Optical HiHat for the electricly challenged

[Seinsohn]

Hi megadrummers. I'm new to the forum and haven't even received my megadrum yet. However, I am doing my best to prepare my kit for the big day. I Bought a couple of kriggs and an intrigg for my new snare I'm building the super easy way. That's as far as my electrical abilities go. Dimitri suggested I ask one of you here if you would make and sell me a fully variable optical hi hat controller since my Yamaha RHH130 pisses me off to no end. I would be very very grateful. Please let me know.

Thank you!

P.S. I apologize if I posted this in the wrong place.

[ignotus]

Easier and cheaper still, and you can even try to do it yourself as you don't necessarily need soldering skills: make a hall effect hi hat.

Materials needed:

- Hall effect sensor: http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=302_305&products_id=2083

- Magnet: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-x-Big-Super-Strong-Cuboid-Block-Magnet-Rare-Earth-Neodymium-N50-30-x-20-x/32654683324.html?spm=2114.30010308.3.10.A8XNlT&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_0,searchweb201602_4_10057_10056_10037_10055_10049_10044_10043_10059_10058_10032_10017_405_404_10040_10041_10060_10042_412,searchweb201603_8&btsid=09efaa5f-3d0b-4ad6-a7a1-5fb540824c30

- Terminal strip (3 contacts)

- Stereo TRS plug (male) with cable.

Insert the 3 legs of the hall sensor in one side of the terminal strip and the corresponding wires from the stereo cable (if you decide to do this I can tell you where each wire goes) at the other side. That's all the electronics done. Stick/attach the strip w/sensor to the hi hat pedal baseplate. Stick the magnet to the pedal board above it. Plug it into your module and configure it. That's it.

[Seinsohn]

Thank you. I'm going to give this a shot. Please tell me, does it matter if I use a hall sensor with slightly different specs? I'm in the US so things seem a bit different.

Eg. Would something like this work?
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9312

Thank you

[ignotus]

No, that's a latched sensor, meaning that it just turns on and off. You want a sensor with a linear output. Here's one on Digikey: http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?keywords=A1302KUA

[Seinsohn]

Thanks! What about the magnet? Do you happen to know where to find those I'm the US?

[ignotus]

Aliexpress ships most things for free worldwide - the only problem being stuff can take 3 - 6 weeks to arrive. Otherwise, just google "neodymium magnet" and find one roughly the same size as the one I linked to. An alternative is to open up an old hard drive and use the magnets in there (I explained somewhere in this forum how to do that - it was a few years ago but it's in here somewhere...). I used those for a few years and they work fine.

[Seinsohn]

I'm confused about the necessary magnet shape. Where does it go that it doesn't have to be a ring 12mm of and 9mm id like the original vdrums post shows?

Thank you

[ignotus]

There's no shape requirement. People use circular magnets when they place the sensor and magnet in between the hi hat cymbals, so the magnet can go over the hi hat rod. I suggested putting the sensor and magnet under the pedal (much easier to do and just as functional), so a rectangular magnet makes more sense to compensate for any possible lateral movement of the hi hat footboard, to get a steady signal.

[Seinsohn]

Cool. Can please post some pictures of an under-the-pedal solution?

Thanks again

[ignotus]

Here you go.

hall effect pedal.jpg

The magnet is under where the chain attaches to the footboard, and the sensor is encased in a blob of hot glue to protect it and attached to a terminal strip. You can make it out as a black dot in the blob of glue. The terminal strip is screwed to a section of hard rubber jammed in the hi hat stirrup to get it to the right height under the magnet.