Author Topic: Alesis kick pad doesn't trigger (I would greatly appreciate your input)  (Read 2608 times)

I bought a used Alesis realhead kick pad. The seller said the pad triggers perfectly, but my Roland TD-3 module doesn't recognize it. ("Kick" will not flash when hit) I took it apart and saw that the red  cable was not attached to the trigger plate. Figured that was the problem so I taped it back on. I thought that would be the fix, but it's still not working. :(     

Offline Trondster

If the wire is broken you need to solder it back on - tape won't do.

Or - buy a new piezo off eBay (27mm piezo) and glue and solder it back on.
DM10 Pro kit with dampened rack, extra crashes, mesh heads, Gibraltar stands, P2002C and a dream cherry snare by Diamond Drums.

I searched until my fingers were red... any videos showing how to fix/solder the loose cables back onto the little circle thing??
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Offline Chaser

I searched until my fingers were red... any videos showing how to fix/solder the loose cables back onto the little circle thing??
They are ceramic piezo's...here is a simple video...there are many more video links on the page..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlfQKKfZ0eo

Alesis uses 27mm..they are cheap...all over ebay and you can even find them at Radio shack with the leads already soldered on to the disc and you solder them to the jack..
recommendation is to put a drop of hot glue on them after they are re-soldered to help prevent vibration breaking them again...or as some have used...gaffa or duct tape....

I searched until my fingers were red... any videos showing how to fix/solder the loose cables back onto the little circle thing??
They are ceramic piezo's...here is a simple video...there are many more video links on the page..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlfQKKfZ0eo

Alesis uses 27mm..they are cheap...all over ebay and you can even find them at Radio shack with the leads already soldered on to the disc and you solder them to the jack..
recommendation is to put a drop of hot glue on them after they are re-soldered to help prevent vibration breaking them again...or as some have used...gaffa or duct tape....

Tried resoldering, but didn't help... was I supposed to solder red wire back on the white surface? Because the old solder had ripped out the white ceramic, & I soldered it back on same spot, but without ceramic spot.

Pic of my 1st attempt of putting wire back (on same spot), but ceramic was ripped off when original solder spot was removed(didn't work):

« Last Edit: August 05, 2017, 11:30:46 PM by adrian97c »
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Offline Chaser

I searched until my fingers were red... any videos showing how to fix/solder the loose cables back onto the little circle thing??
They are ceramic piezo's...here is a simple video...there are many more video links on the page..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlfQKKfZ0eo

Alesis uses 27mm..they are cheap...all over ebay and you can even find them at Radio shack with the leads already soldered on to the disc and you solder them to the jack..
recommendation is to put a drop of hot glue on them after they are re-soldered to help prevent vibration breaking them again...or as some have used...gaffa or duct tape....

Tried resoldering, but didn't help... was I supposed to solder red wire back on the white surface? Because the old solder had ripped out the white ceramic, & I soldered it back on same spot, but without ceramic spot.
The ceramic is a crystaline formula...crystal turns vibration into an electrical charge..and the drum module converts/reads that..
the solder must be metal to metal...in the video :36 you can see where he uses a razor blade to scrape some ceramic off to get down to the metal..

scrape a new area in the ceramic...make sure the soldering iron is hot enough or you will get a cold solder..(bad connection).
"Tin"(coat with hot solder)..the end of the wire first..
hold the tip of the soldering iron on the scraped spot for a sec or so..then touch the "tinned" wire end to the spot/soldering iron it should melt instantly..pull the soldering iron away/off.

Edit:..I forgot to ask what type of solder you are using...if it's a lead free type you may have more difficulty if you're not experienced in soldering.


« Last Edit: August 05, 2017, 10:42:20 PM by Chaser »

I searched until my fingers were red... any videos showing how to fix/solder the loose cables back onto the little circle thing??
They are ceramic piezo's...here is a simple video...there are many more video links on the page..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlfQKKfZ0eo

Alesis uses 27mm..they are cheap...all over ebay and you can even find them at Radio shack with the leads already soldered on to the disc and you solder them to the jack..
recommendation is to put a drop of hot glue on them after they are re-soldered to help prevent vibration breaking them again...or as some have used...gaffa or duct tape....

Tried resoldering, but didn't help... was I supposed to solder red wire back on the white surface? Because the old solder had ripped out the white ceramic, & I soldered it back on same spot, but without ceramic spot.
The ceramic is a crystaline formula...crystal turns vibration into an electrical charge..and the drum module converts/reads that..
the solder must be metal to metal...in the video :36 you can see where he uses a razor blade to scrape some ceramic off to get down to the metal..

scrape a new area in the ceramic...make sure the soldering iron is hot enough or you will get a cold solder..(bad connection).
"Tin"(coat with hot solder)..the end of the wire first..
hold the tip of the soldering iron on the scraped spot for a sec or so..then touch the "tinned" wire end to the spot/soldering iron it should melt instantly..pull the soldering iron away/off.

Edit:..I forgot to ask what type of solder you are using...if it's a lead free type you may have more difficulty if you're not experienced in soldering.



Yup lead free, went to Home Depot & bought an all in one kit.. I'm complete newb, what kind of solder should I buy going fwd? (Since I have a feeling this kick pad will be an on going battle). I just laid the red wire & put solder over tip & put iron on top until it dripped on top of wire & piezo. The way you explained it sounds much smarter & cleaner. I'll try to find videos showing the tinning process.. also in the video you posted he dipped the black wire in some goo, what was that?

My 1st attempt didn't work as i just resoldered it on the bare spot, where the ceramic was pulled off from original solder bead.. so I went back & moved the red wire on top of ceramic (without scratching), but this time it worked!! Which is confusing me because according to video & what you said, red wire should be on bare metal, not on white part?

Here is a pic of how it looks(now that it works again):
« Last Edit: August 05, 2017, 11:44:45 PM by adrian97c »
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Offline Chaser

I searched until my fingers were red... any videos showing how to fix/solder the loose cables back onto the little circle thing??
They are ceramic piezo's...here is a simple video...there are many more video links on the page..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlfQKKfZ0eo

Alesis uses 27mm..they are cheap...all over ebay and you can even find them at Radio shack with the leads already soldered on to the disc and you solder them to the jack..
recommendation is to put a drop of hot glue on them after they are re-soldered to help prevent vibration breaking them again...or as some have used...gaffa or duct tape....

Tried resoldering, but didn't help... was I supposed to solder red wire back on the white surface? Because the old solder had ripped out the white ceramic, & I soldered it back on same spot, but without ceramic spot.
The ceramic is a crystaline formula...crystal turns vibration into an electrical charge..and the drum module converts/reads that..
the solder must be metal to metal...in the video :36 you can see where he uses a razor blade to scrape some ceramic off to get down to the metal..

scrape a new area in the ceramic...make sure the soldering iron is hot enough or you will get a cold solder..(bad connection).
"Tin"(coat with hot solder)..the end of the wire first..
hold the tip of the soldering iron on the scraped spot for a sec or so..then touch the "tinned" wire end to the spot/soldering iron it should melt instantly..pull the soldering iron away/off.

Edit:..I forgot to ask what type of solder you are using...if it's a lead free type you may have more difficulty if you're not experienced in soldering.



Yup lead free, went to Home Depot & bought an all in one kit.. I'm complete newb, what kind of solder should I buy going fwd? (Since I have a feeling this kick pad will be an on going battle). I just laid the red wire & put solder over tip & put iron on top until it dripped on top of wire & piezo. The way you explained it sounds much smarter & cleaner. I'll try to find videos showing the tinning process.. also in the video you posted he dipped the black wire in some goo, what was that?

My 1st attempt didn't work as i just resoldered it on the bare spot, where the ceramic was pulled off from original solder bead.. so I went back & moved the red wire on top of ceramic (without scratching), but this time it worked!! Which is confusing me because according to video & what you said, red wire should be on bare metal, not on white part?

Here is a pic of how it looks(now that it works again):

On your second attempt it probably got hot enough and just burned through the ceramic and attached..cleaning the ceramic off a spot helps for lower temps irons...the "goo"..is "Flux paste"..it cleans the wire or soldering iron tip from impurities (such as oil from your fingers) so you don't get a "dirty' solder which won't stick and have a bad connection...like seen where you tried to solder over the old one..the solder joint should be shiny or clean..dark or black areas are impurities.

You can stick the hot tip into it and it will clean it before applying solder to it..or dip the wire into it..before applying solder to it the wire..applying solder to the bare wire or hot  tip is what "tinning" is...you're coating it so when you're ready you don't have to try and hold the ..soldering iron....solder...wire..and the piece(s) you're trying to solder all at the same time.
 
The lead free solder generally requires a really hot soldering gun and a quick touch..a lot of cheaper soldering irons don't get hot enough or take forever to heat up to the proper temp.
I have a soldering station so I can't use that as a comparison because it's digitally controlled and I can go from 0-500 degrees in about 20-30 seconds.I usually use 60/40..acid core ..the lead is softer and melts/spreads at lower temps..it all depends on what you're soldering to..wire is simplest ..a motherboard or breadboard material is designed to absorb heat so if you're using a cheaper lower temp soldering iron the heat will dissipate too fast,you'll get a cold solder and the surround parts start getting affected by the heat....an iron that won't or can't get hot enough won't de-solder components from such material..it'll just heat everything up..and you'll ruin the board/traces etc...

The trick to soldering..is practice..


« Last Edit: August 06, 2017, 02:40:45 AM by Chaser »

I searched until my fingers were red... any videos showing how to fix/solder the loose cables back onto the little circle thing??
They are ceramic piezo's...here is a simple video...there are many more video links on the page..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlfQKKfZ0eo

Alesis uses 27mm..they are cheap...all over ebay and you can even find them at Radio shack with the leads already soldered on to the disc and you solder them to the jack..
recommendation is to put a drop of hot glue on them after they are re-soldered to help prevent vibration breaking them again...or as some have used...gaffa or duct tape....

Tried resoldering, but didn't help... was I supposed to solder red wire back on the white surface? Because the old solder had ripped out the white ceramic, & I soldered it back on same spot, but without ceramic spot.
The ceramic is a crystaline formula...crystal turns vibration into an electrical charge..and the drum module converts/reads that..
the solder must be metal to metal...in the video :36 you can see where he uses a razor blade to scrape some ceramic off to get down to the metal..

scrape a new area in the ceramic...make sure the soldering iron is hot enough or you will get a cold solder..(bad connection).
"Tin"(coat with hot solder)..the end of the wire first..
hold the tip of the soldering iron on the scraped spot for a sec or so..then touch the "tinned" wire end to the spot/soldering iron it should melt instantly..pull the soldering iron away/off.

Edit:..I forgot to ask what type of solder you are using...if it's a lead free type you may have more difficulty if you're not experienced in soldering.



Yup lead free, went to Home Depot & bought an all in one kit.. I'm complete newb, what kind of solder should I buy going fwd? (Since I have a feeling this kick pad will be an on going battle). I just laid the red wire & put solder over tip & put iron on top until it dripped on top of wire & piezo. The way you explained it sounds much smarter & cleaner. I'll try to find videos showing the tinning process.. also in the video you posted he dipped the black wire in some goo, what was that?

My 1st attempt didn't work as i just resoldered it on the bare spot, where the ceramic was pulled off from original solder bead.. so I went back & moved the red wire on top of ceramic (without scratching), but this time it worked!! Which is confusing me because according to video & what you said, red wire should be on bare metal, not on white part?

Here is a pic of how it looks(now that it works again):

On your second attempt it probably got hot enough and just burned through the ceramic and attached..cleaning the ceramic off a spot helps for lower temps irons...the "goo"..is "Flux paste"..it cleans the wire or soldering iron tip from impurities (such as oil from your fingers) so you don't get a "dirty' solder which won't stick and have a bad connection...like seen where you tried to solder over the old one..the solder joint should be shiny or clean..dark or black areas are impurities.

You can stick the hot tip into it and it will clean it before applying solder to it..or dip the wire into it..before applying solder to it the wire..applying solder to the bare wire or hot  tip is what "tinning" is...you're coating it so when you're ready you don't have to try and hold the ..soldering iron....solder...wire..and the piece(s) you're trying to solder all at the same time.
 
The lead free solder generally requires a really hot soldering gun and a quick touch..a lot of cheaper soldering irons don't get hot enough or take forever to heat up to the proper temp.
I have a soldering station so I can't use that as a comparison because it's digitally controlled and I can go from 0-500 degrees in about 20-30 seconds.I usually use 60/40..acid core ..the lead is softer and melts/spreads at lower temps..it all depends on what you're soldering to..wire is simplest ..a motherboard or breadboard material is designed to absorb heat so if you're using a cheaper lower temp soldering iron the heat will dissipate too fast,you'll get a cold solder and the surround parts start getting affected by the heat....an iron that won't or can't get hot enough won't de-solder components from such material..it'll just heat everything up..and you'll ruin the board/traces etc...

The trick to soldering..is practice..

Great info, that was spot on about trying to hold wire, solder, iron all at same time lol, that's exactly what I did.. it was awkward.  I bought a 25watt iron says heats up to 650. I found these on eBay, could practice on them: https://www.ebay.com/itm/111428067184
DM10X kit, DW-3K double pedal, DW-3K tractor throne, 5AN VF sticks, Simmons DA200S, PS4 Gold headset.
Mods:
Remo silentstroke mesh conversion with 1/4" charcoal layer added on top of plates.
Sounds:
Bluejay in Module & EZdrummer 2 on laptop

Offline Chaser

Those piezos will work fine.Keep in mind that they are a 3 wire type , the small ceramic area is for a 3rd(feedback)lead,so solder to the larger ceramic area
I added pics from a repair I did last night...he was having problems with the rim on a 8" tom,the kit he bought new a month or so ago...looks like when soldered originally the piezo got pretty hot (discolored)and there is not much ceramic left..it's also a 35mm piezo.I have found a lot of inconsistency when it comes to the piezos..some drums have a 27mm for the rim , some have 35mm.I have found a number of 12" to have 35mm piezo on both head and rim...some completely covered with a brittle,almost epoxy coating , alot of them you can't repair, you have to replace.

I try to do repairs at night to remove temptation/impatientience to reassemble too quickly as I use a rubber coating, and the coating needs to cure for 4 hours...I always shrink wrap and the rubber coating can easily be peeled off/removed if for some reason a wire breaks again..shrink wrapping/coating bonds all together into a unit instead of 2 wires and piezo vibrating/fighting independently.I haven't had anyone bring one back yet (knock on wood)..but I haven't done a repair for a real heavy hitter either.The coating is available at Home Depot..."Plasti-Dip".It's available in spray or a can to dip.To assist in holding everything together so you can focus on the actual soldering, in the search at Home Depot..keywords "Helping Hand"

« Last Edit: August 06, 2017, 12:00:39 PM by Chaser »


Offline Dobly

These arrived today..



They took about 4 weeks to arrive. But they cost me $4.49 AUS (that's around $3.50 US). For all 10 of them.

On eBay.