http://www.bonnersmusic.co.uk/buy/Hammond/PK25PXK_25_Note_Midi_Pedalboard

...uh, yeah, maybe I won't bother. O_O

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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They say necessity is the mother of all invention. Well I've just 
invented something truly absurd. I've found a way to play bass notes 
even though I don't have a peddle board. The concept is quite simple: 
play the note with my finger, and then hold it down with my foot, while 
I play the rest of the music. The result has to be seen to be believed.

I should probably get out more...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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4a89c8c0$1@news.povray.org...
> They say necessity is the mother of all invention. Well I've just invented 
> something truly absurd. I've found a way to play bass notes even though I 
> don't have a peddle board. The concept is quite simple: play the note with 
> my finger, and then hold it down with my foot, while I play the rest of 
> the music. The result has to be seen to be believed.
>
LOL  !
My father who plays organ at the church and has only an old piano to 
practice home built a pedalbord which just pulls the lower octaves keys from 
under with nylon strings.

Another way :  http://www.orchetect.com/resources/midi-organ-pedals.php

Marc

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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> http://www.bonnersmusic.co.uk/buy/Hammond/PK25PXK_25_Note_Midi_Pedalboard
> 
> ...uh, yeah, maybe I won't bother. O_O
> 

Ooh, I want one!

...but I need a keyboard first :(

...Chambers

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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> They say necessity is the mother of all invention. Well I've just 
> invented something truly absurd. I've found a way to play bass notes 
> even though I don't have a peddle board. The concept is quite simple: 
> play the note with my finger, and then hold it down with my foot, while 
> I play the rest of the music. The result has to be seen to be believed.
> 
> I should probably get out more...
> 

How hard would it be to get a couple of pressure sensors, and wire them 
up to a MIDI plug so you could have your own?

Then you could go to the pub and tell some random girl, "Hey, baby, you 
ever dated a guy who wired his own base?" :)

...Chambers

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> How hard would it be to get a couple of pressure sensors, and wire them up 
> to a MIDI plug so you could have your own?

That's what I thought the moment I saw it.  Or maybe simpler to buy a 
standard cheap MIDI keyboard to get all the electronics and rig up some nice 
wooden pedals to it.

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Chambers wrote:

> How hard would it be to get a couple of pressure sensors, and wire them 
> up to a MIDI plug so you could have your own?

Harder than you'd think.

A peddleboard needs to not break when an 80 Kg person stamps on it. This 
is non-trivial.

Where the hell do you buy pressure sensors?

You realise that MIDI is a serial communications protocol, right? It's 
not like you just connect each sensor to a different pin on the plug; 
you need some fairly elaborate electronics in there.

> Then you could go to the pub and tell some random girl, "Hey, baby, you 
> ever dated a guy who wired his own base?" :)

*facepalm*

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>> How hard would it be to get a couple of pressure sensors, and wire 
>> them up to a MIDI plug so you could have your own?
> 
> That's what I thought the moment I saw it.  Or maybe simpler to buy a 
> standard cheap MIDI keyboard to get all the electronics and rig up some 
> nice wooden pedals to it.

I guess that's a possibility, assuming I can find one that isn't 
touch-sensitive. (For some reason, as soon as you buy a stand-alone MIDI 
controller everybody automatically thinks you want the finest 
weighted-key action with touch sensitivity and polyphonic aftertouch... 
Hence, keyboards that have MIDI are quite cheap, but MIDI keyboards are 
surprisingly expensive.)

Assuming you find one that isn't touch-sensitive, so pressing a key just 
closes a circuit, it should be possible to rig something up.

The next problem is going to be how to make it sturdy enough to not fall 
apart. ;-)

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> I guess that's a possibility, assuming I can find one that isn't 
> touch-sensitive.

Oh ok I didn't realise the pedals didn't need to be touch sensitive, even 
simpler then!

> Assuming you find one that isn't touch-sensitive, so pressing a key just 
> closes a circuit, it should be possible to rig something up.

Alternatively use another input method to a PC (you can get multiple digital 
input to USB boards) and then generate the MIDI signals in software.

> The next problem is going to be how to make it sturdy enough to not fall 
> apart. ;-)

The pedals are not going to be taking massive forces so you don't need to 
worry about using bearings or anything fancy like that.  I would just put a 
hole through the pedal at the back and let it rotate on a bolt that is 
secured to some base-plate.  That way you can place each pedal at a 
different angle.  To provide the resistance just glue on a lump of stiff 
rubber underneath each pedal and mount a micro-switch to trigger at the 
correct position.  Shouldn't take too much work.

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>> I guess that's a possibility, assuming I can find one that isn't 
>> touch-sensitive.
> 
> Oh ok I didn't realise the pedals didn't need to be touch sensitive, 
> even simpler then!

I'm trying to simulate a pipe organ here. They're generally not 
particularly touch sensitive. ;-)

[Although... the mechanical-action ones *are* very slightly touch 
sensitive, which not a lot of people know.]

>> Assuming you find one that isn't touch-sensitive, so pressing a key 
>> just closes a circuit, it should be possible to rig something up.
> 
> Alternatively use another input method to a PC (you can get multiple 
> digital input to USB boards) and then generate the MIDI signals in 
> software.

I'm guessing generating MIDI signals in software is going to be intractable.

>> The next problem is going to be how to make it sturdy enough to not 
>> fall apart. ;-)
> 
> The pedals are not going to be taking massive forces so you don't need 
> to worry about using bearings or anything fancy like that.  I would just 
> put a hole through the pedal at the back and let it rotate on a bolt 
> that is secured to some base-plate.  That way you can place each pedal 
> at a different angle.  To provide the resistance just glue on a lump of 
> stiff rubber underneath each pedal and mount a micro-switch to trigger 
> at the correct position.  Shouldn't take too much work.

For one thing, it's going to take some big chunks of solid wood, and a 
big iron bolt. Given how ludicrously expensive actual wood is, I guess 
it might not even come out any cheaper than just buying the one in the 
shop...

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