Rowbinet – Rowbi's Guitar & Recording Blog

Some people love them, and other people just don’t bother with them.  I am of course talking about the ‘go’ switch .  More commonly known as the on/off or power swich.

Personally, I’m happy without one although I know there’s a few vocal people out there who think it’s the end of the world.  Seriously guys, there’s a power switch only 2 metres away where it’s plugged in at the wall socket!.. OK, well maybe it if for a few people, so for now I’ll forget the tens of thousands who have likley bought POD HD’s and are happy and concentrate on those few who want a power switch.

Here’s the plan:

Get yourself a DC extension cable (right angle optional).  It needs to have 2.5/5.5mm DC connections (not 2.1/5.5mm as that wont work).  I got a 1 metre cable from Amazon for £1.97 with free delivery.

Also you’ll need a torpedo switch for a lamp.  I got one from eBay, and here’s the description: ‘BLACK IN-LINE 3 CORE 6amp TORPEDO SWITCH FOR LAMP LIGHT’.  Whilst you only need a 2 core and up to 2 amp switch, it’s what is available at the time.  I wanted a black one with the words ON and OFF on the switch, so I bought what was available, which was a 3 core 6 amp version and cost £2.49 with free delivery.

Optional: You could buy a DC power socket 2.5/5.5mm version (Maplin part code JK12N for £1.89) but you will need to solder this in.  If you prefer to not solder, or you don’t have a soldering iron, just leave this bit out.

1. Work out how long you want your extension/power switch to bo.  If you’re only using is as a power switch it doesn’t need to be long.  I am using it also because my POD HD400 and HD500 are in flight cases and I need a right angled DC plug so I don’t have to disconnect the DC supply from the POD, so I want the extension to run the width of the POD and have the ON/OFF switch over next to the EXP pedal where the power supply sits when the POD is in transit.  So I made sure the jack plug had 65cm of cable attached to it when I cut the cable.

2. For the socket on the ON/OFF switch you’ll either have a flush mounting socket (like I do in the pictures and video) or you’ll have a short cable with the jack socket from the extension cable.

3. Make sure the positive cable is switched.  Note that on some DC conntections like this, the centre pin in negative, so the shield (braid) in the cable is actually positive, and the inner cable is the negative.  For this reason you may like to switch both the positive and ground (negative) cable as I have done in the picture below.  Note that the Video was taken before I had finished working on this, so the wiring connections are only correct in the picture below.  Click it to see a larger version!

IMPORTANT: While working on low voltage kit is relatively safe when it’s turned off, please ensure you visit the Health & Safely Executive’s website and have a read if you’re unsure: http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq.htm  The most important thing is that you don’t undertake anything you don’t fully understand or that you aren’t trained for, as it’s your safety and that of others around you that is at risk.  Also, any modifications you make to your POD HD or its power supply are done so at your own risk.