Drum2

[goldenbaby]

So I have officially developed the habit of regulating the shelves at the local thrift store every week.

I bought something new last week.  This is the Drum2:



Other than being made in China, there's no manufacturing or company info on it.  I can't find any information on it on the Internet.  I think I remember it being sold by Real Canadian Superstore 6 or 7 years ago, and I used to have the keyboard toy that got issued side by side.

So far I haven't found any bends, but the presets are pretty fun and the pads actually work for beats (though they sometimes cut each other off, courtesy of China).  If nothing else I will just throw a 1/4" output jack and maybe a starve pot, because it's been doing some freaky stuff at times with the lights flickering, etc.

There is a jack on here, but I put both my headphones and my iPod into it, to no avail.  The only thing left to guess is that it's a mic jack, but it should have at least made a noise when I plugged in my iPod.

I need to order some parts...3 toys and I haven't even started yet.

[Gordonjcp]

There is a jack on here, but I put both my headphones and my iPod into it, to no avail.  The only thing left to guess is that it's a mic jack, but it should have at least made a noise when I plugged in my iPod.


Not opened it up yet?  You might find that it's a power socket, if you trace the connections back.

[3rdness]

I found some crazy noise and frantic beats in one of these, but never actually got past probing it.  Too many toys in line ahead of it, but there's definitely some cool  VERY noisy stuff to play with in here.

good luck and keep us informed.

[goldenbaby]

Not opened it up yet?  You might find that it's a power socket, if you trace the connections back.

I have probed around 2 times already, but didn't trace it back.  I figured since it's a jack for 1/4", it wouldn't make any sense for it to be a power jack.  I could be wrong, I don't know hoards about electronics.  I majored in electronics in high school, but I am surprisingly dumb about it by now.

3rdness:  I'm in Canada.  Where did you find yours, if you can recall?

[3rdness]

My brother picked it up for me at a yard sale for a dollar or so.  The power switch was broken, so it didn't turn on.  I'll add a new switch when I get around to tweaking this mutha sucka.

anyhoo....


-noam

[goldenbaby]

I actually meant which country you found it in, but the profiles appears to tell me you live in MAine, or MAssachusetts(sp?...er...sic)

[computer at sea]

Maine is ME, for whatever reason.  Massachusetts is MA.

[3rdness]

massachusetts.

[goldenbaby]

Just stumbled across the video on YouTube, and it's the Drum2!  The bender doesn't even know what the toy was called, but the control panel is very recognizable.  Anyways, this apparently cheap-O boards is actually one of the nicest things I have ever seen.  I'm definitely digging this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYe1fGIbI0o

[goldenbaby]

I found out after writing that post, that some other toy has been merged with it.

I poked around a little more seriously on this one today, and I got no sounds I can't get by hitting the drumpads.  I was able to shorta chip to get some distortion on the beats, but they only sound good on some of them.  An LFO would probably be nice in here though, triggering the preset loops repeatedly.

I tried to install a phono out jack, but it was way louder than my guitar.  I threw in what was probably a 500k resistor, and though I could pull the volume down, it also began to sound muddy, the highs disappeared.  And then, with the instruments output lowered, I heard the high frequency noise it was producing.  I'm accepting defeat on this thing.  It just sucks that I won't be able to amplify this guys awesome preset beats.