Latch Pedal

[davieh]

Good afternoon.

Can any NS2 users recommend a good latch pedal to control the rotary effect. Is it possible to use a pedal for that function.

Thanks

Davie

[Mr_-G-]

Latch and sustain pedals are trivially simple and there is no secret to their function.

When I was a student, imported music gear was extraordinarily expensive. I needed a sustain pedal for my kbd but there weren't any music shops where I lived and the internet did not exist. So I decided to make my own pedal with a microswitch like this:

microswitch.jpg (4.49 KiB) Viewed 5208 times

and a "box" made with a metal sheet I cut at the workshop of a friend of mine (well, his father's).
Two screws function as hinge and a third prevents the box to open too much.
I still have it, still works as well as a Yamaha FC5 I bought much later.

Recently I realised that it would be good to have a kind of hybrid pedal that would work as both, without the hassle of having to manually change anything. So I added a latching switch like this one:

latch-foot-switch.jpg (6.51 KiB) Viewed 5208 times

connected in series with the other (momentary) microswitch.
I placed the latching switch close to the hinge so it does not get in the way when using as sustain. The result is this:

hybrid-footwitch.jpg (17.84 KiB) Viewed 5208 times

The only detail is that if I need to use with a "normally open" type of synth, the 2 switches need to go in parallel instead of in series. The Nords fortunately cope with either type.

So to answer your question, probably any simple latch (on/off type) or momentarily switch (off while pressed or on while pressed) should work.

[Johannes]

Very nice pedal Mr G, I second it would be nice to have the LATCH function on the NS2. Last week I searched how to use it for a particular song, but I concluded that since there is no separate input, only the Nord Triple pedal works for using the Latch Function ;-(

I would love to mount an additional switch as in your picture on my sustain pedal to have it as latch or Rotary control pedal.

I remember that a while ago a member here inspected the Triple pedal and basically the three switches chain a series of resistors which then is interpreted by the NS2. So rebuilding the different resistors according to the switches should allow to create a custom pedal with a small footprint (The main reason for me not getting the Triple Pedal is its size/weight which does not quite match the NS2 Compact idea imho).
Here is the thread: http://www.norduserforum.com/general-no ... t1883.html

Bottom line, here is how the different pedals (including when pressing simultaneously) change the resistor:

Looks like the resistors values are:
R1=10K
R2=4.7K
R3=2.2K
R4=820ohm

The rubber connectors put the resistors sequentially in parallel:
step 1=open circuit
step 2=R1 = 10K
step 3= R1 // R2 = 3.2K
step 4= R1 // R2 // R3 = 1.3K
step 5= R1 // R2 // R3 // R4 = 0.5K

At least this matches Patschi's measurements.

Definitively a DIY I will try out this year, but still need to figure out which step means which pedal (or combinations of pedals) are pressed. Maybe someone with the Triple Pedal and a Multimeter could do the measurement and confirm those values.

Cheers,
Johannes

[Mr_-G-]

Just to clarify I was meaning "latch switch" rather than the latch function in the NS. I use the monstrosity above to hold chords in my other synth without having to keep pressing the sustain pedal. I agree that the latch function should need an extra pedal input for those who do not have the triple pedal.
The tempo tap switch should also benefit from being routed to an external connector, so one can synchronise the master clock by foot tapping while using both hands to play

[Mr_-G-]

Definitively a DIY I will try out this year, but still need to figure out which step means which pedal (or combinations of pedals) are pressed. Maybe someone with the Triple Pedal and a Multimeter could do the measurement and confirm those values.

I have been thinking about this too. I am not completely sure but I believe you would need 4 micro-switches to do this.
The first 2 switches create a difference in resistance between shield and tip that is probably used to generate the velocity of the half pedal. I.e. the timing between 10K and 3197 Ohm are used to compute the velocity of the half pedalling.
I am guessing this because those 2 switches (one rubber bubble with 2 contacts) are closest to the hinge of the pedal, so they should get activated first, before the pedal is fully closed. The 2nd pair of switches should activate later and send different resistance values (jumping between 1303 and 503 Ohm) which are probably used to compute the velocity of the full sustain pedal.

This seems quite clever to me, but I think there is a reason why it might be better to buy the pedal instead of trying to make one: even if one gets the principles right, it would be very difficult to get the 4 switches positioned in a way that they close at the right times depending on the travel of the pedal one chooses to add all the switches to. It would require perhaps a lot of adjustment to get the full of pedal velocities right. The firmware is expecting some predetermined range of values and there are no adjustments possible other than moving the switches up/down and closer/away from the hinge).

The other 2 pedals seem to be binary, and each rubber bubble would appear to function as a single switch according to the photo, so most likely the resistance between shield and ring will tell you if the middle (10K) or left (5.6K) or both (3584 Ohm) are being pressed.

Anyway, if you succeed, please let us know. I would be interested to see how to resolve the switch positioning.

[Frantz]

Can any NS2 users recommend a good latch pedal to control the rotary effect. Is it possible to use a pedal for that function.

Yamaha FC5

Can do a latch/rotor pedal.
Got this one too.
Indeed a very simple ( reliable ) pedal.
No switch, just a flexible copper contact plate inside, and a spring.
I don't remember, there is an option in the NS2's menu to use this momentary contact as a latching one ...

[maxpiano]

I am afraid some one has gone a bit OT here...

To answer the original question from davieh: you can use any pedal either momentary (such as a sustain pedal) or on/off switch; just choose one that you like and then set the desired behaviour (toggle/hold) in the system menu.

Using a momentary switch (sustain like) pedal is in general more flexible because it enables you to decide if you want to use it as on-off (toggle) or have the leslie FAST only when the pedal is pressed (hold)

To Johannes: I already made a working prototype of what you have in mind there is nothing more to measure, all info required are in that post you referenced

[rb4u1]

For the past couple of years I have used a Boss FS -5U.
It uses a regular 1/4 inch type guitar cable.
The footswitch itself is small but not as small as the
inexpensive pedals that are included with some keyboards.
It has a switch for polarity to make it usable with a wide
range of devices Including keyboards.
It has some other nice features also but is available as a
latching panel too. This is called a FS 5L.–

[Six-string-man]

I use a Boss FS-5U (unlatched) for my NE4 for the rotor control, and it works perfectly. Foot on to hold, foot off to stop. Built like a tank, and change out of £25 ($40). It is about the size of two packs of playing cards.

The alternative is the latched FS-5L, press once for on, press again to stop. Same price. Boss also do a twin pedal, one of each type, for less than £40.


SSM

[Mr_-G-]

To Johannes: I already made a working prototype of what you have in mind there is nothing more to measure, all info required are in that post you referenced

Hi maxpiano. Any chance of sharing your insights regarding that prototype?