D.I.Y Vdrum Trigger Cone

[The Mank]

I first started making my own d.i.y triggers back in the mid to late 80's when I was working at a drum store.I tripped at the top of some stairs and watched as a box of new Simmons SDS7 pads crashed all the way down to the ground.When I picked up the pieces I saw that this amazing new technology was nothing more than a piece of ply board coated in rubber with a piezo transducer stuck to the back with silicone bathroom sealer.Since then I have always had a stock of piezos at home or on tour with me for emergencies.
They are so easy to make and work just as well, so here goes.
Step 1 Draw a circle on paper about 3" wide.Cut out circle and then cut circle in half.
Step 2 Roll you half circle into a cone and secure with tape.
Step 3 Fill with bathroom silicone sealer.
Step 4 When dry ,about 2 days,soak in water and remove paper.
Step 5 Let dry for a couple of days more and then trim the top.I forgot to trim the tops before taking the photos....
Step 6 Apply a blob of silicone to the underside of your cone and attach your piezo.

I would buy the real ones now,why bother with the hassle when they are only $4.99, but when I first made these, the real ones wern't available to buy.
Sorry this is so crap for a first post, more interesting stuff to follow next week..

Mank
P.s it's a good idea to wire and test your piezo is working before sticking it to the cone.

[by-tor]

Nice! Very crafty! I might hafta make me a cool e-snare when I get my v-drums!

[Afaulker]

Where could I get the real piezos?

[The Mank]

I think somebody mentioned that you can get the real cones at musicians friend in the US but they should be available to order from any good Roland stockist.
I don't think they come with the piezo,just the foam cone.Piezo transducers are available at any electronics store ie.Radio Shack in the US and Maplin electronics in the UK and cost about 35 pence uk and 50 cents us..So it won't break the bank..

Mank

[Prozakdrummer]

Mank,
What kind of sound do these things give, if say you put on in a tom and then attatched it to a pa? And the piezo device you said you could get in maplins, what is it exactly?
Thanks Alex

[The Mank]

Hi Alex,
I'm no electronics expert but this is what I understand.
A piezo transducer is a basic speaker which you will find in toys,travel clocks,electronic games etc.
For this application,e-drum triggers, we are reversing them and using them as a trigger or microphone as apposed to a speaker.
These piezos need to be plugged into a drum brain,eg Alesis Dm5 or DDrum4, which will convert the audio pulse into data to either play an internal drum sound or a midi note.Basically they are the sensor in an electronic drum pad that tell the unit to play a sound when you hit it.
You can uses piezos as traditional mics but I think they require an active 9v pre-amp before you plug them into a p.a .
Check some of the other Edrum posts and you will see clearer pictures of how we are using these strange little things.

Mank

[gheeley]

DAMN IT, I got out of edrums along time ago, it looks like in will now be making some pads to pay around with.

to maplin i will go (any old excuse, i love stores like that)

[Prozakdrummer]

Thanks Mank,
I may give it a shot!
Alex

[drummerdan]

Where could I get the real piezos?

Radio Shack - I use part #273-073 for $1.99 each.

You will have to "shell" these. No big deal, just carefully remove the plastic housing with a utility knife. Take your time, it's pretty easy but you don't want to damage the piezo or especially your hand.

[Afaulker]

sweet! thanks

[Prozakdrummer]

Mank,
I made one of those cones today and filled it with some silicone i had kicking around in my loft. Now my question is do you slicone the cone to the transducer(piezo) and attacth the transducer to a braket. So cone sticks to moving bit if transducer and transducer bottom sits on mounting bracket. where is the best place to put the cone to?
Thanks Alex

[moosryan]

where can you buy the premade cones?

[by-tor]

where can you buy the premade cones?
musicians friend I think....

[The Mank]

Hi Alex,
yes, attach piezo with more silicone.I usually put ceramic bit pointing towards the cone top and drum head.The reason I do this is to protect the most fragile part of the piezo,the ceramic part,by sealing it in silicone.Don't forget to check your piezo is working ok before you bury it in silicone.

Mank

[The Mank]

Hi Alex,
yes, attach piezo with more silicone.I usually put ceramic bit pointing towards the cone top and drum head.The reason I do this is to protect the most fragile part of the piezo,the ceramic part,by sealing it in silicone.Don't forget to check your piezo is working ok before you bury it in silicone.
So, you want the piezo in direct contact with cone, and isolated from the mounting plate to try and stop cross triggering.

Mank

[Prozakdrummer]

Hi Mank,
So if i am reight the piezo is burried with in the cone at the bottom and the cone is stuck to the mounting device. I went to 2 maplins yesterday and neither hand a piezo so ill have to keep going there until they have one. Are the product codes you showed in the picture of the piezos recent codes as that could be a big help.
Alex

[The Mank]

Hey alex,
Yes, you got it for mounting piezo and cone.
Those are current codes for maplins piezos.You usually find them on the shelves instore,I've never had problems before, but then again the usual maplins employee doesn't know what a piezo is, cos they're not featured in star trek ....!
Let me know if you are still having problems finding them.

Mank
P.s Is the cone dry yet?

[Prozakdrummer]

Hi Mank,
the out side was but the middle is still a bit squidgey. Its had over 2 days but i will leave it while i am away and check on it on wednesday.
Alex

[tcraw1010]

BUMP . . . . .

Because this section needs a re-vitilization and this is some great information.

[JLee]

True enough.

However, i can still assure that I am a firm believer in just going and buying the Roland cones. My attempts at making my own cones were nowhere close, and my experience with trying to use a cone that had been removed and replaced leads me to the conclusion that the balance of getting everything right with the triggering is a lot more delicate than one would logically believe.

[weldman]

All the online stores seem to be out of stock on the roland cones for now

I just made a post about foam cones at another board...

-----------

post #4
http://www.vdrums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21015&highlight=DIY+foam+cones

I got the foam and used 3M super 77 spray on glue to put them in one piece.

The stuff I got is about 1/2 and with that thickness only 3 layers are needed for a roland sized cone.

Roland store bought cones are about 1 1/2" high and use 5 1/2 layers of 1/4" foam.

diameter of them at the base is 1 1/4", top is 1/4"

The MC foam is really close to the roland foam and should work out just as good

I cant see paper working out too well as it will just crush or distroy the trigger over time.

Digikey.com has 1" and 1 1/2" ready to solder piezos...
I use the smaller ones in my cymbals and the larger ones for my trigger pads.

click to expand
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/moody07747/Completed%20Projects/E-Drums/th_Piezos.jpg (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/moody07747/Completed%20Projects/E-Drums/Piezos.jpg)

[tcraw1010]

True enough.

However, i can still assure that I am a firm believer in just going and buying the Roland cones.


I actually agree with you and, when the time comes, will likely do the exact same thing (i.e. purchase Roland cones).

[JLee]

I actually agree with you and, when the time comes, will likely do the exact same thing (i.e. purchase Roland cones).

Yeah, when i tried to make my own, they did not resemble the consistency of Roland cones in the least. Also, there was a point when I had to remove the cone off of one of my edrums and put it back on. It looked like I was able to do so with no incident whatsoever. however, the drum did not trigger the same at all, and I jumped to the conclusion that the piezo was bad. Wrong.


After taking the bridge off the drum, removing the piezo and starting from scratch with a new piezo, still no dice.

then I went and got a new roland cone, tried the same thing, and now it works perfectly.

moral of the story - the intricacies of the cone itself (the condition of the internal area of the cone) are likely a lot more important than one would think