Hey Gang
So after tons of trial and error I have successfully turn Zildjian Low Volume Cymbals into E-Cymbals. I have been at this for months and went thru a lot of piezos and honed my soldering skills almost to the point I think I may be ok at it.
This won't be a complex thread full of details however there will be enough info that you get the idea.
My set up is, DM10X with Laurin shells. I run everything thru a basic laptop running AD2.
The biggest challenges were.
1, Crash Cymbals. Although out of the gate I got the crashes to work good, not great but good. The crashes are very dynamic so the wires/solder joints continually broke on me. Ok right to the point. If you go this method you are better off using thin wires. Thick wires speeds up the breaking process. With the cymbal always rocking the motion worked the wires and solder joints to where they would break fairly quickly. Solution is to secure the piezo and solder joints with something strong. In my case I used Gorilla duct tape. Looks like crap but hasn't broken on me yet. Plus make sure the piezo and solder joints are not straight out plus add an extra loop so that the motion isn't being put onto your solder joints.
2, Ride and hi-hats. When you strike a cymbal it resonates. This is perfect for your crashes but will buzz badly on your hi-hats and ride cymbal. Solution, use cymbomutes. They do the trick.
As well use the smallest size piezo you can get for all of the cymbals.
This set up works amazingly. i couldn't be happier. Ok here's pics and I will do my best to answer your questions as best as I can.
First pic, the kit, second pic the size of the piezo, 3rd pic shows the wire relief, 4th shows the sweet spot for the piezo. I am using a Goedrum hi-hat controller too.