DIY Electronic Hi-Tom Pad

Because I did EXACTLY what I did when I made the snare, there's really no need for a tutorial.  The purpose of posting this, however, is to show that this is easy and not very time consuming(much unlike saving up for an electronic drum set).... well that and to show that you can make these things look unified if you decide to draw on them with a theme in mind.  I went with a cult theme:

 Again, this pad only cost me $1.99, mostly because the audio jack I bought for the other snare came in a bag of two.  Still, the total amount I spent on the two drums was only $6.97

DIY Electronic Snare Drum Pad Part 2: Attaching the Output Jack

Now to the next step in this little project.  Just as a word of warning, this next step requires the utmost amount of caution.  You will be working with potentially dangerous materials, but if you follow the instructions, everything should be okay.

Things you'll need(read bottom of this post for items noted with "*"):
- a soldering iron*
- solder* (pronounced saw-der)
- glue (preferably Gorilla Glue*)
- a 1.5in X 3in piece of thin cardboard (I got it from an empty pop-tarts box)
- a 1/4" FEMALE audio jack (got a bag of two from radioshack for 2.99)
- sharpie
- exacto knife*
-tape

Procedure:
1. First things first, attach the red wire from the piezo to one of the tabs on the audio jack and the black wire to the other.  Using the soldering iron and solder, solder the bare wires the their respective tabs.(for instructions on how to solder see "Soldering" post.)  Wait for that to cool.
2. Draw a circle on the piece of cardboard the size of the jack.  the diameter of the circle should be approx. am inch from the end(length wise)

3. Using the exacto knife, cut the the circle, punch the whole out, remove the nut from the jack, then push the jack through.  DO NOT FORCE IT THROUGH THE HOLE! If the hole is too small just cut a little bit more off, but do not cut it too large because you want a snug fit. Put the the nut back on so it holds the jack to the cardboard.

4. Fold the cardboard as closely the following  picture as you can.(make slits where shown with the exacto knife)

5. Follow the pictures to make the case for the jack.

6. Glue the jack to the bottom of the pad and glue the the places where the folded pieces of cardboard meet.use tape to hold the jack together while the glue dries, but be sure to hold the jack in place for the first five minutes after the glue is applied.  If glue foams out past cracks, wipe it up to the best of your ability but don't freak out if you can't clean it  up.

If you use gorilla glue, the cardboard will harden up.  As a result, you will have a stronger frame for your jack.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!

*BE CAREFUL WHEN USING THESE OBJECTS: You could seriously hurt yourself while using any of these tools or supplies so be sure to wear gloves.  If you do not know how to use a certain tool, do not carry on with the tutorial until you have found and watched an instructional video on how to use it.  Be safe!!! :D

DIY Electronic Snare Drum Pad Part 1: Peicing together and Routing

Because of the increasing difficulty of finding sufficient funds for this project, I have not been able to push toward the completion of my DIY electronic drum set.  Today, however, I finished my the snare!(cue epic achievement music) Don't be intimidated (and don't flatter yourself Jerin), with just a few household items, some spare time, and a crisp(or un-crisp) $5 bill, you can easily make an awesome electronic snare, tom, or bongo.

The things you'll need to gather and prepare before hand:
- A mouse pad (I picked mine up when I walked passed a Comcast kiosk on my way to WinCo)
- 4-5 pieces of cardboard cut the same size and shape as the mouse pad
- Duct tape - experiment with different duct tape colors and patterns for decoration
- exacto knife
- 1 Piezo Transducer - taken from a buzzer purchased at Radio Shack for $1.99 =D
- Drum Sticks - to test pad

1.  This should pretty self-explanatory, just line up the mouse pad and cardboard and line the tape around the edge. Use the exacto knife to cut around the edges of the tape but make sure that you can still lift up the mouse pad.

2. Put some tape on the piezo, lift the the mouse pad up and place the piezo in the center of the pad.

3. Using the exacto knife, route a small hole in the cardboard and pull the piezo's wires through to the bottom of the pad.

4. Close the flap, and tape the mouse pad down.
5. Decorate the thing.  If you just leave it as is, its not going to look very appealing.(not to mention it'll make you a poseur)

Congrats!  All thats left now is to attach a quarter inch jack to the piezo's wires.  I will be releasing a blog soon, hopefully tomorrow, on how to solder the jack to the pad.

Thanks for reading x)

Started NEW PROJECT!

Doing some experimenting, I decided to make a practice pedal for my double bass drum pedal.  I got my friend Joseph to help out.  In the end, it turned into the bass drum for an electronic drum set more or less.  All I need to do now is test it on a drum "brain" to see if it works.  The great part about this project was that all the materials were laying around the house.  here is what we used:

- some plywood
- a piezo(can be found in buzzers at radio shack for $2-3)
- some lumber
- a mouse pad
- some screws and nails
- electrical and duct tape
- 2 and a half hours of time of DIY fun time :D (yay!)
- some wires and solder (BOO!!)

and the result.... 

If you are looking for a cheap bass drum practice pad/electronic drum piece and would like more help, send me a comment and I'll see what I can do.  If you would like a sleeker looking one but don't have the time to make one, I will make one for you starting ten dollars(depending on the complexity of the design and buyers custom specs).  You will also pay to ship it. To order one, just send me a comment and I'll give you instruction on what to do to order one of these.

Thanks for reading.

Welcome and About

Hello, readers and subscribers, my name is Jerin Smith and I have decided to make a blog about DIY projects that I am working on or will be working.  I will accept suggestions, criticism and donations for this blog and will be sure to update you regularly on the progress of whatever project I'm working on.  Please keep in mind that I can't work on a project without money.  I may find something laying around the house from time to time to use but for the most part, I will need to purchase materials, so please donate some money if you can(even if its only a dollar). I assure donors, I will always find a cheaper way to do things(as is the way of the DIY) ;)

P.S.
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