Build Your Own Clone Message Board

I've been messing around with pedals of my own design, borrowing heavily from the billions of schematics and stuff that's out there. It seems like a lot of pedals don't really ever turn off the power to the board, like whatever's going to the transistors and ICs...the third pole on the switch seems to just turn on the LED when it's out of bypass mode, but that's distinct from the power to the board.

I know about the thing where there's a stereo jack on the input and it uses the ring to complete the circuit to ground when there's a mono plug inserted, but it doesn't even seem like they all have that, and I'm not sure if it would even be required if you didn't use batteries (I do not). A lot of schematics also leave out the switching entirely though.

Am I reading this right?

You are correct in your perceptions. The vast majority of pedals have their circuits energized as soon as a power source is hooked up and there's a cable in the input jack (assuming they use the stereo jack ring method to complete the ground connection for current to flow). The footswitch serves to connect the effect circuit with the signal path entering and leaving the pedal, but not to turn the power on and off. The LED is only indicating the position of the footswitch--engaged or bypassed--and not whether or not the effect circuit is energized.

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“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

You wouldn't want to "power off" most effects with the bypass switch anyways. Filter caps can take a second or two to charge. LFOs can take a second or two to ramp up. And if you think true-bypass pedals pop now, wait till you use the bypass footswitch to turn power on and off.

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*patience is a virtue*

Please do not PM me. email is prefered. keith@buildyourownclone.com

Ah, cool. Thanks for the confirmation.