# Let's review footswitches.



## Stickman393 (Feb 3, 2022)

Footswitches.  They're our main interface with the pedal.  Their only job?  To switch shit.

But you can easily drop a lot of coin on these little fuckers.  Soldering temps, lifecycle, feel, build quality.

Sometimes you want something nice for a special project. Sometimes you need a daily driver.  Whatevs.

So hey, let's get switchy.  Y'all wanna get switchy with me?

*edit*

So, I'm gathering links for independent research.  Will post here.

Daier (china):
https://www.chinadaier.com/category/push-button-switch/foot-switch/

Dailywell (Taiwan):








						Effects Pedal Switches - Foot Switches | Made in Taiwan Electronic Switches Manufacturer for Components & Accessories | DAILYWELL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
					

Dailywell FK series Effects Pedal Switches comes in SPDT, DPDT or 3PDT circuits.We offer PCB pin termination or a solder lug panel mount option. This Effects Pedal Switches also comes in either momentary or alternate action functions and the distinctive feature is contact rating up to 3A 250VAC/...




					www.dailywell.com.tw
				




Alpha (Taiwan):
http://www.taiwanalpha.com/en/products/8?cat=61

Taiway (FS and 700L Series) (Taiwan): 








						TAIWAY Switches
					

TAIWAY is a professional Industrial Switch, Industrial Button Supplier and Manufacturer. We can customize a variety of Industrial buttons for you.




					www.taiway.com
				







I gots these...

3pdt:




Momentary:


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## Big Monk (Feb 3, 2022)

I’m not gonna lie because I love you MFs: my last lot was a 20 pack from Amazon. 

No doubt cheap and from deep in the bowels of Red China but they switch shit pretty well…


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## Coda (Feb 3, 2022)

I buy the ones from LMS, in Oxblood. They are good. I have had some rough ones from Tayda in the past…


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## Stickman393 (Feb 3, 2022)

I've been collecting for a little bit here. Adding one of each type from LMS, SBP, Tayda, plus some odds and ends from antique electronic supply.

I'm thinking...for the budget range, I could even open these things up and inspect the contacts, springs, general construction.  Ya know.  See how they're built.  See what the differences are, where extra cash is well spent, and where it's just lipstick on a pig.


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## fig (Feb 3, 2022)

Hammer test


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## spi (Feb 3, 2022)

I haven't got a bad switch yet, but I got 90% of 'em from BLMS and they seem consistently good.   I usually get their standard one, but I do like their upgraded soft touch switches, just not enough to pay more for them in every pedal--I tried them a couple of times though.

I got a handful from Tayda and they were fine.


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## jubal81 (Feb 3, 2022)

Stickman393 said:


> Footswitches.  They're our main interface with the pedal.  Their only job?  To switch shit.
> 
> But you can easily drop a lot of coin on these little fuckers.  Soldering temps, lifecycle, feel, build quality.
> 
> ...


Never seen the momentary on the far left before. Looks interesting. Got a link?


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## Coda (Feb 3, 2022)

fig said:


> Hammer test



I think this calls for the Hadron Collider…isn’t that what they made it for?


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## Stickman393 (Feb 3, 2022)

jubal81 said:


> Never seen the momentary on the far left before. Looks interesting. Got a link?





			https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/footswitch-st-professional-spst-momentary-pcbsolder-lugs
		


ST professional.

Gotta admit, it's one of my favorites.  It's a stomper, not a tapper.  It's basically the truck nuts of momentary switches.


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## Harry Klippton (Feb 3, 2022)

I've had a couple of shit ones and I think they were mammoth leftovers


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## DAJE (Feb 4, 2022)

Blue and black footswitches from Landtone. Cheaper and IMO better quality than Tayda ones. 

I buy 'em on AliExpress, I'm sure you could find them on Amazon and eBay too. 

And you get a white plastic washer with every single one!


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## Bio77 (Feb 4, 2022)

I'm using that Alpha on left these days for 3PDTs.  I don't think soft touches are as big of a concern.  The mechanics are simpler and less likely to fail.  Also, pretty easy to switch out if they do.  Switching a 3PDT is a PITA.


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## fig (Feb 4, 2022)

You can't have a showdown without Otis being represented.









						G25246 -
					






					www.goldmine-elec-products.com


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## princeofyams (Feb 4, 2022)

These are all I’ve got left right now… They might be too ugly to use though. 😂 I was thinking of just using them for an effects loop or something.


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## Stickman393 (Feb 4, 2022)

fig said:


> You can't have a showdown without Otis being represented.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I mean...why not?

Sure, the chrome would get scuffed up pretty quick.

Maybe you could attach one of those little elevator button pushers that were hot at the beginning of the pandemic to your shoe...

The possibilities, man!


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## Barry (Feb 4, 2022)

I use the ones from stompbox parts


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## ianmarks (Feb 4, 2022)

Used my first Lehle momentary in a Ditto repair. Works great. Wouldn't want to stomp it though.


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## Stickman393 (Feb 4, 2022)

ianmarks said:


> Used my first Lehle momentary in a Ditto repair. Works great. Wouldn't want to stomp it though.



Quality switch, that one.  Seems like the ideal switch for tap tempo applications.

As to stomping...I mean, sure, but it doesn't seem to be lacking in fortitude.  I'm sure it could handle whatever ya throw at it.

Momentaries are a strange class...the softest switch I've found so far is that Lehle.  Second is the cheapie non-full tone Tayda.

That one...woof.  Cheap little thing.  I wouldn't go stomping on that one.

Lots to compare here...lots of places selling the same stuff under different names.  Wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the Tayda stuff is the same as what certain sellers are selling on Amazon.

Oh, and yeah, the LMS and Gorva switches are externally identical.  I'm almost tempted to bend out the tabs and check on the inside of these...but they're certainly at the very least made by the same factory with most of the same parts.


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## TGP39 (Feb 5, 2022)

I use both the LMS “Heart” switch and the GORVA switch for all my builds.  The GORVA switch has a smoother feel and easier click IMO.


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## PBWilson1970 (Feb 5, 2022)

I've used blue 3PDT switches from a few different sources a long time ago and couldn't feel or see any difference between any of them.

Now there are a bunch of choices and I'll probably go with ones that aren't the cheapest but not the most expensive either next time I order.

Question: Do more people prefer the hard click or the newer soft click switches? I sell some of my pedals now and again and want to give the stomping public what it wants.


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## ianmarks (Feb 5, 2022)

There is also a momentary with a rounded top that everyone is out of. Strymon uses them. They do feel nicer than the tayda ones IMO.


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## rmfx (Feb 5, 2022)

Isn't the LMS switch a Gorva with a different stamp?


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## Stickman393 (Feb 5, 2022)

rmfx said:


> Isn't the LMS switch a Gorva with a different stamp?


I mean, the LMS was available long before GORVA.  IIRC their switches are relative newcomers to the market.

I'd be surprised if there's any difference between them.

In terms of force required to make em click, I suppose one could rig up a vise and put 'em head to head, slowly cranking them together until one makes.

Do that a few hundred times with randomly selected samples across multiple production runs and you may have an answer re: which one require less force to actuate.

For my money, the real stand-outs in the budget realm are the stompboxparts red and blue epoxy switches.  @$3 a pop, these things are killers.

Blues are an easier tap than the LMS/GORVA.  Similar build too, only difference is a small plastic tab that extends beyond the metal plate on the LMS/GORVA switches.

Reds give alpha a run for their money, solid and smooth heavy click.

I'm gonna collect more.

As to: what do we prefer...perhaps a poll is in order...

Looks like one option has pulled ahead to a stunning  and unexpected lead:


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## fig (Feb 5, 2022)

You left out relay 🤪


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## Stickman393 (Feb 5, 2022)

fig said:


> You left out relay 🤪


I most certainly did not!  After all, you gotta use something as a signal to actuate that relay.

Though I guess I didn't put in a choice for "clickless".  We'll just throw that in with soft click.

Don't get me wrong, I would certainly be into Rube Goldberg-ing the HELL out of a bypass mechanism.  I'm talking robot arms moving patch cables via infrared cues emitted from an LED on your guitar when you play a C#madd9.

Let's DO THIS.


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## fig (Feb 5, 2022)

It's stompin' time!


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## Stickman393 (Feb 8, 2022)

Votes are a little more divided than I woulda thought at first!

Well, I wanna put this one thing to bed:

The great Gorva V LMS debate, footswitch style.

My position: they're the same switch with different stamps.

Specs are the same (LMS @ around 35 oz, Gorva at 1kg +/-.03kg).  Translation?  Six of one, half dozen of the other.

Both rated for 30k cycles.

Both rated at <30 milliohm contact resistance.

500vdc insulation resistance of >10 megaohm on the LMS, and at least 100 megaohm on the Gorva.  That might seem like a difference.  It's not.

Same characteristic plastic tab on the metal plate above the stamp.  Same color, same details, same construction.

TL;DR: same switch.  Same factory.  No difference, except for the stamp.  If there is any appreciable difference in the inner workings, it's not enough to have an effect on the specs of the switch.

Just a case of two different resellers buying the same product from the same factory and putting a different name on it.  Tale as old as capitalism.  And...part of why I wanted to start this thread...to better understand what the options are.  To remove the veil of secrecy surrounding these little moving sets of electrically conductive surfaces.

To know what's unique, and what the same ol, same ol.

That said...I just got in my first batch of the "landtone" variety today.  Black version.

Not.  Too.  Shabby.  Will need to see how everything reacts under an iron, but I'm impressed for how cheap these things can get in bulk.

I'm thinking I'm gonna revise my original post a bit and put my own personal rankings and observations in there.


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## finebyfine (Feb 8, 2022)

Stickman393 said:


> Just a case of two different resellers buying the same product from the same factory and putting a different name on it. Tale as old as capitalism



This is always apparent in any niche diy hobby like ours but the extremely limited number of sellers in the pedal scene really makes it more obvious. I have yet to see anything that rubs me wrong way, which is pretty rare for my experience in other hobbies.

That said, most of the footswitches out here just seem to be Alpha, Dailywell, and Daier. The Alpha and Dailywell footswitch catalogues and ordering options are massive and we only see a small variety from retailers. 

I am partial to these $2.30 footswitches from Tayda. I ordered some because I’m cheap but ended up loving them, and would gladly pay double for them. They’re light force but still have satisfying feedback to them. There’s an audible click without it being a “thunk” and without the click feeling cheap. The black body version is the same. They’re made by Alpha. 

They remind me a lot of the LMS/Gorva’s, which if I remember correctly are Alpha’s as well. The LMS one is a little quieter. 

Customers footswitch tastes have lined up with my own preferences. I think anything that isn’t  the ol’ china blue feels “premium” to most people. But it’s all about context; sometimes you want that chunky thunk in a beat up Rat clone. 

For momentary I am obsessed with the half dome ones even though it’s easy to not know if I pressed it. I wish a 3PDT came with that actuator.


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## Stickman393 (Feb 8, 2022)

finebyfine said:


> That said, most of the footswitches out here just seem to be Alpha, Dailywell, and Daier. The Alpha and Dailywell footswitch catalogues and ordering options are massive and we only see a small variety from retailers.



See?  That's what I'm talking about.  Thank you for that little bit of insight.  Lots of options are either the same or similar enough.  Building a pedal at a time, it's not too hard to shell out for a DeMont or Lehle switch...

But, if you're like me, and building a ton of individual pedals...a difference of 2 bucks on 20 foot switches makes a big difference on a order of 20 or more.

There are certain switches that appear to not quite fall into the same category of "everybody sells this one, don't buy into hype".  SCI'S moulding is a dead giveaway, I suspect Taiway is independent (though the silk screening isn't necessarily a difficult process for a factory to implement), ST professional are made in Italy, Carling are made in Mexico, DeMont (supposedly made for these folks through connections with guyatone) in Japan and Lehle in Germany...

These are different *enough* from the main pack.  There may be benefit in determining what factory produces what switch with the others though...let's say one uses a brittle plastic linkage in it's mechanism that won't break for a few years down the line, but the others don't.

I swear I'm gonna start cracking some of these things open...after I finish like, 5 other projects.

*Edit*

Posting links in the first post here.


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## pcb rookie (Feb 8, 2022)

I've been using this SBP model before they got the B Grade run (not fully flooded with epoxy). I like the light click and they worked well for me so far. I risked going for the B grade on my last order. I'm not worried ...  I still expect that will work out as the previous batch as it states it is "_primarily an aesthetic error_"









						3PDT Footswitch - Latching - B Grade
					

Top Quality Parts for Guitar Effects Pedals and DIY Music Devices. Knobs, Pots, Switches, Kits, LEDs, Enclosures, Jacks, Wire, Resistors, Capacitors, Semiconductors




					stompboxparts.com
				




Once they are out, I will probably go for the SBP Red/Blue 









						3PDT Footswitch - Solder Lug
					

Top Quality Parts for Guitar Effects Pedals and DIY Music Devices. Knobs, Pots, Switches, Kits, LEDs, Enclosures, Jacks, Wire, Resistors, Capacitors, Semiconductors




					stompboxparts.com
				




... probably going for blue If I wish something similar to the previous model I've been using?


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## fig (Feb 8, 2022)

The B grades I tried functioned normally.


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## pcb rookie (Feb 8, 2022)

fig said:


> The B grades I tried functioned normally.


I'll keep using them until they run out!


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## traumprinz (Feb 8, 2022)

The Gorva and LMS switch are the same. I think LMS is getting them custom stamped via Gorva rather than purchasing the same switch from the same factory. You can see a mention of LMS carrying the Gorvas in the comments of this IG post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGGfiGInA48/

Their early batches may not have had the custom stamp.


> I mean, the LMS was available long before GORVA.



Not that particular one.

EDIT: Actually, LMS answers that directly here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJHc4fKMDv6/

If you don't have or want to use IG, someone asks of the LMS-stamped green switches, "Are these the same as the Gorva switches?" to which LMS replies "Yep!"


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## Stickman393 (Feb 8, 2022)

^ you are correct, I was mistaken.  GORVA beat LMS to the market by two months from what I can tell.


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## Stickman393 (Feb 8, 2022)

Ready for me to BLOW YOUR FRIGGIN MIND?!?!?;

Or, maybe not.  I mean, these switches ARE different, I only mean to say that these are made in the same factory.  The reds require much more actuation force.

But, that said: I believe I know who makes the Gorva/LMS switch.

And that...is dailywell.

Why?  Observe:





All pretty similar...sure...that doesn't prove anything though.  However...there are a few elements in the construction of these that are enough for me to put this in the "likely the same" category.

Observe these relatively unique elements:





See that rectangular tab on all three?  That is not present in any of the other 3pdts that I've acquired.  But for the coup de grace:





Check out dem little plastic tabs.  VERY unusual.  

Don't take this as me saying "hey, don't get the LMS or GORVA, cause the dailywell from Tayda is the exact same thing". I am not saying that.  But...elements in their construction seem to indicate that they're made at the same factory.  Or at least with the same machinery.

The Tayda red version has a stronger spring in it and requires more force to actuate. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of the LMS/GORVA simply because the red feels a bit too springy and...unsatisfying?  YMMV.

I got ADHD.  Don't judge me for my fleeting hyperfocus and obsession with things that go "click".


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## Harry Klippton (Feb 8, 2022)




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## fig (Feb 8, 2022)

hammer test


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## princeofyams (Feb 8, 2022)

I like soft click in the basement and hard click on the stage. Completely depends if I'm wearing shoes or not and how dark it is. Those TC Electronic pedals have the nicest, softest switching ever when you're barefoot, but you'll click them twice if you're not looking right at them with shoes on.


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## Harry Klippton (Feb 8, 2022)

princeofyams said:


> I like soft click in the basement and hard click on the stage. Completely depends if I'm wearing shoes or not and how dark it is. Those TC Electronic pedals have the nicest, softest switching ever when you're barefoot, but you'll click them twice if you're not looking right at them with shoes on.


Don't listen to @Big Monk. there's no tone in white socks


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## Big Monk (Feb 8, 2022)

Harry Klippton said:


> Don't listen to @Big Monk. there's no tone in white socks



Haters gonna hate…😂


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## Coda (Feb 8, 2022)

Tone is in the white washers…


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## fig (Feb 8, 2022)

...and the wire....only Small Bear sold tone wire.


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## manfesto (Feb 8, 2022)

The LMS are custom stamped Gorvas and have been from the beginning





__ https://www.facebook.com/102661514489325/posts/400417261380414
			




Manufacturers make different levels of product for different levels of customers, depending on the customer’s specifications. One example, LG makes displays for everyone from Monoprice to Apple, but Apple is willing to pay more for higher-end product with tighter QC.

Dailywell may indeed be the manufacturer of the Gorva switch (I bet, like most industries, there are probably really only 2-3 choices (them and Alpha I guess?) if you want thousands of your product made consistently), but the design itself is still from Gorva (like the first post, Gorva did post a lot during the development process of the switch to social media) and they’re likely more tightly QC’d than most of Dailywell’s other customers.





__ https://www.facebook.com/102661514489325/posts/318553322900142
			








__ https://www.facebook.com/102661514489325/posts/344152693673538
			








__ https://www.facebook.com/102661514489325/posts/347792276642913
			




I personally love the @StompBoxParts blue-epoxy 3PDTs, and their green-body-with-blue-epoxy before that. The click is satisfying while not being hard, and the epoxy takes heat like a *champ*. And of course, no white washer 

(The red epoxy is equally great, I just don’t like heavy clicks)

@Stickman393  Any chance you can get a hold of the old Mammoth Pro 3PDT to compare? It had a green body and a softer click (sound familiar?), Gorva name-checked it a lot when developing their footswitch as the standard that they wanted to meet/exceed, and I’m pretty sure SBP’s green-body-with-blue-epoxy had a similar design goal.


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## Bricksnbeatles (Feb 8, 2022)

Stickman393 said:


> I mean, the LMS was available long before GORVA.  IIRC their switches are relative newcomers to the market.
> 
> I'd be surprised if there's any difference between them.
> 
> ...


There are now two imposter stickmen


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## finebyfine (Feb 8, 2022)

Y'all wouldn't be ready for my manuscript length posts if we did this thread but about knobs


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## benny_profane (Feb 8, 2022)

finebyfine said:


> Y'all wouldn't be ready for my manuscript length posts if we did this thread but about knobs


I’ll gladly sit on that dissertation committee.


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## Stickman393 (Feb 8, 2022)

@manfesto I don't have any access to the old ones, unless the SBP blue b-stock are the same...

Not outside the realm of possibility, certainly, seeing as how SBP bought up all of the old mammoth stuff.

Re: different levels of quality and QC: this is very much true, though I can't help but wonder how much got changed on the inside.

Contact resistance for all three is <30 milliohms, all three are rated for 30k cycles, similar insulation resistance and dielectric strength.

The biggest difference appears to be the force required to actuate, @1kgf vs 3kgf.  Even the tolerance for that value seems to be around the same from a percentage standpoint...

But...I'm no expert on switch design and  manufacturing.  Pretty damn far from it, actually.  

If I seem ambivalent, it's because I am.  Because it seems like everything in the world of audio needs to be viewed through a skeptical lens, cause them snake oil salesmen be...like...everywhere.


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## fig (Feb 8, 2022)

finebyfine said:


> Y'all wouldn't be ready for my manuscript length posts if we did this thread but about knobs


Well, to be fair....his name _is_ manifesto....er...no it isn't...see explanation beneath my name.


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## Stickman393 (Feb 8, 2022)

Nah dude, it's manfesto

Like, man, festool is fucking expensive.  What the actual fuck.  You want HOW much for a sander?


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## Harry Klippton (Feb 8, 2022)

Who even buys that stuff? 




Wait, is it @fig?


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## fig (Feb 8, 2022)

Harry Klippton said:


> Who even buys that stuff?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sorry what? I was searching for GØRVA SPST Soft Clicks.


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## Stickman393 (Feb 9, 2022)

fig said:


> Sorry what? I was searching for GØRVA SPST Soft Clicks.


Lemmie know when ya find one.  I wanna do a head to head shootout with the demont.

We will find the best momentary if we have to bend the space-time continuum to do so.

I have more:

The alphas have some distinguishing characteristics...but these are the most noticable.

See those raised letters on the bottom?  No?  Well, good I marked em.


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## manfesto (Feb 9, 2022)

Stickman393 said:


> @manfesto I don't have any access to the old ones, unless the SBP blue b-stock are the same...
> 
> Not outside the realm of possibility, certainly, seeing as how SBP bought up all of the old mammoth stuff.


Dang, when I bought the last of the clearanced Mammoth greens from SBP I *knew* I should’ve held onto one, for history’s sake.



Stickman393 said:


> Re: different levels of quality and QC: this is very much true, though I can't help but wonder how much got changed on the inside.
> 
> Contact resistance for all three is <30 milliohms, all three are rated for 30k cycles, similar insulation resistance and dielectric strength.
> 
> ...


In general I agree (a not-insignificant amount of my professional history has involved cost optimization, which is like 75% sniffing out snake oil salesmen and 25% finding the most reputable Chinese vendor with the best QC-to-cost ratio) and if I weren’t (weirdly) familiar with the story of the Gorva footswitch I’d certainly be more suspicious.

One bit of evidence that speaks to custom design of the Gorva is that, at the time it came out (I bought a few to test), the PedalPCB 3PDT breakout board didn’t fit (it’s since been redesigned with wider universal holes), the holes weren’t quite aligned with the Gorva but still fit perfectly on China blues that probably came from the same factory. This was, frankly, *super* annoying at the time - I’d just assumed the Gorva was a 3PDT that was spec’d with low actuation force and tight QC, not something that was fundamentally different in size and shape from its competition, to the point that near-universal things like breakout boards didn’t even fit. I don’t know the design reason for the lug spacing to be *slightly* different than other 3PDTs, but the fact that it’s there means that Dailywell didn’t make them on the same line as their other products (not saying better or worse, just saying different)


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## finebyfine (Feb 9, 2022)

Absolutely fascinating insight on the pin spacing @manfesto. Definitely thought of the gorva switch as just a spec’d out product until reading that.


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## manfesto (Feb 9, 2022)

finebyfine said:


> Absolutely fascinating insight on the pin spacing @manfesto. Definitely thought of the gorva switch as just a spec’d out product until reading that.


I actually found my OG post about it (post #5 in this thread), and turns out I misremembered earlier and the first few batches of Gorvas that LMS sold weren’t custom stamped yet!






						Gorva 3pdt Soft Click
					

Just came across these: Gorva 3PDT Soft Click Switches I was wondering if anyone has used them? I assume they are not as silent as using a relay and momentary switch, but wanted to know how if there were as good as These from Lovemyswitches which are way more expensive.  Thanks!




					forum.pedalpcb.com


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## rmfx (Feb 9, 2022)

Well let's crack 'em open! 

Left to right: Alpha, Tayda (1.1kg version), Vimex, Gorva, Dailywell




Probably not super useful without details pics, but construction of Alpha and Tayda is similar but without a doubt different. Tayda has a softer casing, and the spring is has less tension, giving it the lighter click. 

Vimex is nice, doesn't have the PCB corners that the rest of the switches have. Vimex, dailywell, and gorva have the thickest plastic casing (by only a little), making the casing feel a bit sturdier.

Gorva/Dailywell appear to have identical tooling with a few aesthetic differences that do not indicate that they are different manufacturer: green casing and doesn't have the dailywell stamp on the top metal piece with the clasps. Gorva obviously has a lighter spring. The internal rocker and contacts (which are visually different than the other three) look identical. 

Internal rocker pieces and plungers are very similar amongst all of them despite different colors. 

Someone else will have to do @fig's hammer test, I think these have seen enough.


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## Coda (Feb 9, 2022)

A more sensical test would be the stomp test: a Dr. Martin, a converse, an air Jordan,  a Birkenstock, a Gene Simmonds cover of Love Gun boot, and of course, a white sock. Rig them up on a robot foot, and test away…


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## Harry Klippton (Feb 9, 2022)

Coda said:


> A more sensical test would be the stomp test: a Dr. Martin, a converse, an air Jordan,  a Birkenstock, a Gene Simmonds cover of Love Gun boot, and of course, a white sock. Rig them up on a robot foot, and test away…


How could you leave out the exalted croc


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## giovanni (Feb 9, 2022)

Harry Klippton said:


> How could you leave out the exalted croc


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## manfesto (Feb 10, 2022)

rmfx said:


> Gorva/Dailywell appear to have identical tooling with a few aesthetic differences that do not indicate that they are different manufacturer: green casing and doesn't have the dailywell stamp on the top metal piece with the clasps. Gorva obviously has a lighter spring. The internal rocker and contacts (which are visually different than the other three) look identical.


I wonder if, after making Gorva's switches, Dailywell switched the rest of their line over to use the same tooling. The only way to check would be to have a Dailywell switch from like 2019 to compare the build, and I'm assuming nobody has any laying around.

I had the same thought when, after SBP started offering its switch in two levels of actuation force (35oz and 75oz), it seemed within a few weeks *suddenly* Tayda started making two $2.30 switches, one with an actuation force of 1.1Kg (pretty close to 35oz) and one with an actuation force of 2.0Kg (pretty close to 75oz).


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## Stickman393 (Feb 10, 2022)

Big ol thanks to @rmfx for their sacrifice!

I'm gonna start off by looking at the bottom of the barrel momentary switch, the Daier that can be had for under 2 bucks.

Please excuse stickman.  He has a taste for the finer things in life, and thus is unable to see when something cheap is perfectly serviceable.  He is also pretty jaded and curmudgeonly.  He is also me.





Crack 'er open!!!










Representational art is not stickman's forte.


Stickman's handwriting is also pretty abysmal.  He would like to tell anybody who points that out to eat a bag of dicks.  Like I said, he grumpy.

Honestly, after opening this thing up, it's certainly serviceable as a momentary control.  The contacts are beefy, the mechanism is simple enough.

If I was to judge with a critical eye: the one area that strikes me as a potential failure point is the plunger.

See, that black bit on the bottom of the plunger is plastic.  Depending on the exact polymer used, that could range anywhere from "no big deal" to "brittle town, population: this thing".

Over time, after being exposed to multiple thousands of stomps, I imagine that would be the first bit to go.  Either that, or the copper rivets that hold the assembly together would loosen and eventually fall out.

But...on the plus side, it's got one of the lightest springs out of the bunch, and I wouldn't think twice about throwing one of these in a pedal that wasn't meant to be stomped to hell.


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