Manufacturing

Boards

The whole pedalboard is made of pine. I made it from boards 20x123x3000mm and 20x148x3000mm, fortunately, it was already planed. I used 148mm width boards for the case and 123mm width boards for the keys.

Take a fretsaw and begin to saw.

Case

Now we made a case. Place a base on a floor and attach a center board by the aluminium corners.

Attach the sides.

Place a top cover.

After that, we mark a front arc board. To do it, print a draw on the several pages and copy it to the board by a carbon paper. Besides cuttings, we mark positions for the holes to place guide tubes.

After that we made two holes at the opposite corners of every future cuttings to place a fretsaw. ...So, saw. Here is a result.

Our cat. Tailless.

Now, let's made a rear arc board. To do it, we attach two boards via screws and saw it through a once more template

DON'T THROW OUT THE REST PART!!! It will be usefull.

Keys-I

After that, let's made key's fasteners. There are different ways to attach keys. I used metal plates. Shortly before beginning of pedal construction, we bought a new washing machine, and I had a parts of old one – such nice metal sides. I had cut it and made a two holes for screws 3mm.

Now, we attach these plates to keys. To do it faster, I made a conductor.

Here is it looks in a case;
There is a question – where are the sharp's top pieces? Nowhere, for a while. We will install it later, because it is easier to maniplate with the keys without top pieces.

Tracks

So, take a 10mm aluminium tube and cut it on 40 pieces by 110mm. In every one we made two holes at 7.5mm from tube sides. After that, we attach tubes to the front arc board in previously marked points.

Now, we install a front board with the tracks to the case and put the keys. Let's made a key markings. We need to mark three lines: keys cuttint, white key sections and sharp pieces places. The first two lines we made by a guideline, the third – by means of pencil and tape measure.

Springs

As before, we mark and cut an arc board. Note, than now an arc radius is 20mm less then we need. It allows us to put keys on this board and make a marks. I made this board from the pine, but it is better to use a plywood (18mm thickness or two by 10mm, connected by screws).

Attach an arc to the case and put the even keys. Mark it's positions.

Now, we put the rest keys and mark it's position. Here is a result.

After that, we drill holes for tubes. To track a drill along the lines marked, I attached a knittng needle to the drill. ...The cat again.

We made the holes in then board, let's make holes in the keys. It is unposiible to calculate it's positions beforehand, so we need to mark it. For example, in such way: take a screw, cut a one cm of a neck and sharpen it.

Take a key and put it on it's place and press. We obtained a mark for a hole.

After that cut an arc on 20mm to make a place for the springs.

To make tracks for he springs, I used an aliminium tube 8mm. Cut it on 32 pieces 50-60mm length and put into holes.

After that put washers and springs.

Keys-II

Now, we make the white key cuts to make it's front height 40mm. Install sharp's top pieces and mark it's positions at a side, to make it visible when top pieces are installed.

Let's drill holes for the screws. To make it along a key, we set up a setsquare and orient the drill by it.

Attach the sharp top pieces. To make it parallel to the key base, we fix it between two boards.
After that we turn this construction over and drive two screws.

Now we cut the key ends by the marks made previously. Two-three near keys has the same cut angle, so, it's able to cut it at a one trace, matching line ends.

After that we cut the sharps by the lines we marked before. Here is a result.

Bench

It is very easy to make a bench – just connect by the screws.

Photointerrupter PCBs

Next, we prepare PCBs. We made the long holes for adjustment. The top side position must be choosen so the corner doesn't touch the photointerrupter contacts.

Screw and set up.

Keys covering

Cover the front board inside.

Êeys-III

Screw it.

Electronics

Cut the shutters to made it's ends at a one line.

Set up PCBs and wire it.

New springs NEW

Now slightly ream the tube holes and place the bolts there.

Mount the keys at it's place, beforehand slightly unscrew the bolts.

Here is the result

Crescendo pedal

I temporary fixed the pedal by screw-clamps. I'll made something mo respectable later.

Result

It's hard to coil a spring wire, so we need a special tool. Fortunately, Raphi Giangiulio found a solution. The only disadventage is a high fixing bolt. When rotating a tool it will rest to the wire. It will be need to slide bars apart. It is inconvient. Possible solution is to use shorter bar and two screws. This bar also have a riffle allowing even closer bar sliding.

The spring need a bent end to fix it in a coiling tool. This can be done by hands in a vice.

Now we can coil a spring. Place a bent end between the screws, put a long bar's tube to the hole, and fix a spring's long end with a bolt. Turn the long bar about 1.6 turns. We have a spring!

After new springs installed, keys will strike on a front board, so we need a new 1cm thick felt. It can be simply glued.

Now let's install an additional plywood board. It made the whole construction more strong. It also make a fixed part of the spring longer.

Old springs and bolts can be used for key force adjustment. But now these springs are loaded much less. If you release a key too sharply, the back part will jump and you hear BAMM. Felt is the solution here too.

Bolts are very close to each other, so it is inconvient to use an open-end wrench. So we need a line (or tube, or flare-nut) wrench. The slit allows to throw a wrench through a bolt's body. I have not sound such wrench in a shop, so the slit was made by aa angle grinder.

Now let's solve a poser. How can we measure a key force on a vertical standing pedalboard? We also need a free hands for wrench manipulations. ...Bingo! We made a wire hook and tie it to the key and to the scales. The scales are attached to the wooden bar, and this bar — to the instrument box. We move the box to achieve semi-pressed key position and turn a bolt to get a force equal to 1.5kg. It is important to hook a key in a right place. The sharp keys should be hooked on a middle of the sharp piece, and the white keys over a line through sharp's butt-end.

Also I made a new foot controller stand.

The tailless. Again...