Mmmmm Good!
SoulPedal 3D Print Forget the Magnets or Velcro, this pocket design protects the sensors, and easily pops in or out. This one’s at 4 oz, and possible to go lighter. The Inner Soul (blue) is getting jet-printed one more time (oops), but the 2 on hand are usable for getting some feedback. Need to print a small version...
Pedal? What Pedal?
10 Controllers are about ready to go… awesome! But the Pedal (insole piece) has been the ongoing challenge. Wireless charging would be nice, heck add cap sensing and seal this up. It’s all possible and then some. But lets get this going already right? Last week, I painfully learned that nothing glues to velcro strips (really) so forget that. Besides, velcro is not very secure and won’t align anything. Had some nice breakthroughs on the rubber 3D printing but likely only a custom product given print time. However, it’s great way to shape it for the “feel”, or to make my own, so not a waste of time after all. In the lastest version, there are 2 pieces that have to fit together and come apart easily for battery changes (or to change shoe sizes). Inner SoulPedal protects the electronics and sensors. The top part makes it fit comfy and stay in place. Will this one work? We’ll soon see. Need some Magnetism in your day? In other Bucket-list news, I’ve been taking Guitar Lessons for the first time. The curse of playing by ear is that everyone thinks you can play guitar -even friends that also play guitar. There’s a lot going on in there that needs to come out. A month of patience and enjoying the...
“An Actual Photo, not a Rendering…”
I’m quoting Elon Musk today where he tweeted “This is an actual photo, not a rendering.” His Starship is really cool (up to 100 passengers?), but so is this – and as real as it gets. The new SoulPedal® enclosure for the Controller fits perfectly. Loving the recessed letters in blue to match the modded blue stripes on the knobs. The box master was precision printed and buffed out for the mold. And yup, that’s an Expression out 10K pot to control other pedals. After hooking up with another Beta Tester in Phoenix, I’m getting the sense that musicians don’t fit the “average size 8” shoe norm – more like size 11. So moving on now to multi-size pedals. Notice the old Makerbot 3D printer in the background. The pedals don’t need to be so precise, just comfy and flexible so I’ll do these myself for now with materials on hand. All I can say is good things take time. On the right side, I’m not quite sure what this one plug is going to do just yet, so I called it “Other.” You know, when people say, “No, it’s the other plug.” Well now there’s officially an “Other” plug. It literally has endless possibilities! All the top knobs are about feel in the shoe… exactly how foot pressure translates to control. And of course, MIDI Out is still there and was combined with External Control to run my Boss Delay as an example. And guess what the Pad does. If you just barely tap it, for now, it’s how we switch between MIDI/EXT, WAH, or VOLUME. Like I said… for now. Nice colors for each mode too. ...
Controller Innyrds – Does More
How about a Wireless Wah-Volume-MIDI-Expression Controller. There are a few more chips on it since last time, but digital and analog are completely in their own spaces and it has 3 knobs on top for the feel. The Pedal (not shown) has motion sensing and a nice pressure sensor under the ball of your foot. This Controller board is complete and a precision 3D print for the box arrives tomorrow. Plans are to update the Pedal for sizing, then it’s all Beta Testing with local artists… maybe explore some with ASU who showed an interest last month. True story, this project landed me a 2nd interview in front of 3 VPs at Fender as a EE Pedal Designer, reporting to VP Stan Cotey. Ken Porter, Fender VP R&D felt that SoulPedal® “was a conflict of interest.” I knew I’d either build pedals for Fender or continue down this path. Good news, I’m now focused on SoulPedal® and maybe I’ll cross paths with Fender again someday. Either way, I’m having a blast as this has endless possibilities in the world of...
Nice Volume Control Demo
The video says it all. This is all part of combining the Wah and MIDI controller into a single unit with the new Volume and Expression out. So far so good! (Xanadu by Rush was a song I played since I was a young kid in Canada. Great song!) Stay Tuned,...