building my own cymbal

[pastorlordzee]

Respect to all you DIY fanatics. I have a question that i need your help on. I have a Roland module (TD 10) and about to order a megadrum to midi it into my roland. I need to build a cymbal that will be compartible with both the megadrum and the roland and i understand the roland cymbals uses one piezo and a switch (correct me if am wrong). I know how to wire a piezo but what do i use as a switch? how do you wire a switch? i will be converting real cymbals to e cymbals. Thank you for your time

[ignotus]

If you google "diy cymbal switch" you will find countless examples of how to make and wire switches for an e-cymbal. It's basically piezo to tip and switch to ring; with the other piezo and switch wires to sleeve. A piezo/switch cymbal is going to be compatible with just about any module in existence so I wouldn't worry about that.

[stefan1982]

Have you guys ever thought - or tried - using conductive fabric to make the switches? Its very flexible, durable and pretty easy to work with imo.

[ignotus]

Yes, I had looked into that. The thing with fabric is, all it takes is one strand of thread to come loose and your switch is useless.

I think conductive rubber is a very interesting material for this application, but it's difficult and expensive to get your hands on it.

[pastorlordzee]

I think i really wasnt clear on my initial question so let me make my self clear. so the roland module (td 10) cymbal is not 2 piezos but rather a piezo and a switch. My question how do i make a switch? what do you use to make it? Is it something that you need to but and wire it up? HOW DO I MAKE A SWITCH.....Once again thank you

[ignotus]

The switch is just two normally-open contacts that touch each other when squeezed or hit. There are many ways to make them (almost impossible to purchase) and the wiring is very straightforward. Maybe you misunderstood, misinterpreted, ignored or overlooked my suggestion...

IF YOU GOOGLE "DIY CYMBAL SWITCH" YOU WILL FIND COUNTLESS EXAMPLES OF HOW TO MAKE AND WIRE SWITCHES FOR AN E-CYMBAL.

This was meant as friendly advice. A short google search will yield more photos, examples, wiring diagrams and approaches than we can possibly give you here. And yes, I am 99.9% certain that ANY of them will work with Megadrum or a Roland module. If you want, look for a design you like and ask: "will *this* design work?" and we will gladly help.

[pastorlordzee]

Thank you very much for the explanation. I think I get it now. Thank everyone on this platform