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Step 7Assembling the pad
The final step is to assemble the pad. Put the machine screws in from the bottom, then rest the aluminium sheet on the base board so the machine screws come through the centre of the holes with plenty of space around them. Then put the top frame on.
At this point you need to decide how you are going to mark out the playing surface of the pad for calibration later. The pad is calibrated by striking it in different places while running the calibration program. These places are defined in the program as 13 specific points placed on a 5x5 grid (5 lines not 5 spaces). I started by using 1.5cm clearance from the inner edge of the top frame, but if you want to play with sticks (I am now using timpani sticks), you may want to make the clearance a bit bigger.
When you have decided how much clearance you'll need when playing, take the top sheet off again and mark it up with magic marker. You need a 5x5 grid with enough clearance round the edges for you to strike the pad at each corner. It's also handy to label the corners 1,2,3, and 4 the same as the sensor cables.
Now put the sheet back on, put the washers and nuts on the bolts, and tighten the nuts to finger pressure. Check again that there is good clearance around each of the bolts where it goes through the aluminium sheet. You may want to cut the machine screws down to the exact size with a hacksaw at this point. Be sure to do this with the nuts on, or you'll find it hard to put them on afterwards. It would also be wise to blunt any sharp edges afterwards with a small file.
Finally, tighten each of the bolts by the same amount - 3 whole turns works for me. The pad itself is now finished!
At this point you need to decide how you are going to mark out the playing surface of the pad for calibration later. The pad is calibrated by striking it in different places while running the calibration program. These places are defined in the program as 13 specific points placed on a 5x5 grid (5 lines not 5 spaces). I started by using 1.5cm clearance from the inner edge of the top frame, but if you want to play with sticks (I am now using timpani sticks), you may want to make the clearance a bit bigger.
When you have decided how much clearance you'll need when playing, take the top sheet off again and mark it up with magic marker. You need a 5x5 grid with enough clearance round the edges for you to strike the pad at each corner. It's also handy to label the corners 1,2,3, and 4 the same as the sensor cables.
Now put the sheet back on, put the washers and nuts on the bolts, and tighten the nuts to finger pressure. Check again that there is good clearance around each of the bolts where it goes through the aluminium sheet. You may want to cut the machine screws down to the exact size with a hacksaw at this point. Be sure to do this with the nuts on, or you'll find it hard to put them on afterwards. It would also be wise to blunt any sharp edges afterwards with a small file.
Finally, tighten each of the bolts by the same amount - 3 whole turns works for me. The pad itself is now finished!
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