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Pedal Board Contact Options

Building organ consoles for use with Hauptwerk, adding MIDI to existing consoles, obtaining parts, ...
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rhedgebeth

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostFri Feb 10, 2017 7:54 am

Deoxit. The Gold Wipes version is especially handy for the purpose. One potential problem, especially in residential situations, is outgassing from synthetic carpeting. This can result in silver sulphide build on the contacts. Unlike silver oxide, silver sulphide is non-conductive. The Gold Wipes are very helpful in cleaning, but the sulphide takes more effort to remove.
Richard S Hedgebeth
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TheOrganDoc

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostFri Feb 10, 2017 10:29 pm

I have been enjoying reading the many post's about key switching.

I have been playing my 1925 Wurli. organ using 308 optical interrupters for over three years now,
including two IR slotted devices under each of my 32 Pedals.
I have not had a moments difficulty with any of these devices. (100 % perfect keying) :roll:

I used a company called http://www.Pad2Pad.com , to design, and manufacture my PC boards.

My previous contacts were the original 90 year old slotted wood Wurlitzer sterling silver 7 wire type,
with the silver tipped brass shorting bars, "they were sadly intermittent" !

I am more than willing to assist anyone to provide reliable switching on their console's !
Mel
Mel..............TheOrganDoc...............
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engrssc

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostFri Feb 10, 2017 10:38 pm

rhedgebeth wrote:in residential situations, is outgassing from synthetic carpeting. This can result in silver sulphide build on the contacts. Unlike silver oxide, silver sulfide is non-conductive. The Gold Wipes are very helpful in cleaning, but the sulfide takes more effort to remove.


That's a good point for using sealed switching as in reeds esp in pedal boards. My Rodgers had such from the factory. My toe or heel doesn't always hit the right note, but I can't blame that on pedal board key switching problems. :wink: Right now I'm not doing any pedaling due to having surgery last week. Doc says I don't want to open the incision. :shock:

Rgds,
Ed
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dw154515

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSat Feb 11, 2017 12:19 am

murph wrote:Hi,
was busy yesterday. I just ripped half of things apart, but the pics not too good. Anything further will involve taking the manuals to bits, as the supports for them are built over the boards that hold the pedal switches. (Seemed like a good idea at the time.....)

Anyway, the pushers on the ends of the pedals make contact with the ends of the long levers. Bending the levers alters the touch point. A pencil should be sufficient to mark the pushers normal rest points on the board the switches attach to. Then it's easy to position them and screw them to the back board. I drilled small holes through
the wood for the cables to pass through to the rear and get loomed back to the encoder (old €45 midi controller).

Anyway, https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hgumpisei6r5 ... sNEDa?dl=0


Apparently we have to be granted permission to use that link. I get an error message saying I haven't been granted permission.

Aside from that, I will have to read this posts sometime tomorrow when I get a chance. Late night tonight.
Drew A. Worthen
Master of Music in Composition - Butler University
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GrahamH

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSat Feb 11, 2017 5:01 am

Apparently we have to be granted permission to use that link. I get an error message saying I haven't been granted permission.


So do I...

I have been playing my 1925 Wurli. organ using 308 optical interrupters for over three years now,
including two IR slotted devices under each of my 32 Pedals.
I have not had a moments difficulty with any of these devices. (100 % perfect keying)


I have just finished fitting a pedal board with opto-switches and I must say that the precision and uniformity of regulation across the compass is far superior to anything I ever achieved with reed switches. Hopefully the reliability and longevity of my installation will match that of Mel's!

Graham
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murph

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSat Feb 11, 2017 5:40 am

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TheOrganDoc

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSat Feb 11, 2017 3:14 pm

Hello Graham,
I feel that not having "Reed-switch Hysteresis, in key-switching", helps provide for very Positive Keying !
I also find amazing, " very noticeable positive keying when utilizing the Op-Switches.

Would like to try using my Op-sw's, with a Touch sensitive Midi Encoder sometime, in order to control my sampled Steinway piano more realistically.

My "Optical Second Touch" also performs as expected . :D
Mel


I have been playing my 1925 Wurli. organ using 308 optical interrupters for over three years now,
including two IR slotted devices under each of my 32 Pedals.
I have not had a moments difficulty with any of these devices. (100 % perfect keying)


I have just finished fitting a pedal board with opto-switches and I must say that the precision and uniformity of regulation across the compass is far superior to anything I ever achieved with reed switches. Hopefully the reliability and longevity of my installation will match that of Mel's!

Graham[/quote]
Mel..............TheOrganDoc...............
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profeluisegarcia

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSat Feb 11, 2017 9:19 pm

Plagiarizing Johnh above question, What's wrong with the micro switch solution?, provided that it seems to be simpler, cheaper, easier to install and control, less troublesome and long time reliable
than those solutions mentioned in this subject?

Luis
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GrahamH

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSun Feb 12, 2017 4:00 am

Plagiarizing Johnh above question, What's wrong with the micro switch solution?, provided that it seems to be simpler, cheaper, easier to install and control, less troublesome and long time reliable
than those solutions mentioned in this subject?


I have only ever come across two pedal boards that had been fitted with micro switches. In both cases the clicking noise was too loud and intrusive for my liking.
I have, however, used micro switches in one or two DIY toe piston installations.

Graham
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profeluisegarcia

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSun Feb 12, 2017 7:19 am

GrahamH wrote:
I have only ever come across two pedal boards that had been fitted with micro switches.
Graham


Hello Graham, the micro switches used in my projects (5) are noiseless, cheap, and durable (15 years in my organ). You may know three more pedalboards in my previous posts:
Figure 3
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12416&p=91498&hilit=Florez+%26+Garcia#p91498
Figure 4
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12618&p=92958&hilit=Florez+%26+Garcia#p93023
Figure 3 (15 years working)
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=10456&p=76918&hilit=MOUNTAINS#p76918

Regards¡
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johnh

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSun Feb 12, 2017 8:07 pm

profeluisegarcia wrote:Plagiarizing Johnh above question, What's wrong with the micro switch solution?,


I wasn't speaking of micro switches as I too have found the clicking annoying (but then that's nothing compared to an organist clattering away on a Fisk tracker!).

Here's what I was referring to:

Image

(but you folks knew that already, I'm sure...)

---john.
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engrssc

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSun Feb 12, 2017 8:56 pm

All of these solutions can work. The problem I've found more is positioning and proper "firing" point. Altho admittedly, that's more of an issue with the manual switching. My feet seem to be more tolerant in that regard.

The Rodgers magnet/reed system can work fine for years. The exception is when "weighty" organists use the pedal board for a step. :mrgreen:

Rgds,
Ed
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profeluisegarcia

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSun Feb 12, 2017 9:09 pm

johnh wrote:I wasn't speaking of micro switches ....


Hi Johnh, I understood what you said. What I copied was the gramatical structure of your sentence in order to present to new hauptwerkians what I considerer the easiest way to midify a pedalboard. Usually this is the main challenge they meet with, at least in our latin countries.
Besides, I also like -and I work with them in pipe organs- the traditional contact plates and contract blocks but they are more expensive than the micro switches I used.
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dw154515

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSun Mar 05, 2017 11:00 pm

Thanks for all the info, everyone. I wanted to update this thread with my progress.

Out of sheer curiosity I opted for some inexpensive micro-switches.....

Image
Image
Image

PROS:
- EXTREMELY easy to mount and regulate the switch actuation. It only took me a couple of hours to mount and solder all of these. Cutting and trimming the wire/ribbon cable was the most time-consuming part in order to make it look neat and clean.
- Cheap. I already had the MPC from MGB, so I just bought a 6' IDC cable and some micro switches on eBay. All in, about $50.

CONS:
- NOISY! Yeah, the clicking is quite obtrusive but since this is my home instrument and I always practice with some closed over-ear AKG headphones, I don't hear them AT ALL even when playing very softly.

So, if the clicking noise starts bothering anyone, it's just a good excuse to play louder! :twisted:
Drew A. Worthen
Master of Music in Composition - Butler University
http://www.drewworthen.com
Director of Music & Website Admin - Greenwood UMC
http://www.greenwoodumc.org
Design Engineer - American Sound and Electronics - Indy
https://americansound.cc/
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dw154515

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Re: Pedal Board Contact Options

PostSun Mar 05, 2017 11:05 pm

johnh wrote:
profeluisegarcia wrote:Plagiarizing Johnh above question, What's wrong with the micro switch solution?,


I wasn't speaking of micro switches as I too have found the clicking annoying (but then that's nothing compared to an organist clattering away on a Fisk tracker!).

Here's what I was referring to:

Image

(but you folks knew that already, I'm sure...)

---john.



I have two (make that 3 :shock: ) other pedalboards in the garage - 2 Allen's that have these contacts, and one old Wurlitzer - but off hand I don't know what the contacts are on the Wurlitzer. Do these things have much trouble with oxidation or dirt/grime?

And how do these work? I'm assuming 1 or 2 wires for common and the rest are tied together?
Drew A. Worthen
Master of Music in Composition - Butler University
http://www.drewworthen.com
Director of Music & Website Admin - Greenwood UMC
http://www.greenwoodumc.org
Design Engineer - American Sound and Electronics - Indy
https://americansound.cc/
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