DIY drum pad/controllers

[Rob]

-----Original Message-----
From: Harry Bissell <harrybissell at prodigy.net>
To: Martin Czech <martin.czech at intermetall.de>
Cc: jc at lynx.bc.ca <jc at lynx.bc.ca>; space_banana at hotmail.com
<space_banana at hotmail.com>; synth-diy at mailhost.bpa.nl
<synth-diy at mailhost.bpa.nl>
Date: Monday, July 05, 1999 11:18 PM
Subject: Re: DIY drum pad/controllers


>DANGER Will Robinson...
>
>The "Perspex" tubes are reminescent of me "Vistalite" piezo cymbals... They
make
>so much acoustic noise when you hit them that they are almost useless as
>triggers. I like to epoxy a .177 caliber lead pellet to the center of a
cased
>Radio Shack piezo buzzer. The weight makes it into an "accelerometer"
instead of
>a microphone. I mount it in a horizontal piece of radiator hose (1 1/2"
dia.)
>about 5" long. You can beat it with a stick and its almost silent. I call
it a
>"Hose Head". Can you say "hosehead" in Australia ???
>
Perspex? U mean plexiglass? I used plexiglass for triggers once, but I used
flat pieces.. It was ok..

I think if you cut away a section of the perspex and let it "float" on a
cushion of some sort, and make a striker (ie a bolt or something) to hit the
piezo, I think it would work okay even with the acoustic problems.. you
would have to stuff the strike area with foam or mousepads though..

I built a BD drum trigger with a T section of pvc and a automotive CV boot
filled with stacks of mousepads with a hole in them and through that hole a
bolt was slid. BTW, there was a washer at the top of the bolt so that the
bolt wouldnt get stuck down into the mousepads .. the BD hammer hit a bolt
that was suspended just above the piezo by the mousepad donuts. When the
hammer came down, it would hit the bolt and the bolt would hit a mousepad
(so the piezo didnt get cracked) and the mousepad would smack the piezo..
If you tried to use direct contact to the piezo, the piezo would trigger
twice, once upon strike, the again after the hammer would bounce. This way
then, the initial hit would give the bolt enough inertia to strike only
once, and it would take another good whack to get it to hit again, as the
mousepads would expand again and push the bolt away from the piezo..

At least I can take care of the BD trigger.. you might be able to use the
same thing for the clear tubes too..

Or, you can put a rubber bumper over the top like for the hatkats, and whack
that.. I think those are just gum rubber over the piezo...

BTW, dont they have polymer piezoelectrics now? These could make your job
tons easier..

Say your an engineer and request a bunch of samples.. :)

Arc-usa might carry them..


Rob