Selector Switch Contact Mapper

What this tool is for

Turn continuity readings from an unpowered switch into a position-by-position contact map. Electrical test tools organize passive resistance and continuity evidence from disconnected, unpowered circuits. They do not test active electronics, stored charge, powered equipment, or mains safety.

Use it when you can describe the current state and need a defensible next check. It is not a shortcut around inspection: preserve the starting state, change one variable, and verify the result under the same conditions.

Before you begin

Disconnect the guitar and isolate the switch where practical. Name every lug from a drawing or your own photograph, then use continuity mode to record every closed lug pair in each mechanical position.

• Use a stable, tuned instrument unless the page specifically investigates tuning.
• Name the physical reference, unit, and test condition beside every important number.
• Keep the original measurements so any reversible change can be returned to baseline.

Input guide

Lug names, comma separated

captures the exact observation, list, or requirement that the result must preserve.

Position names, one per line

captures the exact observation, list, or requirement that the result must preserve.

Closed pairs, one row per position

captures the exact observation, list, or requirement that the result must preserve.

Input labels describe evidence, not targets. A placeholder demonstrates format only; it is never a recommendation for a particular guitar.

How the result should be read

Treat the output as a measured truth table. Compare it with the exact maker diagram before designing wiring, and repeat any unexpected pair with probes reversed and the switch mechanically settled.

Read priorities from top to bottom, but stop as soon as new evidence contradicts an earlier assumption. Save or print the result ticket with the entered conditions so another person can reproduce the decision.

Method and logic

Pairs are normalized without direction, grouped by switch position, and checked for duplicate position maps, contacts common to every position, and lugs never observed. No switch family or wiring function is inferred.

The page keeps calculation and diagnostic claims deliberately bounded. Display rounding improves readability, while the underlying logic uses entered values; descriptive branches report relative tendencies and the evidence needed to confirm them.

Worked example

Positions Bridge, Both, and Neck with C-B; C-B plus C-N; and C-N produce three unique maps. If two positions produce the same pairs, the report flags duplication for a repeat measurement or hardware check.

The example demonstrates reasoning, not a universal setup specification. Substitute real measurements and repeat the final test before accepting the next action.

Assumptions and limitations

Loaded circuits, linked switch wafers, momentary contacts, make-before-break timing, contamination, intermittent motion, lug-name mistakes, and solder bridges can change a map. It does not prescribe solder connections.

Instrument design, service history, measurement error, and player technique can outweigh a calculator or checklist. Where manufacturer instructions exist for the exact hardware, use those instructions and record the revision consulted.

Safety and stop conditions

Disconnect the guitar, component, and cable from every powered device before selecting resistance or continuity mode. Never test active electronics, an amplifier, power supply, stored-charge circuit, or mains-connected equipment. Stop for heat, odor, electrical sensation, unstable readings, unknown parallel paths, or a meter mode you cannot verify.

Related workflow

• Potentiometer Taper Analyzer — Compare a measured pot sweep with linear, audio-reference, and reverse-audio reference curves.
• Pickup Wiring Configuration Selector — Check desired switching options against pickup conductors, pots, and switch hardware.
• How to Test Passive Guitar Electronics with a Multimeter — Measure one unpowered component or path at a time and preserve the meter setup.

Open the related page that answers the next unresolved question; do not run every tool as if every system needs adjustment.