Design Approach and Fila Reco Needed
Hi,
I am designing what I will call and "extended" or "fill in" platform for a guitar pedalboard.
If you don't know what a pedalboard is, look at pedaltrain.com
A pedal or controller on my board is too long (or wide) for the existing aluminum slat or "rail" on the pedalboard (see pic). So, I've designed an extension platform that "sits into" or "fits onto and into" the slats and spaces on the pedalboard (see pics).
I'll mount the foot switches on top of the 3D printed extended platform. My questions are:
1) Does this design approach make sense. Note that I am staying with the placement of the foot switch pedal.
2) What's would be the best material considering that I press the foot switches 40 times every night? I am not jumping up or down on the pedalboard, but I do press on the foot switches.
Thanks
AJ
RE: Design Approach and Fila Reco Needed
As a design it looks fine, the only thing I would do is put a couple of heat set inserts in the bottom and use them to bolt a bar going under the rail so when you pick it up it does not fall off or move.
I would make it and the locking bar from PETG, but up the amount of vertical and horizontal perimeters a fair amount as that tends to make prints a lot more than increasing the infill.
But why not just move the pedal further back so it bridges the middle and rear rail then it will be firmer?
... or exploit the geometry and make the whole thing a rocker with the switches underneath.
Cheerio,
RE: Design Approach and Fila Reco Needed
... or exploit the geometry and make the whole thing a rocker with the switches underneath.
Then you would loose visibility of the screen. The is what he is mounting: https://www.morningstar.io/mc8-midi-controller
Ah, I had assumed it was a homebrew. In that case bridging makes sense; almost any filament will be OK with enough perimeters and I would probably rib the underside to ensure extra external perimeters in the bridging direction. For shock absorption you might print a soft, low fill, TPE pad to go underneath.
Cheerio,
RE: Design Approach and Fila Reco Needed
For shock absorption you might print a soft, low fill, TPE pad to go underneath.
A lot of pedals have rubber bottoms for that purpose, but even if not the pedal board tape or velcro, whatever is used, would give a bit of absorption which I would think would be sufficient. Personally I would not use TPU as the extra give would make the switches less precise which is the last thing you want if want to (for instance) switch in the OD at beginning of the bridge when there is little gap between parts of the song.
RE: Design Approach and Fila Reco Needed
Thanks for your recommendations. Obviously (JP Guitars) you're familiar with this. I have the MC6 Pro, but yeah it's a MIDI controller.
ANSWER: Why not move the MIDI Controller to space it on 2 of the aluminum rails (some of the controller on one rail and some on another) ? Real Estate - I have an audio interface (Zoom U-44) behind it, so there's not much real estate for moving it. My pictures don't show this very well. In addition I also want a small gap between the MIDI controller, and the front set of foot switches, which are angled. The small gap in front of the MIDI controller - helps to keep my feet from accidentally pressing the wrong switch. I will print a thin "block" as a filler or spacer in between the MIDI controller and the front foot switch block (shown in the pic).
QUESTION on the bridge suggestion on the under side of the pedalboard: I printed a PLA prototype to check my measurements. It fits very /super tight "onto" or something more like "into" the pedalboard. You can see the pic of the print with the 2 blue arrows showing where it pushes in. Very tight. In fact after I put it in, I can turn the pedalboard upside down and it doesn't move a bit...... NOW..... after I mount the MIDI controller on top of it, and I hit the foot switches a few hundred times, will it still fit just as tight as now? If I made the MIDI controller platform from PTEG, and it fit "into" or "onto" the pedalboard rails - tighter than a glove, will the 3D print wear over time? What if I print the MIDI platform with Tough PLA?
RE:
Sorry, read the label on the first photo as MC8, close enough though.
Not used tough PLA myself so cannot really comment.
I would probably not go for a tolerance fit. I've just tried my no-name pedalboard and the rails do flex a little, my wife's D'Addario Xpnd I cannot feel any flex (despite it being full expanded), but my guess is there still a little movement but less than I detect with my hands. I would not care about wear, it's more about stress. If the movement is pushing on the printed part in an unusual way 40 times a night there is a chance of stress fractures developing and sods law says it will self destruction at the least opportune moment. Leaving a 1 mm gap should be sufficient to absorb any flex and stop that, but of course you then need to attach it with some other method, hence my suggestion of a bar underneath. However PETG is good at absorbing that sort of stress so I may be being over cautious. I would still use a security bar under as you don't want £400 worth of kit deciding it no longer wants to be on the board just as you are packing up and there is bound to be a little wear over time.
Hope this helps