Monday, November 8, 2010

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

No comments:

Post a Comment