PCB DESIGN - Jacks PCB boards for 32 inputs

[gastric]

I agree, pots on the pads.

[elrules]

Can I make a request? as some users are having issues with hot pads, Synthex, could you make a jack PCB but with pots included for each input? With a jumper to bypass each pot if you want. What do you think?

I really think the pot should be built in into a pad, just as Yamaha does with it's pads.

Good point of view... I'll see if I can do it with my snare to see how it works.

I will test the circuit Yamaha uses in their cymbals (capacitor + pot + 10k resistor) between piezo and tip of jack, but with my snare, and then I'll post my results in the forum.

[gastric]

I built these two boards for use with my MegaDrum. I'm housing everything in a 1U rack unit and have noticed the following:

* These boards, at least when used with the Neutrik NYS215 switched jacks I purchased barely fit into the 1U rack unit when stacked direction on top of each other. And when I say stacked on top I mean physically touching each other, which probably isn't ideal (don't want some solder points on the bottom of one board touching the jack leads on the other board). It's an extremely tight fit and will require some spot on drilling most likely.
* I happened to purchase straight 40P headers (socket points straight up and away from the surface of the board). Once you plug in the IDE cables the boards cannot be stacked touching due to the cable connector hieght and the cable itself. If you're going to try to cram these into a 1U sized chassis you should use a 90 degree 40P connector so the cables point back away from the jacks instead of straight up.

See photo below. Note the IDE is not plugged in.

[japi]

Today I spent 4 hours and 30 sheets of paper trying to print the friggin inputs pcb in scale. This needs a pdf file URGENT.
If it's meant to make the job easier, it's not doing it. At all

[gastric]

I had to copy the GIF to Word, then try resizing it manually until it printed to scale to fit my IDE headers properly. I'm not saying that's the best method. But it's what I had to personally do.

* Open MS Word 2003 (happens to be what I have)
* Drag-and-drop the GIF into Word
* Right click the oversized GIF in Word
* Choose Format Picture
* Click the Size tab
* In widgth enter 8.00" (at least that's what I had to use)
* Change no other settings in this dialog
* Click OK
* MS Word scales the image, maintaining aspect ratio
* Print on my matte black (as opposed to shiney) new Samsung ML-2851ND laser printer @ 600dpi
* Output appears to be an excellent on-center fit for the socket components I tested. You need to test your IDE header and your jacks against your print out to make sure it's scaled correctly. If it's not wide enough the jacks won't have enough space to fit next to each other, too wide and the IDE header won't be able to fit as the holes will be spaced too far apart.

Good luck!

As I pointed out these boards do not really even fit my 1U rack chassis. They might if I switch to a right-angle IDE header instead of the straights I currently have installed. But even then it'll be an extremely tight fit. So make sure your chassis can even support these boards. They have to stack on top of each other in order for a standard IDE cable to be used.

I'm likely going to remove the jacks from the board and simply strip a cable and solder directly to the jacks. Then custom mount the USB after cutting that portion from the jacks board I created. I think that's the only way it's going to fit the 1U chassis I happened to buy. Overall just mounting the jacks manually is probably faster than creating the board, etching it, drilling it, etc. etc. Though I really do like the idea of using a board as it keeps everything secured and provides a quick way to connect to the jacks with IDE cables and headers, and most importantly it provides a secure mount for the USB jack.

All just my opinions, of course.

[japi]

Thanks for the directions Gastric, luckily I had it solved at the time I wrote the previus post, and my trick was to open up in Gimp (in linux, photoshop-like image program) and when printing I set a fixed size of 203x92 mm. All previous attemps were unsuccessfull (openoffice, image viewer, various browsers, fit to page, not fit to page, print to pdf, portrait, landscape, and a loooooooooong etc).
I guess if I used your hints I could have saved a saturday noon of frustration and (sometimes) anger.
Making this board should be fun. With this gif image, it's not.

I hope somebody can produce a pdf file sometime like you did with the main board, that file saved me another 4 hours of struggle, printed flawlessly right away! Just opened it, print, and drink coffe!

Thanks!

[yosinho]

Hello.
I am from Spain, and I am building the Megadrum with the Syntex 2.7 kit.

I have a matter with the conexion of the jack inputs.

On the Board, you have the "Pedal Jumper" and the "Pedal Polarity".

What do I have to connect on that. I have a Hit Hat pedal with a potenciometer and only have a Jack. I don´t identify this on the PCB 2.7 Syntex board.

Can you help me. Thanks.

[Synthex]

Hello.
I am from Spain, and I am building the Megadrum with the Syntex 2.7 kit.

I have a matter with the conexion of the jack inputs.

On the Board, you have the "Pedal Jumper" and the "Pedal Polarity".

What do I have to connect on that. I have a Hit Hat pedal with a potenciometer and only have a Jack. I don´t identify this on the PCB 2.7 Syntex board.

Can you help me. Thanks.

The jumper "Pedal Jumper" must be connected. (2 jumpers in line)
The jumper "Pedal polarity" can switch the Tip and the Ring for Pedal connector. (2 jumpers in line)

[japi]

The jumper "Pedal Jumper" must be connected. (2 jumpers in line)
The jumper "Pedal polarity" can switch the Tip and the Ring for Pedal connector. (2 jumpers in line)

Do you have a picture or a graphic showing how these jumpers go?
What does the pedal jumper do ?

[Synthex]

Do you have a picture or a graphic showing how these jumpers go?
What does the pedal jumper do ?

Yes, i will post a picture.
The pedal jumper is just to enable the "low-impedance" pedal input.