Rock Band 1 (Wii) drums dead - what do I do?

[MurphyRock]

I just discovered tonight that in Rock Band 2, my Rock Band 1 drums are "disconnecting" in the middle of a song (or even in the game menus). Unplugging them and plugging them into the same (or a different) USB port only makes them reappear about 20% of the time - if they do reappear, they disconnect again 15-30 seconds later after being hit a few times.

(I haven't yet tried them in Rock Band 1....)

What is my best option? I assume my options are:

1) RMA the RB1 drums, which will cost me $X (These are RB1 drums so I assume they are well out of warranty - does anyone know the RMA cost or if this RMA is even possible?)
2) Purchase new RB1 drums - are these even available anywhere?
3) Purchase new standalone RB2 drums ($81 at Amazon.com right now) - will these still work with my RB1 game?
4) Wait a month for the ION Wii drums to be released ($300, so I hear) - I suppose I might be willing to do this but again, will these work with RB1?

[MurphyRock]

I left the drums unplugged from the Wii all night (they are usually plugged in). This morning, I plugged them in and tried RB1, and they worked for an entire song. So then I tried them in RB2, and they worked for an entire song. So, they are working, for now. Perhaps unplugging them gave them a "rest", who knows?

Still, if I discover they are still broken, I'd love to know what to do next. Which of the above options are viable ones, and which is the "best" in your opinion? (I welcome opinions from everyone - but I'd still like to hear from HMX if option #1 is even possible.)

[onemoedee]

well murph at least your drum set is registering , mine arent even doing that , and mine dont get used that often , i actually couldnt tell you the last time they were, but i am having a similar problem , im not willing to drop 300 on ion for drum set that will get used rarely

[MurphyRock]

Last night I played a 5 song set with microphone and (Wii RB1) drums, which was successful, then started another 4 song set - halfway into the first song, the drums "disconnected". Sigh. Looks like my drums have not magically healed themselves (not that I expected them to).

I need to know - can I still get an RMA for Wii RB1 drums? Or is it not worth the money, and instead I should buy new RB2 drums?

EDIT: When the drums "disconnect", the lights (blue power light and "controller number" light) all stay illuminated. If at this point, I unplug them and plug them back in, 80% of the time, the power light comes on but the "controller number" light never returns. 20% of the time, the drums successfully reconnect, and work for about another 15-30 seconds or so, then the cycle repeats.

[MurphyRock]

Well, lacking any advice in this forum (unfortunately), I bought the Wii RB2 drums for $74.99 from Newegg.com (with free shipping). I did learn that these RB2 drums will work with RB1. I suppose I can use the RB1 drum set for experimentation and/or spare parts.

EA Rock band 2 Drums for Nintendo Wii (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16878127116)