Making Your Own Drum Trigger

Have you met with this problem before? "It uses a switch-type kick pedal, so piezo trigger pedals like the Yamaha KU100 or the Roland KT-10 won't work".

I have seen this in many low-end electronic drums reviews, including Alesis Turbo and the very cheap Sheffield kits from Lidl.

I purchased the Sheffield Electronic Drum Kit, and I started combating this issue!

Inspired by Roland KD-7 Kick-Controller but with "switch-type" in mind and DIY.

1. 3D Printed Kick Trigger from open-e-drums.com !
2. 6,3 mm Mono output Jack Socket, also known as 1/4” (here is an example)
3. a cable to fit your e-drums module (3.5 mm fits the Sheffield kits, others might need 6,3 mm)
4. double-sided adhesive tape
5. 1 wood screw
6. 1 metal screw (bolt with nut)
7. galvanized perforated fixing band
8. dish sponge

Tools:

1. scissors
2. screwdriver
3. soldering iron

Many such triggers come with a bent beater, but it just happened that the Iron Cobra 200 foot pedal works just fine with the stock beater fixed the other way in (and a bit adjusted from the bolts, as in the images).

Kudos to https://open-e-drums.com !

We will make a very basic switch, aiming to make two metal parts make Contact!

1. Wire goes around the wood screw that is then applied in the middle of the Pad.

The sponge, a nice surface to attenuate the beater impact, reduces noise and also acts like a spring, keeping the metal contacts apart.

1. Push the metallic perforated fixing band through the sponge.
2. Cut a hole in the sponge (only from one side), where the screw should make contact with the metal band!
3. Wire goes around the bolt with the nut, fixed on the metallic perforated fixing band, in the sponge.
4. Use double-sided adhesive tape to fix the sponge in place, make sure the metal band meets the bolt.

This is an ON/OFF switch, so how you wire it does not matter much, at this point you just need to solder the wires.

You can review basic wiring schema at the Thomman.de Harley Benton Parts Mono output Jack Socket website.

I used a Stereo Output Jack, an adapter from Stereo Mini Jack 3.5mm to Stereo Jack 6.3mm and a 3.5mm cable (this one fits the Sheffield kits) just because that is what I had at hand, you can use the Mono one as well (mono fits the purpose better).

That's it, mount it on your drum pedal, adjust the beater and give it a try!

This might not be a long-lasting product or the best implementation, but I am sure you are creative enough to improve further!