Electronic Drum

What's going on here?

Your actuator has three connection points, in order to use them, we are going to attach wires to each one.

We're using red/white for the connection labeled Vin, and a blue/black wire for the connection labeled GND.

This is just customary, so that we don't forget what the wire is attached to!

What do the wires connections do?

Almost every device in electronics has a Vin and GND connection, in electronics, we say current flows from Vin to GND, this is what gives your device the power to run

The last wire, the one labeled CNTRL, is to control your device. Connecting the pin to Vin would make your actuator strike, connecting the pin to GND will make it retract.

This project works by placing a button in between Vin and CNTRL, when you press the button, CNTRL is connected directly to Vin and the actuator strikes.

Why are we connecting the wires to the breadboard?

A solder-less breadboard is basic component in every electronic's kit - It lets us make circuits without having to permanently attach the components together.

In this step we're setting up our Vin and GND rails.

How does the solder-less breadboard work?

A solder-less breadboard has rows and columns of holes, you can see that the male jumper wires fit into the holes.

In the center of the board you'll see rows labeled with numbers, and columns labeled with letters. In this section the holes are connected row-wise. 

• This means that holes 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, and 1e are all connected together

• On the opposite side 1f, 1g, 1h, 1i, and 1j are likewise connected together

• Rows 1 and 2 are not connected

• Importantly 1e and 1f are not connected because the central dividing line separates them

On either end of the board you'll see red and blue columns labeled (+) and (-), these are connected lengthwise, unlike the central section. These are intended for Vin and GND, and have many more connection points, since nearly every device will need to connect to this rail.

Why are placing them here, does the plus and minus signs on the board mean we have to?

The plus and minus signs are simply for our convience, they do not effect the actual function of the rail. You could decide to place Vin or GND into one of the center rails, the only difference would be that you would be lacking extra connection points.

What does connecting the adapter do for us?

This adpater will allow us to use a power supply in order to power our project. For now just plug the adapter in, do not plug the power supply into the adapter or into the wall yet.

How does the power supply power our project?

The power supply takes power from the wall and gives you two wires. The two wires are Vin and GND, then the power supply pumps electricity through the wires from Vin to GND. This is why all circuits need to have a Vin and a GND. Without a Vin theres no electricity being pumped in, without a GND there's no-where for it to flow out of the circuit.

What does this step do?

This is the final step before powering up! We are adding a button to control the actuator.

How does the button affect the actuator?

The CNTRL pin on your actuator is used to control the movement of the striker. When you connect CNTRL to Vin the actuator will strike, pushing the striker forwards. When you connect CNTRL to GND the actuator will retract, pushing the striker back.

The button acts as a bridge between Vin and CNTRL.

When you press the button, the CNTRL pin is connected to Vin, and the actuator will strike

When you release the button, the CNTRL pin is disconnected from Vin, the actuator will retract

What's it do?

Now that power's ready you should be able to simply press the button to cause the actuator to strike.

Try connecting this to different metal objects to see what their drum strike sounds like.

Record the different noises for sound effects, play a beat or simple tune, combine multiple actuators and objects to play a more complex symphony.

How does the size and type of metal affect the sound?

How does moving a magnet near the actuator effect the sound?

Extend these principles in further projects or using your own ideas to create novel projects with interactive sound.

What to do if something isn't working?

Don't worry, solder-less breadboards can be finicky, double check your jumper wires to make sure they're fully seated.

If that still doesn't work, try directly connecting the CNTRL pin to Vin, (skip the button), to ensure the actuator does strike.

If your having further issues please view the additional guides/videos or send us an email. In the event your actuator arrive non-working please contact us for a replacement in accordance with our replacement policy.