The Bright Onion Pedals Mini Latching Footswitch with LED is a small utility pedal for changing the channel or effects on an amp that takes a single latching footswitch with a mono 1/4 inch connection1. It is not an effects unit in the usual sense: it carries no audio processing of its own. Instead, it closes a contact that your amp or pedal reads as a switch press, letting you move between amp channels or toggle a remote-controlled function from your pedalboard.
The switching itself is entirely passive, so the pedal works with no power at all. What the power connection adds is a status LED, so you can see at a glance which state the switched function is in on a dark stage1.
What it does: switching amp channels and effects
Bright Onion Pedals describes the pedal as a latching footswitch for amps that take a single latching footswitch with a mono connection1. "Latching" means the switch stays in its new state after you step off it, the way a channel selector on a traditional two-channel amp behaves. That is the opposite of a momentary switch, which only acts while your foot is on it.
Because the switch is wired to the tip of a mono 1/4 inch jack, the pedal works with any amp or device that expects a simple tip-to-sleeve contact closure on a single footswitch jack. The maker's own wording on the connection is simple1:
"Just add a mono cable and you are ready to go, the switch is wired to the Tip connection."
The pedal is built with point to point wiring1. Bright Onion Pedals makes this mini version as part of a range that also includes a larger Latching Footswitch with LED2 and a smaller Micro Latching Footswitch3.
The controls and LED setting
There is one footswitch and one internal adjustment. Because different amps treat a closed contact differently (one amp's "channel one" may be another's "channel two"), the LED state can be set to match the function being switched1:
"The footswitch has an internal slider switch to let you set the LED state to the correct state for the function it is switching."
In practice, you set the slider once so the LED is lit when the function you care about is engaged, then leave it. There are no knobs, no presets and nothing else to configure.
Power and connections
The switching circuit is passive, so the pedal needs no power to do its job. The LED is powered via the Boss style 2.1mm 9V DC socket, which means it will run from the same kind of supply that powers most effects pedals1. Bright Onion gives a clear warning on polarity:
"If the pedal is powered, use only a 9v DC Centre Negative 2.1mm barrel power supply."
The LED only lights when a 9V DC supply is connected. Without power, the pedal still switches your amp, but you get no status light. There is no battery option on this mini model; Bright Onion states its products contain no batteries or lead1.
How it differs from the alternatives
The single-switch, mono-cable design is the main thing to check against your amp's requirements. If your amp needs two switches on one jack, Bright Onion makes dual versions that use a stereo TRS cable instead, with the left switch wired to the tip and the right switch wired to the ring45. The Mini Dual Latching Footswitch is the same idea in a compact two-button format6. On the other end, the Micro Latching Footswitch is an even smaller single-switch option3, and the full-size Latching Footswitch with LED offers the same function in a standard enclosure, with an optional internal 9V battery holder for the LED2.
| Version | Switches | Cable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Latching Footswitch with LED | 1 | Mono 1/4 inch | This pedal; LED via 9V DC socket1 |
| Latching Footswitch with LED | 1 | Mono 1/4 inch | Full size; optional internal 9V battery holder2 |
| Micro Latching Footswitch | 1 | Mono 1/4 inch | Smallest single-switch option3 |
| Mini Dual Latching Footswitch with LEDs | 2 | Stereo TRS | Left switch on tip, right on ring4 |
| Dual Latching Footswitch with LEDs | 2 | Stereo TRS | Full size; optional internal 9V battery holder5 |
For more on this category of gear, see the switching pedals overview.
Questions
Does the Bright Onion Mini Latching Footswitch need a battery?
No. Bright Onion Pedals states that its products contain no batteries or lead. The switching itself is entirely passive, and the LED is powered through a 9V DC center negative 2.1mm socket if you choose to connect a power supply.
Will the Bright Onion latching footswitch work with my amp's channel switching?
It is designed for amps that take a single latching footswitch with a mono 1/4 inch connection, with the switch wired to the tip. If your amp needs a dual latching footswitch over a stereo TRS cable, Bright Onion also makes dual versions of the pedal.
Does the LED work without a power supply?
No. The switching function is passive and works with no power at all, but the status LED is powered via the Boss style 2.1mm 9V DC socket. Without power connected, the pedal still switches, just without the light.
What cable do I need for a Bright Onion footswitch?
A standard mono 1/4 inch instrument cable is all you need for this single-switch version, since the switch is wired to the tip connection. The dual versions from Bright Onion require a stereo TRS cable instead, with one switch on tip and one on ring.
Sources (6)
- Latching Footswitch, Bright Onion Pedals
- Latching Footswitch with LED, Bright Onion Pedals
- Micro Latching Footswitch, Bright Onion Pedals
- Mini Dual Latching Footswitch with LEDs, Bright Onion Pedals
- Latching Footswitch, Bright Onion Pedals
- Latching Footswitch, Bright Onion Pedals
