Introduction: Wii Rock Band Pro Drum Kit Cymbal Repair
OK so you've given your RB drum kit a good thrashing for the last year or two, and it's finally had enough.....one of the cymbals has decided to stop working.
These things are pretty well made for the money, but they can only take so much (drum) stick.
Due to the vibrations caused as you belt away to 'Hey Joe', mechanical failure is almost inevitable......which is good news as it probably means the reason for your set up failing is just a detached wire or a broken joint somewhere.
Also, if you move your drum kit around a lot, the connecting wires, plugs and sockets can become damaged.
This guide though deals with the possible repair of an individual faulty cymbal unit .....you can easily decide whether the cymbal itself is faulty by swapping the cymbal plugs around. If the fault 'follows' the cymbal, then the problem is with that instrument or it's connecting wire.
These instructions are for the Wii kit, but may be applicable to others.
Tools required: Medium crosspoint screwdriver, soldering iron and solder.
Step 1: Remove Cymbal
Having decided that you have a faulty cymbal, the next step is to remove it from the drum kit.
Simply a matter of unplugging the cymbal, loosening the coloured nut on top and lifting the cymbal off.
Put the wedge shaped collar from under the nut somewhere safe!
Step 2:
To access the cymbal's internals, turn the unit over and remove the six screws shown here with the yellow rings.
Step 3:
Now remove the cover...this will expose the small PCB shown on the right.
Step 4:
Now remove the four screws (shown here in yellow) attaching the small cover plate.
Step 5:
Remove the spring followed by the plastic collar. The collar is attached by it's base using a light adhesive, but should pull away easily.
This reveals a circle of adhesive tape and a piezoelectric device connected by two wires.
This area takes a lot of shock and vibration.....consequently any weak soldered joint here is liable to fail. Soldering can make wires brittle...good candidates for breaking under these conditions.
**In my case, the black wire shown had broken away close to the soldered joint**
Gently peel back the circular tape just enough to reveal and inspect the soldered joint on both the wires.
If required, re-solder any broken joint...be as quick as you can with the iron or you risk causing damage!
When satisfied all is well, stick down the circle of tape, replace the collar with it's sticky end down, and replace the spring narrow end down.
Replace the cover plate and four screws you removed in Step 4. You may see some coloured compound around the screw heads which appears to be there to prevent the screws working loose. I applied a little silicone sealant beneath the heads before tightening the screws as a substitute for this.
Step 6: Continuity Check
If you didn't find any faults on the previous steps, and if you have a *suitable* continuity tester (one designed for use with electronic circuit boards, i.e. *not* a battery and bulb), check the condition of the connecting cable by checking that there is continuity between each of these three soldered joints (shown with yellow markers) and a corresponding contact on the plug.
Any problems here will mean the cable is damaged and needs replacing or repairing.
Twist, bend, pull and push the cable to show up any weaknesses.
This test can also be carried out with the cymbal re-assembled and back on the drum kit.
Plug the cymbal into a socket which you know is working(!), select Freestyle Drum Training mode and twist, bend, pull and push along the cable as a friend strikes the cymbal. Intermittent operation as you stress the cable indicates a broken wire.
There isn't much you can do with the little PCB except check that the wires are properly soldered on.
Step 7:
That's it.
Replace the cover and the six screws you removed in Step 2.
If you were lucky enough to find and repair a broken wire, then attach your cymbal to the drum kit, plug back in and get drumming again.
If not, then I'm sorry that this Instructable was of no use to you.
