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2Box Drumit 5 Forum => General 2box Drumit 5 forum => Topic started by: nocturnodrummer on May 07, 2017, 09:24:11 PM

Title: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: nocturnodrummer on May 07, 2017, 09:24:11 PM
Hello guys!

Last night I experienced problems with my hi hat cymbal. When I hit the cymbal with my stick I sometimes get chick sound... It only happens when the cymbal is closed. I tried different calibration positions, like stepping on pedal lightly or hard during calibration. The problem is occurring occasionally , but sometimes few times in a row, like something is misaligned inside the cymbal. When I flexed the cymbal slightly upward on the playing side it seemed to help for some time. I don't know what to do... I haven't checked the hall sensor inside the hi hat yet but it worked 95% of the hits... Has anyone experienced similar issues?

Another problem is the rubber wear... I always hit one side of the cymbal because it plays best on that particular area. I want to try to rotate the rubber by 90 or 180 degrees to prolong cymbal life. Is it hard to dismantle the cymbal? Any tips how to take the rubber off without damaging the piezo etc?

Thanks guys for any tips
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: welshsteve on May 08, 2017, 04:13:54 AM
I'm not quite sure what the problem is regardin the false triggering if that's what it is.
But the rubber comes off easy but the piezo is under a plate. I assume you wanna know to see if it's a loose piezo yeah?
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: Coda on May 08, 2017, 07:12:17 AM
The piezo in the 2box hihat is in the bell isn't it? Which means that you should be able to hit the cymbal wherever you like.
Regarding the chick problem, I get that too. I have to be very careful about where I position the hat in relation to the magnet, and then how I calibrate it: (this is with real hats and I have the sensor and magnet in the foot pedal) I loosen the clutch and set the open position of the hat about 1.5cm and tighten the clutch. I go to the calibration page and do the calibration. Lastly, I loosen the clutch and push the pedal down a few more mm and tighten again. With the 2box original hihat you can do something similar.
Sometimes I get it perfect, sometimes I cannot get it solved at all. To mitigate the issue, I have the chick sensitivity turned down to the lowest setting (-6db).
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: AndyMo on May 08, 2017, 10:48:01 AM
Hi,

I get the same problem (using a 2Box hihat). I have not resolved the issue and it's my biggest problem with my set up and something I am hoping the new module will resolve.

Like Coda, the results vary.

Recently, I replaced the rubber cover and also fitted a rubber o-ring around the metal plate edge (my original hihat did not have the o ring). That, plus calibration and the tip about raising the pad a little higher after calibration has improved things. Interestingly, I also loosened the input connector on the module very slightly (as the fit prior to that seemed different to other connectors). These tweaks have not resolved the issue completely but the rogue triggers are not as frequent now.

It's still a pain and I am going to try Coda's tip about the sensitivity (I've not tried that yet).

For an upcoming gig, I'm tempted to use my regular (acoustic) hihat as the unwanted foot chick triggers are really off putting and loud.

Cheers,
Andy
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: nocturnodrummer on May 08, 2017, 11:13:50 AM
Thanks for replies guys. To be honest, i havent had that problem for hmm 4 years? Sth like that.. So I assume it's not a calibration issue...  it worked well for that long and i changed nothing in my setup. I think that its something physical. Maybe the cymbal flexes on the mount, hall sensor rises up a bit in relation to the magnet and it's identified as a chick sound. I wilk try to take the cymbal apart and investigate it further.
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: nocturnodrummer on June 26, 2017, 07:15:37 AM
The problem is getting worse with every gig... I discovered a strange thing. When I pinch the edge of the hi hat with my fingers, the controller opens the hi hat fully! It even shows on the calibration page. And when i release the edge, the hi hat closes abruptly and that makes a chick sound. A dont understand how the edge switch have something to do with the hi hat controller. It just doesnt make any sense to me! The cymbal piezo and edge switch shouldnt influence the cymbal position. >:(
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: welshsteve on June 26, 2017, 09:14:07 AM
Never having this issue before, that is a strange one. Do you know anyway else with a kit you can try out your hihat controller with their module and their hi hat controller with your module? It sounds like to me a wiring problem somewhere. The module interprets 4 things (if I am correct) with hi hat. Voltage across the top and the sleeve of a jack socket, Voltage between the sleeve and ring, as well as when sleeve and ring are terminated and the variation between closed and open with the circuitry that utilised magnetism (that's my poor-ass way of interpreting not having a grounding in the electronics) So if termination between tip and ring (supposedly) when you pinch the edge makes it "chick" it sounds like to me something is up with how it's wired. Either in the jack socket, the cable connected or the socket on the module.
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: nocturnodrummer on June 26, 2017, 09:56:43 AM
And the worst thing is that it happens occasionally so it will be hard to diagnose.. I will try to capture it on the video and send that directly to 2box.  ;D unfortunately I dont know anyone with a 2box to test things out on a different module..
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: Coda on June 26, 2017, 12:46:51 PM
If it happens sporadically it definitely is a wiring issue. First thing to try - replace the TRS cable between the module and the hat, and if that doesn't work, I suggest opening the hat and checking the wiring between the jack and the circuit board.
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: nocturnodrummer on June 26, 2017, 02:32:37 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XikuiepTSI&feature=youtu.be

Hope the link works. As you can see when I hold the edge the hi hat stays open. I'll start by trying a different cable.. But I'm quite sure that's not it.
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: welshsteve on June 26, 2017, 02:43:50 PM
Yeah I see what's happening from the video. I'd put money on it it's iffy wiring somewhere, cable jack socket on module or the controller.
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: ANGR77 on June 26, 2017, 03:21:28 PM
Hi all!

The edge switch and the pedal position uses the same connection to the 2box module. Ring and sleeve.

I would argu that all 2box users would experience the same issue when pressing the edge switch...and look on the hi-hat calibration panel. The hi-hat will open. Please try it and verify this. I do see this scenario in my 2box hi-hat.

So I don't think this is the problem causing the chick sound problem.

Best regards

Anders / www.zourman.com / Roland Hi-hat conversion modules for 2box.
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: nocturnodrummer on June 26, 2017, 05:42:11 PM
I cant agree with you. I cut the video short but in the full version you will see that the hi hat will stop opening eventually. If that's normal behavior then how am I suppose to trigger edge sound? Hitting edge of the cymbal is the same as pinching the edge with fingers.

The hi hat opens but I'm not moving it even a millimeter. And it closes when I release the pressure on the edge switch. The same thing happens when I'm playing. I can play bow zone(zone 4) without problem, but when I hit the edge with a stick, a get a chick sound - Zone 9. I can't trigger zone 8, which is edge sound. While playing and hitting the edge, the "virtual" movement of the hi hat is so fast that it doesn't even detect movement on the calibration page. But when I pinch the hi hat and hold it, it is open. When I release, it closes. It's definitely not normal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajD_J7FYGhs

Here's the full video. Its working not properly until 8 second into the video. Then I try to pinch it few times, the hi hat stays closed ! Then at 12 second I finally move the pedal to do the chick with the pedal.
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: Coda on June 26, 2017, 06:26:55 PM
Have you tried changing the cable yet?
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: nocturnodrummer on June 26, 2017, 06:29:22 PM
I'll try it tonight. I play wedding gigs almost every saturday and sunday and last thing I want to do on Monday is to unpack all my of poop ;) There are still laying around in my car.
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: nocturnodrummer on June 26, 2017, 08:20:33 PM
Well, it plays well at home.. no more mistriggering. But i discovered that when i pinch the hi hat and hold it, the hi hat position doesnt change. But when pinching it few times in a row, I get occasional abrupt chick sounds.
Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: ANGR77 on June 26, 2017, 09:43:03 PM
Hi!

I had to do some tests also...I used my old 2box hi-hat. First the edge switch did not trigger at all...so  after taking the hi-hat apart, I saw that one of the edge "teeths" was connecting all the time to the ground. After fixing it the "8" came up as usual when hitting the edge.

Continuing the tests...pinching the edge fast a couple of times in a row I could occasionally get the hi-hat to open when looking on the calibration panel. But no mistriggering sound. It looked more easy to get it to open when looking on your previous video doing the pinching.

Strange if you got it to work at home...is the environment different in any way compared to the stage setup?

Best Regards

Anders / www.zourman.com

Title: Re: Hi hat chick problem
Post by: nocturnodrummer on November 15, 2018, 11:28:39 PM
Well, the problem is less occurrent recently, but it's still there somewhere waiting like a lurking animal in the dark 8) it still happens sometimes. I contacted 2box some time ago and they suspect it's a wiring issue. They suggested sending it to a distributor for a repair... so I believe it's not an easy fix :( Also, the rubber on my hi hat split on the edge and I want to replace it with the new one. I peeled off the rubber succesfully :D the rest of the cymbal is glued so well that it will be really difficult to take apart without damaging. The top metal disc is very thin and it is glued onto kinda double taped foam material. The wires are hidden between two metal plates. By taking apart the controller box you can see part of the piezo and the solder points are visible too and they look alright. The cymbal triggers correctly so that only confirms that. I believe the problem is with the other 2 wires connecting the edge switch somewhere inside... Do any of you guys took their cymbal apart and can advice me something? I know nothing is impossible but is it worth trying?

Here is a pic for you guys wondering how the cymbal is constructed

(http://i.imgur.com/TYY3urK.jpg)

Personally, I would glue the rubber over the bigger surface, not only on the centre. I believe that's the reason that 2box cymbals have less rebound than the acoustic cymbals. There is a gap between the rubber and metal and it feels sometimes like playing on a cushion.

Cheers!