3PDT Daughter Board Guide

Our 3PDT PCB daughterboard (P-PC-3PDT-BOARD) is a small board designed to simplify the wiring of 3PDT footswitches in guitar pedals. All inputs and outputs are clearly labeled on the PCB, removing any confusion about how the footswitch should be wired, and decreasing the chances of wiring mistakes or short-circuits. There are dedicated pads for all offboard connections so that no pads or lugs require more than one connection. A dedicated location for an on-board current-limiting resistor allows for clean LED wiring with no floating resistor, whether you are mounting the LED on the board or using a bezel. Despite all this, our 3PDT board is one of the smallest boards available and can easily fit inside tight builds, including builds that use a 1590A enclosure. All pads on the board are oriented near their respective off-board components, which helps produce clean wiring and may even reduce the necessary space required for the footswitch wiring.

This 3PDT board has been tested and is known to work with:

The board will work with many of the common 3PDT footswitches that are sold, though we cannot guarantee a fit for any besides the above. It does not work with low profile 3PDT footswitches due to different pin spacing. Some of the benefits of our daughterboards are:

  • All connections are clearly labeled to reduce wiring mistakes and eliminate the need to remember or look up the proper 3PDT wiring every time you do it. 3PDT board render
  • Dedicated pads for all offboard connections simplify the required connections and can help produce cleaner wiring.
  • Pads are oriented near the location where their offboard component is likely to be, making the connections short and direct. 3PDT board wired to show direct, simple wiring
  • On-board current-limiting resistor eliminates the need for a floating resistor inside the enclosure.
  • With the on-board LED pads, the LED can be mounted using a standard LED bezel (P-L200) or it can be board-mounted without using a bezel. Top-view of a mounted LED using the 3PDT board
  • Effect input is grounded when bypassed, which helps prevent clicking noise when the switch is actuated.
  • Small PCB size (1.02" x 0.77") allows for use in small or dense builds. 3PDT board mounted in a small enclosure

The PCB footprint marked R_LED is for the current-limiting resistor for the LED. A ΒΌ W resistor is recommended for R_LED. The LED is optional. If the LED is not being used, there is no need to include R_LED. In addition to standard LEDs, the PCB board can be used with our 1-color LED-ring footswitches and our standalone LED rings. For the LED-ring footswitch, the two LED pins should be inserted straight into the LED pads. For the standalone LED ring, the black lead should be inserted into "LED -" while the red lead should be inserted into "LED +". A current-limiting resistor is required in both cases.

3PDT with an LED ring mounted to the board

The components of the PCB can be soldered in any order. For easy assembly and short wire runs, we suggest performing the following steps with all other components already mounted in the enclosure:

  1. Insert and solder the 3PDT footswitch to the PCB. See the text on the PCB to be sure the lugs are inserted on the correct side. Inserting lugs into the 3PDT board
  2. If using an LED, solder the current-limiting resistor R_LED to the PCB. This can be soldered to either side of the board. 3PDT board with the current-limiting resistor attached
  3. If using a board-mounted LED (the LED is held in-place by the PCB only, no bezel) insert the LED in the same direction as the switch, but do not solder the legs in. Be sure to insert the LED with the correct polarity (LED + to anode, LED - to cathode) 3PDT board showing the led inserted but not soldered
  4. Mount the footswitch in the enclosure. The PCB should be oriented so that the labeled pads are closest to their respective components (see the below diagrams for reference).
  5. If using a board-mounted LED, position the LED body so that it is sticking through the drilled hole and solder the LED legs to the PCB. 3PDT board showing the led soldered into position
  6. Wire all other components in whichever order you prefer. If using a bezel-mounted LED, remember that a resistor does not need to be wired between the pads and the LED legs if R_LED is being used.

If there is any confusion about which components should be connected to which pad, please see the below diagrams for more detail.

3PDT board wiring without battery

3PDT board wiring without battery

3PDT board wiring with battery

3PDT board wiring with battery