RB Pedal guts in a GHWT Pedal Mod

[ImaCarrot]

I think this may be the first time I've posted something significant in a hardware forum in the 2.5 years I've been here.

Anyway, my Rock Band 1 stock pedal finally broke just like most everyone else's (I didn't play drums all that often) and I was prolonging the life of it with liberal use of duct tape. When I went to that Guitar Hero: Metallica press event, they handed out free Guitar Hero kick pedals as swag. As most of you know, the GH pedal does not work at all on a Rock Band drum kit. So now I've got a broken RB pedal and a useless, but functional, GH pedal. So I set to work getting the GH pedal working with my RB kit.

The pedals both use completely different methods of sending the signal to the game, the RB pedal uses a reed switch and a magnet while the GH pedal uses something else to generate the pulses (I don't even know what that pedal does to work). I figured that the easiest way, in my case, to get this to work would be to just swap the reed switch guts from the RB pedal into the GH pedal case.

Start by taking apart the RB pedal, this guide has some good pics of the pedal and instructions on how to take it apart. The only problem, my RB1 first generation pedal was constructed differently. The 4 U-shaped pieces of rubber (yes, those are rubber) hide the 4 screws that hold the top compartment lid in place. Your first task is to take those U-shaped pieces out. Good luck with that, I hope you aren't harboring any allusions to keeping your broken RB pedal in decent shape, I destroyed mine getting those screws out. A pretty easy way to get the U-shaped rubber out is to take a drill with a small bit and drill some holes into the top ends, then take some needlenose pliers, put one end in the hole you've made and pull like crazy. They'll come out with a decent fight. I've marked the locations of the 4 screws in this picture so you'll have an easier time of it than I did.

Image: Rock Band Pedal 1st generation screws locations

Now just take the screws out, they are standard phillips head screws and shouldn't pose any trouble. Once you have the lid off, you should see the audio jack cable split off into a red and white cable, with each connected to the reed switch. The switch is connected by two pieces of plastic, I was able to use a pair of wire cutters to snip through them easily enough. Try to cut as close to the reed switch as you can to get the excess plastic off of it.

Once you have the reed switch out and ready to go, take a look at the underside of the pedal that actually makes contact with the reed switch. You should see an orange face plate, Remove it. Those screws are easy enough to get to that it shouldn't be a problem. You'll see a small magnet underneath it, use an exacto blade to pop it out of the plastic housing.

That's it for the RB pedal, you can junk the rest of it now, you've got the two pieces we need.

Now for the GH pedal, it is a bit easier to take apart than the RB pedal thankfully. First flip it over and remove the sticky pad at the toes of the pedal (the one closest the chord). You'll find a couple of screws, they are small phillips head screws and could be tough to get too if you don't have the right size screwdriver. Take those out and the circular panel on top will come off. You'll find a large, circular object, that looks like a magnet. The wires coming in from the audio chord are connected to it, just pull all of that stuff out, the circular thing is held in place just by some stickytape or glue. Somehow, you must fashion your RB reed switch into this little box, the chord can fit pretty snugly if you get it in there just right. Make sure that you afix the reed switch to the underside of the cap that you removed with the actual switch part face down. The magnet has to make contact with the switch in order to work and it won't do that if it isn't placed just right.

Image: Bottom of the Guitar Hero pedal

Image: Guitar Hero pedal contact

I just used some duct tape to hold the switch in place, I don't expect it to be a permanent fix, but I didn't want to crack it open again to place it with super glue. I'll fix it again if it ever comes loose. The reed switch is pretty small, as is the magnet, so you have to judge where the magnet is going to make contact and place the switch accordingly.

Once you have the switch in place, it is time to place the magnet. The round knobby thing that makes contact with the circular box you put the switch into is where you're going to stick that magnet. You'll notice that it already has a hole in it, this hole is there so you can get to the screw that holds the knobby thing to the pedal. I didn't want to take the pedal off (didn't want to risk messing up the spring) so I couldn't easily get to this screw. So I drilled a small hole through the top of the pedal and the screw to get it off, not the most elegant solution but the hole won't bother me while playing.

Now that the knobby piece is off, you'll see that it is nothing but plastic, there aren't any extra pieces in there like with the RB pedal. So I took my trusty drill, equipped it with a bit about the size of the RB magnet (I used a 5/16 bit), and drilled a bit into the center of the knob, right where the original hole was. I only drilled enough so the magnet would fit inside. It took a bit of force to get the magnet inside, but that is a good thing cause it means the magnet won't come out at all, I may even place a bit of electrical tape over it to help. When putting the magnet inside, make sure you put it in facing the right way, only one side will actually trigger the reed switch. My magnet had a small red line on the side that worked with the switch, so I used that as a guide. Basically, install the magnet the same way it was on the RB pedal.

Image: Magnet installed in the Guitar Hero pedal

Now to get the knobby piece back on the pedal, obviously you can't screw it back in since you covered the hole with a magnet. Mine was able to stay stuck to the pedal using the screw canal, but not very well, so I used some crazy glue to stick it in place. It isn't going anywhere now.

Image: Use some clamps to keep the knob in place while the glue sets overnight

There you have it, a GH kick pedal with the RB guts so you can use it on a RB kit. I personally like the GH pedal much more than the RB one, so this is a big upgrade for me.

Image: Shot showing the RB chord coming out of the GH pedal
_________________

Publications Specialist / Graphics Designer
Rhythm Authors LLC
www.rhythmauthors.com
------------------------------------------------
Level Designer at Crystal Dynamics

[ImaCarrot]

I think this may be the first time I've posted something significant in a hardware forum in the 2.5 years I've been here.

Anyway, my Rock Band 1 stock pedal finally broke just like most everyone else's (I didn't play drums all that often) and I was prolonging the life of it with liberal use of duct tape. When I went to that Guitar Hero: Metallica press event, they handed out free Guitar Hero kick pedals as swag. As most of you know, the GH pedal does not work at all on a Rock Band drum kit. So now I've got a broken RB pedal and a useless, but functional, GH pedal. So I set to work getting the GH pedal working with my RB kit.

The pedals both use completely different methods of sending the signal to the game, the RB pedal uses a reed switch and a magnet while the GH pedal uses something else to generate the pulses (I don't even know what that pedal does to work). I figured that the easiest way, in my case, to get this to work would be to just swap the reed switch guts from the RB pedal into the GH pedal case.

Start by taking apart the RB pedal, this guide has some good pics of the pedal and instructions on how to take it apart. The only problem, my RB1 first generation pedal was constructed differently. The 4 U-shaped pieces of rubber (yes, those are rubber) hide the 4 screws that hold the top compartment lid in place. Your first task is to take those U-shaped pieces out. Good luck with that, I hope you aren't harboring any allusions to keeping your broken RB pedal in decent shape, I destroyed mine getting those screws out. A pretty easy way to get the U-shaped rubber out is to take a drill with a small bit and drill some holes into the top ends, then take some needlenose pliers, put one end in the hole you've made and pull like crazy. They'll come out with a decent fight. I've marked the locations of the 4 screws in this picture so you'll have an easier time of it than I did.

Image: Rock Band Pedal 1st generation screws locations

Now just take the screws out, they are standard phillips head screws and shouldn't pose any trouble. Once you have the lid off, you should see the audio jack cable split off into a red and white cable, with each connected to the reed switch. The switch is connected by two pieces of plastic, I was able to use a pair of wire cutters to snip through them easily enough. Try to cut as close to the reed switch as you can to get the excess plastic off of it.

Once you have the reed switch out and ready to go, take a look at the underside of the pedal that actually makes contact with the reed switch. You should see an orange face plate, Remove it. Those screws are easy enough to get to that it shouldn't be a problem. You'll see a small magnet underneath it, use an exacto blade to pop it out of the plastic housing.

That's it for the RB pedal, you can junk the rest of it now, you've got the two pieces we need.

Now for the GH pedal, it is a bit easier to take apart than the RB pedal thankfully. First flip it over and remove the sticky pad at the toes of the pedal (the one closest the chord). You'll find a couple of screws, they are small phillips head screws and could be tough to get too if you don't have the right size screwdriver. Take those out and the circular panel on top will come off. You'll find a large, circular object, that looks like a magnet. The wires coming in from the audio chord are connected to it, just pull all of that stuff out, the circular thing is held in place just by some stickytape or glue. Somehow, you must fashion your RB reed switch into this little box, the chord can fit pretty snugly if you get it in there just right. Make sure that you afix the reed switch to the underside of the cap that you removed with the actual switch part face down. The magnet has to make contact with the switch in order to work and it won't do that if it isn't placed just right.

Image: Bottom of the Guitar Hero pedal

Image: Guitar Hero pedal contact

I just used some duct tape to hold the switch in place, I don't expect it to be a permanent fix, but I didn't want to crack it open again to place it with super glue. I'll fix it again if it ever comes loose. The reed switch is pretty small, as is the magnet, so you have to judge where the magnet is going to make contact and place the switch accordingly.

Once you have the switch in place, it is time to place the magnet. The round knobby thing that makes contact with the circular box you put the switch into is where you're going to stick that magnet. You'll notice that it already has a hole in it, this hole is there so you can get to the screw that holds the knobby thing to the pedal. I didn't want to take the pedal off (didn't want to risk messing up the spring) so I couldn't easily get to this screw. So I drilled a small hole through the top of the pedal and the screw to get it off, not the most elegant solution but the hole won't bother me while playing.

Now that the knobby piece is off, you'll see that it is nothing but plastic, there aren't any extra pieces in there like with the RB pedal. So I took my trusty drill, equipped it with a bit about the size of the RB magnet (I used a 5/16 bit), and drilled a bit into the center of the knob, right where the original hole was. I only drilled enough so the magnet would fit inside. It took a bit of force to get the magnet inside, but that is a good thing cause it means the magnet won't come out at all, I may even place a bit of electrical tape over it to help. When putting the magnet inside, make sure you put it in facing the right way, only one side will actually trigger the reed switch. My magnet had a small red line on the side that worked with the switch, so I used that as a guide. Basically, install the magnet the same way it was on the RB pedal.

Image: Magnet installed in the Guitar Hero pedal

Now to get the knobby piece back on the pedal, obviously you can't screw it back in since you covered the hole with a magnet. Mine was able to stay stuck to the pedal using the screw canal, but not very well, so I used some crazy glue to stick it in place. It isn't going anywhere now.

Image: Use some clamps to keep the knob in place while the glue sets overnight

There you have it, a GH kick pedal with the RB guts so you can use it on a RB kit. I personally like the GH pedal much more than the RB one, so this is a big upgrade for me.

Image: Shot showing the RB chord coming out of the GH pedal
_________________

Publications Specialist / Graphics Designer
Rhythm Authors LLC
www.rhythmauthors.com
------------------------------------------------
Level Designer at Crystal Dynamics

[fm20000]

thanks
_________________

PSN-Megadeth232

[fm20000]

thanks
_________________

PSN-Megadeth232

[Rawrspoon]

I ripped out the guts of a RB pedal and put it in a real pedal, and it works beautifully, although it looks ugly as hell.
_________________

Rest of banners will go up once I'm not bored

[Rawrspoon]

I ripped out the guts of a RB pedal and put it in a real pedal, and it works beautifully, although it looks ugly as hell.
_________________

Rest of banners will go up once I'm not bored

[Browniebatter]

I cannot thank you enough for this guide because personally I love the gh pedal, but not so much the kit, and have been looking on how to get this tto work

[Browniebatter]

I cannot thank you enough for this guide because personally I love the gh pedal, but not so much the kit, and have been looking on how to get this tto work

[Zorban]

i would do this but my parents would get mad lol
_________________

Acheivment List | Youtube Channel
Wii FC - 4421-6880-7151-1947 | RB2 FC - 1661-4757-3189

[Zorban]

i would do this but my parents would get mad lol
_________________

Acheivment List | Youtube Channel
Wii FC - 4421-6880-7151-1947 | RB2 FC - 1661-4757-3189

[Eggy]

could I also buy the reed switch mechanism of the rb pedal(like, the magnet and the other thing needed) and connect it with the cable of the gh cable? that way I wouldn't need to wait until my pedal cracks.

[Eggy]

could I also buy the reed switch mechanism of the rb pedal(like, the magnet and the other thing needed) and connect it with the cable of the gh cable? that way I wouldn't need to wait until my pedal cracks.

[purplee]

I have been using a Rock Band guts(well technically mad catz) inside a GHWT pedal for quite some time now, and I think I have a method people will find useful. I accidentally broke the magnet switch when trying to get it into the right place, so I decided to see what else I could use to get this pedal working the way I wanted.

As it turns out, all that the pedal wants for a hit to be registered is for a current to flow between the two wires (a complete circuit). So that got me thinking of a very simple method to turn anything that can make contact into a pedal - using aluminium on either side of the pedal, with each of the wires touching the foil on a side. It worked pretty much flawlessly, always giving a hit whenever the pedal was pushed down.

However, every 20 songs or so, the foil would wear out a bit, and occasionally double hit/triple hit and so on. This was easily solved by replacing the foil, but I decided to go for something more permanent and requiring less maintenance. That's where another idea hit me...coins!

Simple tape a coin of your choice (I used an aussie 50c for mine, and a 5c coin for a different pedal i'm using), making sure that the coin makes contact with the foil or wire.

Again, this caused an issue, as two coins hitting each other on each pedal hit make a CHINK sound which was a little annoying. So I took away the top coin, but left the bottom one there. Works fine, has lasted a week without any wearing away of the foil.

tl;dr using foil or coins for a Rock Band foot pedal that can be anything you want, as long as two points make contact when they come together.

I will put pics up if anyone is interested, and sorry if this is thread hijacking at all!!

[purplee]

I have been using a Rock Band guts(well technically mad catz) inside a GHWT pedal for quite some time now, and I think I have a method people will find useful. I accidentally broke the magnet switch when trying to get it into the right place, so I decided to see what else I could use to get this pedal working the way I wanted.

As it turns out, all that the pedal wants for a hit to be registered is for a current to flow between the two wires (a complete circuit). So that got me thinking of a very simple method to turn anything that can make contact into a pedal - using aluminium on either side of the pedal, with each of the wires touching the foil on a side. It worked pretty much flawlessly, always giving a hit whenever the pedal was pushed down.

However, every 20 songs or so, the foil would wear out a bit, and occasionally double hit/triple hit and so on. This was easily solved by replacing the foil, but I decided to go for something more permanent and requiring less maintenance. That's where another idea hit me...coins!

Simple tape a coin of your choice (I used an aussie 50c for mine, and a 5c coin for a different pedal i'm using), making sure that the coin makes contact with the foil or wire.

Again, this caused an issue, as two coins hitting each other on each pedal hit make a CHINK sound which was a little annoying. So I took away the top coin, but left the bottom one there. Works fine, has lasted a week without any wearing away of the foil.

tl;dr using foil or coins for a Rock Band foot pedal that can be anything you want, as long as two points make contact when they come together.

I will put pics up if anyone is interested, and sorry if this is thread hijacking at all!!