DIY project is now started

[2112guy]

I've decided to finally take the plunge and see how a couple of DIY pads will turn out for me. I've wanted some bigger pads for my TD-12 set ever since I purchsed it. Those 8 inchers are just a bit too small for my liking. So I purchased this tom off of Ebay today:

http://cgi.ebay.com/LUDWIG-ACCENT-COMBO-TOM-DRUM-NEW-black_W0QQitemZ170210025871QQihZ007QQcategoryZ38096QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I thought it was a pretty good deal for a new drum and all of the hardware is there for a tom pad and a snare pad. I'm planning on taking all of the hardware off and slicing the shell in half. Then I'll work on the innards of the pads. I'm thinking about doing a setup kind of like the Roland basket using brackets at all six of the lug locations, then cut a flat basket out of some sheet metal and go from there.

Since I'm just at the material gathering stage, next on the list is piezos, foam for cones, stereo jacks, mesh heads, and the metal to complete the project. Rim protectors and something to cover the bottom edge of the shells will be on list as well. I'm going to go ahead and set the pads up for head and rim triggering. Wish me luck. I'll keep my updates in this post.

[Sabre]

Good luck 2112! That tom looks perfect, and it was a great price too!

Very similar to my project tom so let me know if I can be of any assistance.

[2112guy]

Thanks Sabre. I just ordered two 1/4" stereo jacks and a lot of 10 27mm piezos off of Ebay as well.

[Greenbutmean]

I absolutely LOVE posts like this one. Please put up what you can for all to see! And good luck in your search!

[2112guy]

Here are the piezos:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290223119238&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=019

This is where I bought the stereo jacks:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330212507261&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=014

[steve_huck]

so are the peizos velocity sensitive?

[Sabre]

so are the peizos velocity sensitive?

A piezo is just a piezo. A simple voltage device.
Velocity sensing is interpreted by the module.
At least thats my understanding

[2112guy]

Quick update. The piezos arrived on Monday (pretty amazing since I just ordered them on Friday afternoon). The tom was delivered today but no one was around to sign for it so I'll pick it up tomorrow. Still waiting for the stereo jacks and then I'm off to Home Depot and other places for the other supplies. I'll post some pics of the Ebay stuff soon.

[bogiesbad]

A piezo is just a piezo. A simple voltage device.
Velocity sensing is interpreted by the module.
At least thats my understanding

I beg to disagree...how else would the module get velocity information? I think the piezo has to be velocity sensitive. I'm sure someone more knowledgable will chime in.

[freddarl82]

Actually, I think the truth lies in a combination of Sabre's and Bogiesbad's answers. For our purposes, a piezo is a piezo is a piezo. Other threads have detailed some of the scientific explanations of why, for our application, just about any of the commonly available piezos will work.

Piezos are electromechanical devices that normally take an electrical signal and convert it to vibration to create a sound. We, of course, are using it in the opposite manner. That is, we make it vibrate mechanically by striking the drum, which causes it to send a small electrical signal back out through the wires. It's kind of like the way electric generators and electric motors operate on a common principle (electric motors operate on the principle that the current through a wire produces a magnetic field, which, by the use of magnets inside the motor, is then used to spin the shaft of the motor. A generator, on the other hand, spins a magnet inside a coil of wires, thus generating a flow of current through the wires of the coil.) by reversing the process.

That being said, the piezo must play some role in velocity sensing. It does so because the electrical signal sent out to the module varies depending on how much it was vibrated (how hard we hit it). It is then up to the module to INTERPRET this information and produce the corresponding loud or soft sound. Now, I don't know, do some of the less expensive (or older generation) modules NOT provide velocity sensing?

I hope this helps.

Not an expert (but I am staying in a Radisson tonight...),
Fred

[7days]

Looks nice, good luck 2112.

Well said Fred.