Author Topic: Trigger "solder" loose  (Read 1360 times)

Offline VandalX

Trigger "solder" loose
« on: January 30, 2018, 01:39:38 PM »
Okay, as posted in another section of this site, I have two faulty/dying 12" tom/snare units. It started on the one I used for a snare, then when I moved the second floor tom to snare position, it gave up soon thereafter. I've contacted Alesis to see what my options are (only a month old). However, I removed the mesh head to see if anything was apparently damaged. On first inspection it was normal except for the foam cones all stuck to one side of the shell. Great build quality (not). I reattached those in their appropriate location. This seems to be an achilles heel for these kits. Crappy glue.

Anyway, the trigger in the center was not firing at all. The rimshot trigger worked fine. I lifted up the tape securing the wires to the center trigger, and found that the black wire as not in contact with the trigger. It became "unsoldered" so to speak. I can't tell if they just glue these down or use a solder under the glued yellow stuff. I held the wire to the top of the trigger and it works again. So, depending on how forthcoming Alesis is about fixing my new equipment, I at least have a fix in mind. My question is this: will actual solder damage the top of the trigger? Has anyone re-soldered the wires on a trigger? I certainly won't do it before I find out what Alesis will do for me, but I want to know what my contingencies are if they are slow to respond. I have included pictures of the drum for your info/amusement. One shows the loose wire, the other shows the cones that rolled off to the side and got stuck.

This bears repeating: I don't hammer on these drums like a madman. I figured that an item that is meant to be hit with sticks should hold up to being hit with a stick. Perhaps my logic is flawed.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2018, 01:49:54 PM by VandalX »
Alesis DM 10 MKII Pro (with Tama Iron Cobra double). Pearl Export acoustic. Fostex VF160EX Digital multitrack (16). Fostex monitors. Roland TR-626 drum machine. Roland Juno 106 Poly synth. Aria Knight Warrior. Peavy Fury. Digitech GNX3000. Digitech RP360. Tascam Porta 05 four track. MacBook Air.

Offline AlanK

Re: Trigger "solder" loose
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2018, 02:44:50 PM »
They definitely do not have the best wiring.. my kick trigger lost its wires in the first month or so, broken solder joint. I've seen other brands that use thicker gauge wire and add some protection over the solder like hot glue or some kind of epoxy it seemed. Must affect the profit margins so they go on the cheap.

It's an easy fix and yes, you can solder it back on fairly easily.. I'd cover it with something after it cools, like a dab of hot glue or even carpenters glue (folks correct me if that could somehow damage anything but seems reasonable). Anything to reinforce the bond.. plus tape the wire somewhere to keep it from being moved. If you wait for Alesis (have to ship it back and get them to fix or replace it) you're taking a long time to be playing on it again.. of course doing it yourself likely voids the warranty.

Some of us jumped right into mesh head mods etc way before warranty was up.. I decided in the first two months I would take my chances that anything going wrong hardware-wise I could tackle so didn't care about the warranty, and if the module died, I'd be just sending that in so they wouldn't know I'd mucked with my shell setups.

I will say this, even though the wiring and soldering is a bit lame, and I had my one kick lead come loose.. I've had my DM10X for at least 3 yrs now I think and I'm not a mad beater either, but I've certainly pounded away on it and the kids and some friends taken turns, and no other triggers have needed repair so that's not too bad all in all.
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers

Offline VandalX

Re: Trigger "solder" loose
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2018, 03:03:28 PM »
Thanks for the response, Alan. I agree that finding the patience to have them sent back to the mothership for warranty work vs. a DIY fix is a conunDRUM. Considering it looks as if the failure rate for this particular setup is going to be perennial (I lost my third 12" drum today, so no more snare or floor toms), I might rewire everything and ditch the warranty. Or return the whole thing. It's a weird issue. This latest failure is similar to the first, in that it sounds muted and there are dead zones everywhere except directly in the center, with no nuance. I've yet to see if the wire is coming loose and this time only two of the cones had fallen off. More glue!

At this point it's more of a nuisance than anything ($1200 nuisance), but I wouldn't play live under these conditions. Ever. If I can find a suitable trigger replacement system that works with the mesh heads, I'd consider doing that to see if it ends up being more consistent and robust. It's a shame because I really like the feel and playability of the kit. Not a fan of the quality.
Alesis DM 10 MKII Pro (with Tama Iron Cobra double). Pearl Export acoustic. Fostex VF160EX Digital multitrack (16). Fostex monitors. Roland TR-626 drum machine. Roland Juno 106 Poly synth. Aria Knight Warrior. Peavy Fury. Digitech GNX3000. Digitech RP360. Tascam Porta 05 four track. MacBook Air.

Offline DannyM

Re: Trigger "solder" loose
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2018, 01:18:58 PM »
Hello VandalX

I too had the same problem with my snare for the command kit, it has a mesh snare & kick and I used a type of bond that is flexable, dries quickly and has held ever since.
Other bonds like Super Glue harden and crack and will not hold up, but this stuff has been really great, one time to stick it and it held up.
FiberFix Extreme it is called, I picked it up at Lowe's.

 I would still get with Alesis and keep going with the warranty on a new kit. I had issues with the choke going out on my cymbals and Alesis sent me replacements without any hassel, I just gave them photos, my purchase info and such and explained the issue and they fixed me up  pretty quickly. I was suprised.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2018, 01:22:52 PM by DannyM »