Drum2

goldenbaby · November 18, 2008, 04:59:54 AM

So I have officially developed the habit of regulating the shelves at the local thrift store every week.

I bought something new last week. This is the Drum2:

Other than being made in China, there's no manufacturing or company info on it. I can't find any information on it on the Internet. I think I remember it being sold by Real Canadian Superstore 6 or 7 years ago, and I used to have the keyboard toy that got issued side by side.

So far I haven't found any bends, but the presets are pretty fun and the pads actually work for beats (though they sometimes cut each other off, courtesy of China). If nothing else I will just throw a 1/4" output jack and maybe a starve pot, because it's been doing some freaky stuff at times with the lights flickering, etc.

There is a jack on here, but I put both my headphones and my iPod into it, to no avail. The only thing left to guess is that it's a mic jack, but it should have at least made a noise when I plugged in my iPod.

I need to order some parts...3 toys and I haven't even started yet.

Gordonjcp · November 18, 2008, 09:46:46 AM

There is a jack on here, but I put both my headphones and my iPod into it, to no avail. The only thing left to guess is that it's a mic jack, but it should have at least made a noise when I plugged in my iPod.

Not opened it up yet? You might find that it's a power socket, if you trace the connections back.

3rdness · November 18, 2008, 04:04:37 PM

I found some crazy noise and frantic beats in one of these, but never actually got past probing it. Too many toys in line ahead of it, but there's definitely some cool VERY noisy stuff to play with in here.

good luck and keep us informed.

goldenbaby · November 19, 2008, 02:07:03 AM

Quote from: Gordonjcp on November 18, 2008, 09:46:46 AM
Not opened it up yet? You might find that it's a power socket, if you trace the connections back.

I have probed around 2 times already, but didn't trace it back. I figured since it's a jack for 1/4", it wouldn't make any sense for it to be a power jack. I could be wrong, I don't know hoards about electronics. I majored in electronics in high school, but I am surprisingly dumb about it by now.

3rdness: I'm in Canada. Where did you find yours, if you can recall?

3rdness · November 27, 2008, 05:43:03 PM

My brother picked it up for me at a yard sale for a dollar or so. The power switch was broken, so it didn't turn on. I'll add a new switch when I get around to tweaking this mutha sucka.

anyhoo....

-noam

goldenbaby · November 28, 2008, 01:57:37 PM

I actually meant which country you found it in, but the profiles appears to tell me you live in MAine, or MAssachusetts(sp?...er...sic)

computer at sea · November 28, 2008, 04:44:30 PM

Maine is ME, for whatever reason. Massachusetts is MA.

3rdness · November 30, 2008, 03:14:55 AM

massachusetts.

goldenbaby · December 15, 2008, 11:13:19 AM

Just stumbled across the video on YouTube, and it's the Drum2! The bender doesn't even know what the toy was called, but the control panel is very recognizable. Anyways, this apparently cheap-O boards is actually one of the nicest things I have ever seen. I'm definitely digging this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYe1fGIbI0o

goldenbaby · December 24, 2008, 05:02:36 AM

I found out after writing that post, that some other toy has been merged with it.

I poked around a little more seriously on this one today, and I got no sounds I can't get by hitting the drumpads. I was able to shorta chip to get some distortion on the beats, but they only sound good on some of them. An LFO would probably be nice in here though, triggering the preset loops repeatedly.

I tried to install a phono out jack, but it was way louder than my guitar. I threw in what was probably a 500k resistor, and though I could pull the volume down, it also began to sound muddy, the highs disappeared. And then, with the instruments output lowered, I heard the high frequency noise it was producing. I'm accepting defeat on this thing. It just sucks that I won't be able to amplify this guys awesome preset beats.

goldenbaby · February 12, 2009, 08:27:23 PM

I managed to find a bend across a resistor that raises or lowers the pitch and tempo as the resistance changes.

As the machine crashes if I go to high or too low, there are certain limits. Since there is a resistor in their normally, how can I get the upward and downward pitch change with just one resistor? Or will I need to use two? Should I even keep the original resistor in there as a default setting?

I worked out a simple schematic where a SPDT in one position goes to the original resistor, and another pot to add resistance and lower the pitch, and in the other positions goes simply to a pot the equivalent of the normal resistor so that I can lower that resistance and get a higher pitch. But it feels like there should be an easier way.

What do you suggest?

Gordonjcp · February 12, 2009, 11:58:10 PM

Use two resistors in series. One resistor sets the "low" end, the other sets the high end. For instance, if you found a 2k2 resistor had a useful range of 1k to 5k, put a 1k fixed resistor in series with a 3k3 or 4k7 variable resistor. With the variable resistor at minimum resistance, it will all be down to the 1k resistor. You could use two fixed resistors, with the switch shorting the "second" resistor for a cleaner, glitch-free changeover.

goldenbaby · May 01, 2009, 01:31:09 AM

Quote from: goldenbaby on December 24, 2008, 05:02:36 AM
I tried to install a phono out jack, but it was way louder than my guitar. I threw in what was probably a 500k resistor, and though I could pull the volume down, it also began to sound muddy, the highs disappeared. And then, with the instruments output lowered, I heard the high frequency noise it was producing. I'm accepting defeat on this thing. It just sucks that I won't be able to amplify this guys awesome preset beats.

In attempt to finish this CBO off, I wired this jack up again with the 500k ohm pot, and the only thing it does is shape the sound a bit....absolutely no volume drop. Oh what am I to?

I wired the switching jack before the speaker, and the pot between the negative of the speaker and the board. I also tried it between the board and the positive terminal of the jack, and nothing changed. Is this all wrong? The pot changes the volume of the toy's speaker, but not the volume going into the switched jack...seems very odd to me.

goldenbaby · May 07, 2009, 02:19:47 AM

Is it bad etiquette to bump my thread after 3 days?

Circuitbenders · May 07, 2009, 10:06:44 AM

You can bump this thread all you want, if nobody has an answer it won't help you any

Theres a few threads on this board about getting output volumes down to managable levels. Try with the positive speaker output going to the middle pot tag with one side of the pot going to the jack positive and the other going to ground.

UNless of course its just way to early in the morning and i don't know what i'm talking about, in which case that may not work or i could be answering a completely different question.