Hints on switches when MIDIfying pedals

Just one more thing to add to this thread for the sake of others looking for pedal switch options, Peterson http://www.petersonemp.com/products/pdfs.cfm makes an easy to install pedal switch system that I used on my MIDI conversion. A bit more expensive than some other methods but robust and nearly "fool proof" (I should know!)

Eric

Perhaps someone more into the business can enlighten me: why don't these catalogs contain pricing info?

2 reasons, Imre. First, it depends on who you are and what you do, (professional vs amateur). Obviously, the pro's get the better pricing. And second, it's much cheaper to print a new price sheet (only) when prices change than to print an entire catalog.

Rgds,
Ed

Printing costs? For a website? Anyways, do prices really change that often? I understand that when a chruch decides to have an organ built for them, they don't charge the same price per toe piston as when you just want to buy 2 of them, but I believe it ultimately hurts their business that they don't have a decent web-shop. Neither do some other organ parts manufacturers. Are they doing this to protect their products from being "contaminated" in amateur home organs?

Printing costs? For a website?

A lot of these companies will pay someone to come in and author/update their website for them and to produce their marketing material, so "printing costs" of a different nature still apply.

I wouldn't go so far as to call some elitistical, but maybe a bit more in a "special" category. OTOH, I have called several of them and found them very helpful and caring.

Rgds,
Ed

Printing costs? For a website? Anyways, do prices really change that often? I understand that when a chruch decides to have an organ built for them, they don't charge the same price per toe piston as when you just want to buy 2 of them, but I believe it ultimately hurts their business that they don't have a decent web-shop. Neither do some other organ parts manufacturers. Are they doing this to protect their products from being "contaminated" in amateur home organs?

No need to put up a lot of money for a webshop if they don't do a lot of business "a la carte". And you can allways shoot an email, and my guess is that it's far more efficient to deal with such sales on a case-to-case basis.

I highly doubt that they don't want their products to be "contaminated" in any setup, but for some companies the "hassle" created by dealing with private sales is just not worth it.

And let us not forget that the organ manufacturing business isn't exactly the most "modern" craft out there. My guess is that most organ companies is somewhat "old school".

But most of all, I think the costs, effort and time needed for a webshop just isn't worth it.

Another consideration is recessed alarm reed switches used in an alarm system. One nice feature is the ability to drill a small hole in the pedal for the magnet. The reed switch, with pigtails, is mounted into another piece of wood forward of the pedal(s). My inclination would be to use magnets of relatively small magnetic flux density so as to prevent adjacent interaction. I have used these on alarm systems, quite close to each other with no interaction. This would need to be determined. I know there is better pricing with quantity purchases and other sources . http://www.starkelectronic.com/admsw1.htm

Rgds,
Ed

Ed,

I have just purchased a pedal board which has no contacts. I found the Aleph DC-1651 on eBay for $12.50 for a 10 pack including shipping. Do you have a recommendation for a specific model?

Hi Jim,

I don't have a specific model of switch to recommend as they all function pretty much the same. I wouldn't use the type that are sometimes referred to as extra sensitive as you probably would get interaction between adjacent switches.

The spacing, they say, is 3/4" which should work. You'll have to play with the exact mounting dimension as you don't want the magnet to activate the reed and then go past it which would, in effect. give you a pulse both on the down swing and then again when the pedal was released. It also looks like the price is right. Mounting the magnet appears to be a 3/8" dia hole. I would initially leave a small portion of the magnet sticking out as it would be difficult to retrieve otherwise. I'm assuming you would drill a hole in the pedal itself for the magnet. After you've establish correct operation, a small dab of glue will keep those mags in there for a long time.

Likewise you would need to construct a mounting board for the reed switches to match the contour of the pedal board itself. Certainly doable. All in all, with a little effort, you should be just fine.

On my original Rodgers pedal board, they used flat style magnetic material which is stapled to the ends of the pedals. The reeds are on the inside of the console behind a thin strip of composition materal. Nothing too fancy, but they work great. The pedal board, itself, fastens to (aligns with) the console with 2 metal brackets (hooked) on each side. So to remove the pedal board, you pick up on it slightly and pull back (toward where the bench would be).

Let us know, as I'm sure you will.
Rgds,
Ed

BTW, our son and family live in Houston.