GutShots of RM22 Footswitch - Techs please advise

[hunter]

Several threads talked about how to switch an RM22 using an external controller via adapter. According to Randall, it can only be switched with the supplied Footswitch. And indeed, what should only be three switches, maybe a resistor or two and some cables, looks like a medium sized processing architecture.

Are there any techs here who can translate what is happening here? Is there a way to switch at least channels on the RM22 with a latched or non-latching impulse?

Please advise.

 

[Bhosterman]

Is it just me or is that way more complicated than a switching system should be?

 

[hunter]

maybe the Chinese industrial designers making it more complex to produce, i.e. more expensive for Randall to buy product off them....

 

[m0jo]

That is such overkill ..

I don't have a clue whats going on there, it's def. not midi from what I've seen...

 

[ak37]

That is the last thing I would have expected to see inside this thing! It almost looks like some sort of "logic" type of switching. I would bet it is momentary. Does it just use a standard TRS, XLR or a Midi type cable for connection? I might have to take apart my RM100 to see the guts in it too. The main difference between the two should be the boost option on the 22 vs the three channels on the 100. Unless they were trying to solve some sort of popping issue during the switching or other issue I have to agree that this is about 100pcs of over kill in this thing! I want to go on record right now to say that future amp designs should include a 9 and 18v power tap and an input for the guitar on the footswitch housing! This way the guitar goes through the pedals and into the footswitch then out to the amp and the footswitch would provide pedal power! That to me is a valuable option!

 

[guitarzan]

What about wiring up 1/4" jacks off all the switches in the pedal? You might be able to control with a G-Major with some fancy cabling.

 

[toddler68]

That is the last thing I would have expected to see inside this thing! It almost looks like some sort of "logic" type of switching. I would bet it is momentary. Does it just use a standard TRS, XLR or a Midi type cable for connection? I might have to take apart my RM100 to see the guts in it too. The main difference between the two should be the boost option on the 22 vs the three channels on the 100. Unless they were trying to solve some sort of popping issue during the switching or other issue I have to agree that this is about 100pcs of over kill in this thing! I want to go on record right now to say that future amp designs should include a 9 and 18v power tap and an input for the guitar on the footswitch housing! This way the guitar goes through the pedals and into the footswitch then out to the amp and the footswitch would provide pedal power! That to me is a valuable option!

That is a brilliant idea! If it's not already patented, you ought to look into it.

 

[toddler68]

That is the last thing I would have expected to see inside this thing! It almost looks like some sort of "logic" type of switching. I would bet it is momentary. Does it just use a standard TRS, XLR or a Midi type cable for connection? I might have to take apart my RM100 to see the guts in it too. The main difference between the two should be the boost option on the 22 vs the three channels on the 100. Unless they were trying to solve some sort of popping issue during the switching or other issue I have to agree that this is about 100pcs of over kill in this thing! I want to go on record right now to say that future amp designs should include a 9 and 18v power tap and an input for the guitar on the footswitch housing! This way the guitar goes through the pedals and into the footswitch then out to the amp and the footswitch would provide pedal power! That to me is a valuable option!

I had an old ADA MC-1 footpedal with like 10 switches in it and there wasn't half that crap inside!

 

[Steven Latch]

Hello,

Wondering if this got somewhere. I am looking at getting an RM22. But the lack of standard relays to switch channels is a major no-go so far. I have a pedalboard with a voodoo lab control switcher and like the idea of controlling amp channel switches with mid.

From what I got the only option to do so would be to "hack" the footswtich to add two relays that would remote the activation of the switches? Am I right and how complex/expensive is it to have such a thing done?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[notyet]

The RM22 switching is really strange. Internally to the amp- this looks like it was intended to be MIDI. The microcontroller is set up hardware wise like its MIDI- it looks just like you would expect with things on the right pins and everything.

When you hook the footswitch up to a MIDI device, you can see that it is sending something that is in the ballpark because the receiving device "hears" the message but it doesn't understand it and can't map it.

When I use MIDI-OX on a PC to capture the communication, its garbage. I suspect the communication rate is different at least and probably doesn't use regular MIDI PC commands.

Its like somebody didn't quite understand MIDI, made an error and never fixed it or even thought "We'll change it from MIDI so that people will have to pay the $200 to buy our footswitch if they lose it."

I suspect a replacement microcontroller chip could be made to convert it into MIDI but nobody will ever bother with that. I plan to replace the microcontroller entirely when I get around to modding mine to be dual channel and MIDI. If the new microcontroller hooked into the old socket connections doesn't do MIDI with zero other hardware changes, i will eat my hat.