I one of those guys that knows what he wants to do, but is pretty clueless when it comes to execution. This will probably be pretty simple for some of you. Here's what I want to do:

I need to take the output from a drum-trigger and send it alternately to different inputs on a drum brain. The drum trigger is basically a piezo, and is activated by a foot pedal. I've hooked up a couple switches to the pedal to test, and can get a micro-switch to close consistently. I've tried a couple latching push-buttons. Mechanically, the latching buttons are a failure, so I've abandoned the idea of using them, so my solution will be some sort of latching relay triggered by the micro-switch. The switch will be depressed after the strike on the piezo, setting it up for the next strike. This eliminates any critical timing issues. The path from the piezo to the drumbrain will have to stay pretty clean to prevent false triggers.

Basically, when the switch is depressed, the relay would set the path for the piezo pulse to the opposite output. Kick1->output1 Kick2->output2 Kick3->output1 alternating until the drummers leg gives out.

My son suggested eliminating the switch altogether and using something like the Teensy to sense the pulse from the piezo and toggle the output. That would be a really elegant solution, but may be more complicated to build. I built some Heathkits when I was a kid, so I can follow directions and solder, but that's about it.

Any ideas, suggestions or remarks regarding my sanity?

Thanks in advance.

Mark

 

This is a relay flip-flop, one flips back and forth with every push.
Max.

 

Here is a pre-built one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Touch-Elect...423?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417cef7e27

And a flip-flop relay. (bistable)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Potter-Brum...944?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a8598470

I use these. They are pretty reliable and long lived.