New Build Advice

[JLantz]

Hi!

v3.2 is now available and I am excited to receive the kit from Synthex and start this project....

For those that have constructed the Megadrum before;

Will you share any advice or tips that can assist a first time builder?

Thanks!
JLantz

[fuzzysnuggleduck]

Be patient and make sure you do it right the first time instead of rushing through it. Spend time learning to solder (if you don't already know how) before you start putting heat to the beautiful Synthex PCB. Check and double check every thing you do.

Consider what pads you have. Are you making DIY pads? If so, you have lots of flexibility with setting up how "hot" the pad will be. If you're using commercial pads, you may or may not require some kind of voltage divider if the pads are too hot, such as my Hart Dynamics.

[jman 31]

Check and double check that all of your IC's are in properly. That goes for any other polarity sensitive components as well. We are more than happy to answer any questions you might have along the way, so like fuzzysnuggleduck said, take your time and don't guess.

[JLantz]

Thanks, guys.

I have experience soldering basic components, but never on a PCB. I will get a piece of electronic equipment from the local thrift store and practice desoldering and resoldering with that.

I will be using DIY pads from previous builds; Will I need to compensate for this, such as the gain parameters that were mentioned?
FWIW, the kit I will use consists of a single zone snare w/rim piezo, a kick, a single zone crash, a ride with bell and bow, and a HH with bell and bow. I plan on using the Hall Effect Sensor for HH.

Currently, my biggest concern is the actual layout of the board. I can trace circuits on wiring diagrams for old cars and simple circuits, but the more complicated diagrams given for the MD are intimidating. I have read on other threads where builders have used only the pictures of a finished board. I've got color blindness so that is not a good option for me. Do you have any advice on how to learn to read the diagrams?

Thanks,
JLantz

[Firelord]

I've got color blindness so that is not a good option for me. Do you have any advice on how to learn to read the diagrams?

Well, you can still use a photo, that is the board has every component symbol printed on it (white on blue) so it's easy to place the components correctly. In order to get resistor values right you may use a multimeter.

[JLantz]

OK!

I received the kit from Synthex today and am very happy with the quality of the components and his honest service. I highly recommend his kit.

On to the questions!

I bought the full input kit. The enclosure I have is just a bit too small to accept the entire bank of inputs, usb socket, and the Midi jacks. Can I omit one of the input jacks to gain the necessary room?

If so, is it important which input board I omit it from? I am particularly interested in removing the KICK/AUX from the 32 input board, or the AUX19/AUX18 from the 24 input board.

Thanks,
JLantz

[Synthex]

I received the kit from Synthex today and am very happy with the quality of the components and his honest service. I highly recommend his kit.

Thanks a lot !

The enclosure I have is just a bit too small to accept the entire bank of inputs, usb socket, and the Midi jacks. Can I omit one of the input jacks to gain the necessary room?

Yes, you can.

If so, is it important which input board I omit it from? I am particularly interested in removing the KICK/AUX from the 32 input board, or the AUX19/AUX18 from the 24 input board.

You can remove the AUX19/AUX18 from the 24 input board.

[JLantz]

An update-

I've been practicing soldering on the general PCB that RS sells and have become much better at it. I bought a nice Hakko 15w iron with a precision tip that has helped immensely. 63/37 RA .025" solder BTW. I am close to feeling ready to begin the build.

I have organized all the parts in a large egg carton, made my "assembly station" ready, and am finishing up the enclosure.

Two questions have come up:

What is this?


And:
What type of ribbon cables do I need for the input connections? I have IDE and floppy cables around, but they don't seem right.

Thanks!
JLantz

[Firelord]

What is this?

A contact pin array. You break it up into smaller pieces (2+ pins) as required.

[Akkue39]

I have IDE and floppy cables around, but they don't seem right.

Why? I use IDE cables too and it works well.