realize that they can also function forever if managed properly.
> When they are manufactured, a small dab of grease is inserted to both hold the internal banana-shaped rocker contacts in place during assembly, and also to reduce switch "chatter" after assembly. There are two basic problems with that otherwise fine strategy. One is that grease has no fixed dimensions like a solid part, so it can end up sticking on things you don't want it to stick to (especially in cramped quarters) and the other is that grease is subject to change under heat. In particular, during soldering, heat is conducted from the external solder lugs to the internal rocker contacts, where it can temporarily liquify the grease, which then flows along the contacts and acts as an insulator.


Heat is indeed a major enemy with these and is what likely causes most of the problems. Overheating them is really easy to do, especially on the really cheap switches.
I had some last year that were a stubborn pain in the ass to solder. They just would not take the solder well at all. Even after cleaning the contacts and putting a little extra flux on them I still had to run the iron hotter and with a longer contact time than usual to get a good result. Care and caution were the name of the game with those ones to keep from overheating them. They got mixed with the other blue switches before I though to take one of them apart.

Here is a photo of two that I sacrificed several months ago. 
I make a habit of dissecting one whenever I buy from somewhere new just to see what if any differences there could be and measure the parts. 
The blue one on the left was overheated some time ago and disassembled, the grease was cleaned off of it when I put it away. The black one is as delivered and was never used.
Both came from the same manufacturer. I look forward to dissecting a Fulltone 3PDT eventually. The tabs were fragile on the black one and snapped.


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

traynor_garnet said:


> One problem is doing graphics. How are you guys putting graphics on your custom pedals or rehouses?
> TG


Waterslide and Vinyl decals are simple inexpensive ways to get very good results. You design the graphic on your computer (I use Gimp). Print it off on the special paper, seal it with clear coat and either stick it on if it's vinyl or if it's waterslide you soak it in water to release the backing, put it on, squeegee out the water and then once it's dry seal it on with a few coats of clear coat paint.
With the waterslide decals and the right kind of paint you can obtain a faux silk screen look to your pedal. I've used them quite a bit and found a solid system that works well for me if you have any questions about them. The older D*A*M pedals also used to use waterslide decals.
I get the paper from here. http://stores.ebay.ca/CAROLS-CREATIONS-OF-UTAH
It seems to be the cheapest with the broadest selection.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Jeff B. said:


> Heat is indeed a major enemy with these and is what likely causes most of the problems. Overheating them is really easy to do, especially on the really cheap switches.
> I had some last year that were a stubborn pain in the ass to solder. They just would not take the solder well at all. Even after cleaning the contacts and putting a little extra flux on them I still had to run the iron hotter and with a longer contact time than usual to get a good result. Care and caution were the name of the game with those ones to keep from overheating them. They got mixed with the other blue switches before I though to take one of them apart.
> 
> Here is a photo of two that I sacrificed several months ago.
> ...


Here's a strategy to try. If you have a meter, measure the continuity between the common and outside lugs. Once you have verified that a pair/trio of outside lugs is NOT in contact with the common (implying that their end of the banana-shaped rocker contact is lifted up on the inside and not in *thermal *contact with the outside solder lug), solder any wires to them. Let it cool down, and press the switch to flip contacts. Now solder any wires to the lugs on the _opposite_ side. Let that cool down.

If you have some liquid flux, dab a bit on the center lugs and tin them. Tin the ends of any leads you plan to solder to those center lugs. Solder one wire to a center lug, with a heat sink of some sort on the remaining center lugs (and that "heat sink" can be as simple as a pair of needlenose gripping the other lugs). Move your heat sink over and solder another wire.

The general idea is to systematically avoid applying more heat than you need to. Finally, I will simply add that even the very best of switches can get some oxidation on the solder lugs. So it can help shave a couple of seconds off the time solder tip heat is applied (and you risk flowing/liquifying the grease) if you scrape the surface of those lugs nice and shiny.


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

That's a great piece of advice Mark. If or when I run into that problem again I'll definitely give that a try. Thanks.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

My pleasure.

I feel like the Barbara Woodhouse of stompswitches! No Bad Dogs: The Woodhouse Way: Amazon.ca: Barbara Woodhouse: Books


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

Any progress on this yet TG? Did you decide to attempt it yourself?


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Jeff B. said:


> Any progress on this yet TG? Did you decide to attempt it yourself?


A board member here switched the jack for me but I haven't done a rehouse as of yet. I do have a Menatone Red Snapper with top loaded jacks en route, so if it can replace the Timmy I won't have to bother with rehousing the Timmy. That said, the Timmy just seems to be "my" pedal, so I bet I end up rehousing it (alone or with the barbershop) in the future.

TG


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