Why choose SSC?

Our focus is on providing you with first-rate customer service and top-level design and manufacturing right here in the United States.  We source everything we can domestically and are proud to be a "Made in USA" company.  We also love to provide our customers with awesome customer service.

I don’t know anything about foot switches. Where do I start?

Check out our foot switch selection guide, which will cover some of the basics.  And, feel free to give us a call if you need more help.

Do you have any advice about wiring my foot switch?

YES!  First, and most importantly, you MUST cut power to your machine before you perform any work on your foot switch or control pedal.  Unplug the machine.  You can be seriously injured or even killed by electricity, and it's not worth the risk.  Also, you might damage your machine through improper wiring.  Second, if you are unsure how to properly wire your pedal, ask a qualified electrician.  It's worth it to get it right for the first time around!

What do these terms mean – amperage rating, normally open, momentary or maintained action, etc?

You can review the basic terms by looking at our glossary page.  Each application may be specific, so if you’re not sure, consult an electrician for installation assistance and product selection.

How do I wire my foot switch?

We offer some valuable information to help on our Foot Switch Selection Guide under the "Foot Switch Wiring and Installation" section.  But if you're still unsure after reading this, consult an electrician.  There is no way that we can answer your specific question if we are not physically there to see the setup, and the electrician has the knowledge and training to get it right for you.

Can I hook a potentiometer foot pedal directly to my motor?

No.  A motor needs a variable-speed motor control (also called a VRD or variable resistance drive), which is a separate device, to control its speed.  The potentiometer foot pedal just provides a signal to the drive to tell it how to set the speed (depending on how far your foot is pressed down on the pedal).  The motor controller should have a potentiometer input which will specify a resistance value (ohms) and power (watts).  So, for example, it may have been designed to work with a 1000-ohm potentiometer, and you will have to use a 1k ohm pot value, or it may ask for a range like 2k to 10k, where you can then choose a 5k or 10k.  But simply increasing the pot value will not make it go faster or slower – in fact, it may not work at all, or it may even damage the circuit.  So it's important to use a pot that meets the requirements of your system.

I have a welder that doesn't show up on your TIG Welding Foot Pedals Page.  Can you make a pedal for it?

If you don't see your welder on our Cross-Reference Guide, which also includes models we cannot make at the bottom of the page, it's still possible that we can make a pedal for your machine, if we have all of the following details. We need to know which plug it takes, and we need to be able to get one for you at a reasonable cost.  Components required may include capacitors, resistors, but definitely will include a control potentiometer, for which we need the resistance value.  Finally, we need to know how it's wired.

My welder's pedal has a control knob on it.  Can you make a pedal with one?

Our pedal does not have a spot for a second potentiometer, which is typically used to set max amps.  Look at the wiring diagram of your pedal, or, only after unplugging it from the machine, open it up and take a look at that second potentiometer attached to the knob.  If that second potentiometer on your pedal has 2 wires running to it, it can be eliminated entirely, but our pedal will always run as if that knob is set to max.  If that potentiometer has 3 wires running to it, it cannot be eliminated (no matter what!) and the pedal will not work correctly without it.