Hall Effect Sensor Detection Issue

[MrLeon]

Hi Rob,

I have been experimenting with a DIY hall effect hi-hat controller with eDrumIn for a while now, and I've got it working great... it's very responsive and reliable, but with one caveat.

The build was glitchy at first and I couldn't figure out why sometimes eDrumIn wouldn't detect the sensor when I plugged it in, but if I fiddled around with the pedal settings each time I could eventually get eDrumIn to "see" the hall effect sensor again. It made the design & build process a little confusing as I frequently found myself second-guessing my wiring and wondering if I had perhaps made some other bone-headed mistake, taking it apart to double check my work.

I eventually realized that all I had to do each time I plugged eDrumIn into my laptop was to open the control app, click on the Pedal 1 tab on the left of the window, and click on the Hi-Hat Controller icon. Note that when I open the app, the Hi-Hat Controller icon is already selected (red underlined) but the pedal is totally unresponsive and hitting the hi-hat would only play an open note (see screenshot 1), until I click the Hi-Hat Controller icon...at which time it comes to life and becomes an amazing hi-hat solution (screenshot 2).

I am using the suggested SS49E sensor wired as per the diagram in the user manual. It is mounted in an enclosure made of ABS plumbing parts sitting under the top hat. The magnet is a neodymium ring stuck to the hi-hat clutch...no need to worry about the magnet straying out of position this way.

This is a relatively minor issue but it would be nice if I didn't have to open the control app every time I want to play, just to "turn on" my hi-hat controller. And sorry if this has already been addressed elsewhere, if so I couldn't find it.

Thanks!
Leon

[Rob]

I can see that your polarity is set to Yamaha style wiring. What happens if you turn it back to Auto or Roland?

[MrLeon]

Hi Rob, thanks for the quick response!

Here is my order of operations:

Cycle to Auto Polarity = works!
Cycle to Roland Polarity = no work
Back to Yamaha Polarity = works!
Back again to Auto = no work???
Click Hi-Hat Controller icon = works!

If I leave Auto polarity selected and disconnect the edrumin, it now works automatically when I plug it back in! So I will consider this problem tentatively solved, thanks very much!

But there is still a bit of weirdness going on. I remember Auto polarity setting not working for me earlier in my hi-hat build, but since my controller was basically working (with some fiddling each time I used it), I put it down for a while to work on other parts of the kit. Last week I updated to the latest version of the control app (thanks for adding the metal cymbal pad type!) but I had not tried playing around with these settings again since then. This is the first time Auto polarity setting has detected my hi-hat controller. I hope this is of some help.

Thanks
Leon

[mprinz]

Hi, I am wondering, why you are using the expression pedal mode and not the hihat controller mode?

And:

If you can use a DRV5056 and power it externally, you will get much better results than using ss49e. The DRV5056 will provide about 5 times the resolution which is very important small movements of a magnet.

If you can switch the sensor, I would recomment to do so. My setup is really a "high precision +" hi-hat controller.
It's great how smooth and fast the CC04 data curve is generated.

[Rob]

He needs power.

[MrLeon]

Hi mprinz,

I'm not sure what you mean when you say I am using Expression Pedal mode? It shows "Hihat Mode" in my screenshots. Not sure if there's something I'm missing here.

Also I'm very interested in your build using the DRV5056. I'm not averse to providing external power for it. Can you provide all the details of your implementation? How is it powered? Etc?

Thanks!
Leon

[mprinz]

I got an email from a guy of nothern Germany because ha dont want to wait several weeks for the sensors, so I sent him a few and he provided some links and photos of what he used...

I need to search this email....

HiHat mode... yes, but the bar above showing different pedals.
I used the HiHat Controller Pedal button for the hall sensor.
I dont know exactly what Rob is switching with those buttons, but there exp. pedals with only a potentiometer so passive and there are hihat controllers that may deliver a voltage and are active devices... try it.
I guess those buttons are setting diverent input resistances and power for the pedals.

[Rob]

Only the 'expression pedal' input type provides power to the TRS jack. So if you want to power your hall sensor from the eDRUMin, you must use the expression pedal input type.

If your hall effect sensor is externally powered, then you must use the hihat pedal type.

ED4R2 and ED10R2 (when it finally arrives) can easily power both hall effect sensors mentioned in this thread. Furthermore the ss49e gains a lot more resolution with the newer generation of devices, so I will continue to recommend it over the DRV5056.

[mprinz]

ED4R2 and ED10R2 (when it finally arrives) can easily power both hall effect sensors mentioned in this thread. Furthermore the ss49e gains a lot more resolution with the newer generation of devices, so I will continue to recommend it over the DRV5056.

Wasn't the output voltage range lower on the SS49E?
I still have the SS49E here somewhere and I have to re-solder the whole thing anyway ,so I could try the Honeywell with ext. powersuply.

[Rob]

Yup, you probably could