Pedal Fix

[zero3803]

Hey guys, I just picked up a copy of the game tonight in spite of some of the horror stories I had been reading about on the tech support forum. I'm hoping with the 2yr. extended warranty from bestbuy that I'll be set. Anyway, as the title of the thread states, I had read about numerous fractures occuring on the drum pedal. It seems some have opted for reinforcing the pedal with knives or diamond plate. I was looking at the pedal and after playing a few songs could see and feel the plastic flexing under the pressure of that gigantic spring. I thought for a minute that perhaps snipping a few coils off would do the trick, but unsure of possible warranty voiding, I decided to simply remove the spring altogether. To remove the spring, simply reach in with 2 fingers and compress the top portion down until it is free from the top section and then slide out the side. Upon removal, I placed a small piece of 1.5 inch thick (I cut it to this thickness) packing like foam (similar to that tempur pedic material, but of course less expensive) under the 2 rubber feet on the foot pedal that originally hit the base when used with the spring. The foam has enough spring back to raise the pedal for additional hits, and puts essentially no pressure onto the pedal itself. It doesnt affect the drum activating and works with rapid series of hits as well. I'm not sure if this idea has been thought of before, but it seems like a zero cost perfect fix for this common problem. I've attached some pictures to further explain what I mean:


Hole where spring once resided:

http://cragar.home.mindspring.com/pic2.JPG

Foam in place under the 2 rubber feet. As you can see, it holds the pedal up nicely:

Thicker pieces can be cut depending on the amount of resistance desired. I cut mine down to 1.5 in. from 2 in. and it felt like a nice comfortable thickness.

http://cragar.home.mindspring.com/pic4.JPG

Of course, the pedal being depressed with no strain on the plastic:

http://cragar.home.mindspring.com/pic5.JPG



Hopefully this helps, and I'm not repeating something that is commonly known :) .

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.

[zero3803]

Here is a picture of the foam for reference:

http://cragar.home.mindspring.com/pic3.JPG

[Keebler]

What a ridiculously good idea!!

[pvtGramps]

Simple, cost effective, and available from an abandoned couch near you!

Looks like I have a use for my defunct Amtgard polearm now! Whoo!!! XD

The type of foam used is called "Open Cell" foam. If you can find an abandoned couch, snag some out of the cushions on it.

Or blow four bucks at Wal-Mart on it.

[Muuse]

so is this better for rapid hits than the spring?
because i've been looking for some alternative for the pedal... not because of the strength of the plastic but because of the strength of the spring.
in expert, on songs like blackened, i pretty much miss half the bass drum hits because when i double tap with my foot it only picks up the first hit.

i'm looking for something that will give me the feel and reaction of a quality REAL kick pedal. but i'm not sure i want to go through all the trouble some people are of making there own out of a real pedal and some wiring.

[zero3803]

After playing with it a bit, the little rubber feet on the pedal have begun to make indentions which have decreased the effectiveness. I havent done this yet, but I'm assuming a remedy for this would be attaching some sort of solid square piece to the top such as a piece of heavy duty cardboard or something similar. Also it takes a bit of tweaking to find the right position of the foam. I tested a few thicker pieces and found I had better results with the piece that roughly 1.5 inches. I assume with slight modifications this "fix" can improve even more.

[Tarzanman]

The company where I work uses different types of foam, neoprene and poly gaskets.

They ALL compress after being subjected to enough stress for long enough. Others break down into dust.

If you want to keep using foam then you will have to keep replacing the block.

On the whole, I think your fix is a poor one. :-/ Better to reinforce the plastic pedal than just to shift the stress point

[zero3803]

The company where I work uses different types of foam, neoprene and poly gaskets.

They ALL compress after being subjected to enough stress for long enough. Others break down into dust.

If you want to keep using foam then you will have to keep replacing the block.

On the whole, I think your fix is a poor one. :-/ Better to reinforce the plastic pedal than just to shift the stress point

Depends on the level of reinforcement in my opinion. If it voids the warranty then imo its not worth it, but to each his own. I'm sure there are other ways to improve the design as well, ie a new spring or whatever works.

[BearFan51]

The company where I work uses different types of foam, neoprene and poly gaskets.

They ALL compress after being subjected to enough stress for long enough. Others break down into dust.

If you want to keep using foam then you will have to keep replacing the block.

On the whole, I think your fix is a poor one. :-/ Better to reinforce the plastic pedal than just to shift the stress point


I disagree, he's shifting the stress point closer to where it should have been to begin with. (think about where a real pedal is attached) The foam might not be an ideal return mechanism, but it's not going to void the warranty. Unless he's going off on a really fast heel-toe technique, it should be in pretty good shape.

Tip for Harmonix: Next go 'round, get some feedback from musicians on the instruments. If it can be broken, we will find a way. If you reinforce the footboard, for god's sake beef up the hinge, as it is the next weak point in the chain.

Nice work BTW Zero.

[maxx77]

Tip for Harmonix: Next go 'round, get some feedback from musicians on the instruments. If it can be broken, we will find a way. If you reinforce the footboard, for god's sake beef up the hinge, as it is the next weak point in the chain.


Actually, a lot of the staff at Harmonix are musicians (watch the credits and the videos on the Options menu). I think they should have put the spring at the end of the pedal too. Gamespot broke one of their pedals in half. I can see that happening to just about everyone eventually. This does seem like a great mod though to get around that problem.