Mega-noob - requesting switch information

Hi there.

I've been playing guitar for a few years and I've recently started messing around with electric guitar circuits. Everything I've done so far has involved following someone else's schematic for a similar guitar, and to be honest, having to ask someone how to do something and following their instructions is nowhere near as satisfying as when you figure out how to do it yourself.

What confuses me the most is switches - 5-way, DPDT 3PDT etc. All seem to have a load of poles coming off them, but how do I know what each of these poles do? Or, for example, when the lever is in the centre/up/down position, which poles are activated? I hope I'm using the right terminology and making myself clear. I guess I just need a detailed description of how to ascertain the roles of the poles on the bottom of switches. Any books/webpages you know of that could help me out?

Many thanks

James

I didn't call myself a mega-noob for nothing.

Use a DMM (digital Multi Meter) set on ohms to check continuity from various poles until you figure out whats what. If you don't have a DMM, a simple lightbulb and 9v battery could be substiuted. All you really need to see is when a path is open or closed.

Are these rotary switches?

Normally they are divided into sections called wafers, each wafer has one pole with numerous contacts, each position connects to a different pole.

Are these rotary switches?

Click to expand...

My query includes rotary switches I guess. I just don't know how people figure out which wire goes where on switches, for example the switch in this schematic - https://www.seymourduncan.com/support/schematics/2h_2v_2t_3w_ssp.html - why does the white wire go from the middle left lug to the top right? Why is there nothing attached to the top left lug? etc etc.

I think I'm just too much of a newbie at guitar electronics to understand these things yet. Maybe an understanding will come in time.

But if anyone knows a way to help me understand better I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks guys

No, they aren't wafer switches - but guitars tend to use specifically designed switches, you really need to source them as guitar spares, you're unlikely to find general purpose ones that will do.

Yeah I think they tend to use specially designed switches for standard guitars, but when customizing, standard switches like the DPDTs you'd find in maplin's/radioshack are used - I have a maplin SPST killswitch in one of my guitars.

Switches are rather simple when on understands them. The poles are the number of different circuits. 1 pole is one circuit, 2 pole is two circuits etc.
The positions are the number of places the pole will switch to.
A single pole double throw (SPDT) Has one wire that will switch to two different positions. A double pole double throw(DPDT) has two individual circuits or wires that will switch to two positions. A double pole single throw(DPST) has two circuits which can be switch to one position sometimes called on/off. There are variations like on-off-on which means the switch actually as 3 positions with the center off. On-on means two positions.
(on)-off-(on) means the two (on) positions are momentary or the two positions are spring loaded so that when the handle is released it returns to
center. 1P6T or 1P-6POS means there is one pole that can switch to 6 different circuits.
These are only a few of the variations.

Thanks k7elp60!