3PDT Foot Switch, PCB Pins

3PDT switches for true bypass switching.  These 3PDT switches were made custom for us by our manufacturer to the highest quality standards for 3PDT switches.

• Latching switch (standard for true bypass switching)
• PCB pins for direct mounting to circuit boards
• High temperature ring epoxy
• High temperature plastic casing
• High quality internal components
• Black color
• Includes two nuts, one plastic washer, one lock washer

Buyer's Guide

There are several options when it comes to buying 3PDT foot switches, and the truth is that many of them are VERY similar, priced anywhere from a couple dollars to $10+.

The original "blue" 3PDT switches are still manufactured by a company named CIC.  They will sell to almost anyone with a minimum order in the thousands.  They also produce the switch for some other companies with their branding on the switch.

As the guitar pedal industry has grown, several Chinese companies have began to develop clones of these switches.  Some of them are decent quality, while some of them are not.  After disassembling several switches from many different suppliers, we have discovered that the insides of the switches are nearly identical.  This includes switches from CIC (the original blue), Alpha Taiwan (black switches), and many other Chinese suppliers.  We were not able to see any differences internally that would lead us to believe any one of the switches would significantly outlast one of the others.  This leads us to one of the more noticeable quality differences: the sealing of the switch pins or lugs to the casing.

If you've shopped around at all for 3PDT switches, you've probably noticed that the bottom of some look differently.  Some have a brighter red epoxy that seals the pins to the switch casing to hold them in place.  This epoxy looks "neater" and is applied individually to each pin.  It also tends to handle higher soldering temperatures better.

Nearly all the cheaper knock-offs do not use this higher temperature epoxy, but the switch will instead have a "blob" of darker red epoxy all over the bottom of the switch.  That epoxy does not hold up as well during soldering, and although we have no scientific evidence to prove this point, we suspect the bond may not be as strong either, or could be weakened more easily during soldering.  For any switch, max soldering time should be around 2 seconds.

Our Switches

Our 3PDT switches are made to our specifications by our manufacturer.  They utilize a higher temperature ring epoxy that is applied individually to each pin for the strongest bond possible.  We've also negotiated pricing to bring you one of the highest quality 3PDT switches available at one of the lowest prices!