I'm baffled...

[produc3d]

So I have a 12" diy snare that I can't get to work for a long period of time. My setup is the beatnik crossbar, 27mm piezo, 2 layers of 3M 1/16th foam tape cut to size of ceramic, with a poron cone 1/16th above the rim and a hart head. My problem is this: I mount everything up and tension the head pretty tight with 2 full turn on each lug. I play for a few minutes and then sound starts to drop out and I lose sensitivity. Sometimes I can hit it really hard and it will suddenly start working normal again but soon after that it will drop out again. I checked the piezo wires and they seem perfectly fine as well as evrything else. Now, I guess I would be considered a heavy hitter. Am I hitting so hard that it damages the piezo? (even though there appears to be no physical damage and piezo is not bent) I would think the head should be tight enough am i right? I thought about getting a roland head but I don't want to if I can keep from it. Also was gonna try a different foam tape to see if that helps. I think I've considered all the variables but if anyone has any suggestions or a solution please let me know.

[bogiesbad]

From your descritpion it sounds as if the top of the cone is getting knocked to the side maybe...try raising the cone to 1/8th inch. Try striking the head medium hard in the same spot away from the center for while to see if it might be something else.

[produc3d]

If the cone is moving it is not much, probably 1/16th of an inch. I can't visually tell that its moving at all when examining it. I going to do an experiment with different cone designs. I ordered some 1/4th thicknes of soft and very soft poron. I think layers and firmness might be the key. I recently was able to compare a roland cone with my 3 layer poron cone of very soft and the roland seemed a bit firmer. So I'm gonna try and combine soft with very soft poron and see what I come up with. And as for the layers, I feel it does play some sort of role in the success of triggering. But then again roland may use layers because its cheaper for them. If you think about it, layers seem to make sense. A 1/2" thickness would move around slightly more than a 1/4" thickness because there is more material there for it to flex. Now combine that with more adhesive joints and you've got a stable cone with minimal flex. In other words take a short rubberband and pull it tight, then try to move it left and right, its probably not going to have as much travel as a long rubberband. It still makes me think though because people seem to get excellent results with 3 layers. As for the firmness, who knows? I should be able to get a little more sensitivity with 1 layer of 1/4" thickness. I'm still having trouble with consistent triggering around the head. Im getting slight hotspot over the cone and then sound dies out towards the edge. What do you think bogie?

[bogiesbad]

It sounds like you have the cone part under control.
Let's talk crossbars.
I use a solid crossbar with no isolation between shell/L brckt/crossbar. I put the piezo on a plate with thin reasonably hard rubber gasket underneath...then 2 layers foam/piezo/cone.Like this I used only one layer of double foam tape on those...might try that.
What module are you using?

[produc3d]

i'm using the same basic design but with 4 screws to hold the crossbar and I've got rubber washers in between the L bracket and the shell but that shouldn't matter because I'm only using one piezo on my snare. I'll try to get a picture up soon. I'm not sure that the crossbar is the problem either because I made a spider design out of plexiglass with an aluminum circle standoff plate and still got same symptoms. It must be in the cone, head, and tape. I'll have pics up soon. Oh and I'm using a td-6

[bogiesbad]

I am not familar with the TD6 trigger parameters but make sure the type is set for PD120/125. Adjust sensitivity so the hardest hit pegs the meter...no retrigger cancel...scan time around 2.0+...low threshold. Velocity curve should work linear but you migh try different curves.
As for mechanical...try taking the isolation off the shell...I assume you used bolts/screws long enough to allow for the increase thickness of the L and the washers. I have great results with no isolation there. I needed longer lug screws to accomodate the L bars. Also try changing the polarity of the piezo. You are using only one piezo for the snare? Might try a PD100 pad type in the module...maybe use a mono cable...not sure how the TD6 snare input reacts to a signal from single piezo.