Fender Pinwheel User Manual

How do I use an expression pedal or external footswitch to
control the speed of my Pinwheel Pedal?

Your Pinwheel pedal has a special function jack on its right side near the stereo input jacks. This jack is
for connection of an Expression Pedal or an external device for either continuous control of the speed
or remote control of the Slow/Fast footswitch.

EXP/FS Jack

FS SELECT Switch On Rear Panel

Speed Control using Expression Pedal

To connect an Expression Pedal, start by moving the rear panel FS SELECT switch to EXP mode and
ensure that the pedal is in SLOW mode using the onboard speed switch.

There are many commercially available Expression Pedals and they do not all follow the same
standard. For use with the Pinwheel, you’ll need one with a dedicated TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve)
Expression Output jack that connects the pot wiper to the TIP of the TRS cable. We recommend an
expression pedal with a potentiometer impedance between 10k and 500k Ohms.

Connect a ¼” TRS to TRS cable from the EXP/FS jack to the Expression Pedal output jack. Heel down
is SLOW. Toe down is FAST. The SLOW and FAST limits are still set by the controls on the pedal.

BRAKE mode and FAST mode are still available by way of the onboard SLOW/FAST footswitch when
using an Expression Pedal.

Hold the SLOW/FAST switch to engage BRAKE mode, which stops the spinning of the virtual speaker
simulation. Note that the DRIVE, TONE and LEVEL controls are remain active so you’ll still hear the
overall tone of the pedal including the power amp distortion, which is a great sound on its own.

Speed Control using Passive Volume Pedal

To connect a Volume Pedal, start by moving the rear panel FS SELECT switch to EXP mode and
ensure that the pedal is in SLOW mode using the onboard speed switch.

There are many commercially available Volume Pedals and they come in several different impedances,
generally 250k or 500k Ohms. For our purposes either one will work as expected. Note you will need a
PASSIVE volume pedal. Passive means it does not require external power. An active Volume Pedal
will NOT work with Pinwheel.