Motion Activated LED Drumhead

For this simple project, I took a motion sensored LED from a pair of light up drum sticks and attatched it to the bottom of the head of my snare drum to make playing a more interesting and entertaining experience. This project will work with any drum head so long as the drum head is translucent enough to let the light through from the LED.

Supplies

• Drum of your choice
• 1 RockStix 2 Drum Stick (Any Color)
• Double-Sided Adhesive Tape
• Precision Screwdriver
• Electical Tape (Any Color)
• Drum Key
• Scissors
• Quarter/Dime/Penny

Step 1: Remove the LED From Light Up Drum Stick

To remove the LED from the drum stick, the first thing you will need to do is use your precision screwdriver to remove the two screws at the bottom of the stick holding the end in place. Once you've removed the two screws, you will need to remove the cap at the bottom of the stick. You can use anything small and sturdy enough, or even a flathead screwdriver to remove this piece, but I found that a coin sufficed. Once you've removed the cap from the stick, the LED should slide right out of its socket. If it is stuck inside of the stick, a gentle tap on your palm should remove it. After you've removed the LED, you'll want to cut a small strip of electrical tape and secure the batteries from falling out of the case of the LED. At this point, the stick serves no purpose, but it's a good idea to keep all of the pieces if you're wanting to reassemble the drum stick.

Step 2: Remove the Drumhead

Next, you will need to remove the top head of the drum. To do this, simply take your drum key, and unscrew each screw securing the top piece of the drum frame until each screw is removed. Once you've removed the top of the frame, you'll be able to pull the drumhead off of the frame.

Step 3: Attatch the LED to Your Drumhead

Once your top drumhead is removed from the drum frame, take your double-sided adhesive tape, and cut a piece to attatch to the bottom of the drumhead. You want enough adhesive to ensure that the LED won't detach from the head, but not too much that it ruins the sound of the drum. Once you've attatched the LED to the adhesive, take the adhesive and attatch it to the outer edge on the underside of the drumhead (the side facing the inside of the drum) to avoid hitting it directly while playing. You will want to face the LED towards the outer edge of the drum.

Step 4: Reassemble the Drum

Lastly, you will need to place the drumhead back in its designated spot. Then you will need to take the top of the frame, put it back in place over the head, and use your drum key to screw in the screws securing the top of the frame. After you've finished reassembling the drum, you're ready to start playing.