Nearly Organlike

It is starting to get there. Now to decide where things will go, where to cut curves on the top. How much to adjust the bench down, etc

Console Frame

Today I spent some time making the console frame. It is ordinary construction 2x4 and 2x3. it doesnt matter what it looks like as it will be clad and bits added to make it look neat and tidy. Using coach screws to attach it together.

For the first time I have an idea of the size and room I have to play with. Later I will test fit the subwoofer and PC to see where their locations will be once the pedalboard is in its rough location.

Coming Together

I love it when a plan comes together... At least parts that were built away from the pedalboard actually fit and I don't have to do any swearing and modificatoons!

Hopefully the bench will get some paint tomorrow and while that is drying the stand to hold the organ top for the console will be built. Then I'll be in a better position to see where everything is going to fit inside it and make decisions.

Key stack and FCB1010 platform

Today I did a bit of work on the keyboard stack. The front pieces are done. They received a channel for the plywood base to sit in. This was done with a bit at the router table then a hammer and chisel to square the corners up. I then gave a coat of Danish Oil to finish them. The lower blocks of wood recieved a channel in as well. My aim is to build the keyboard stacks tomorrow.

The piece of veneered MDF which will be the top was also given some Danish Oil. When the keyboard stack is done I can do some cutting of the top as I want some curves along the front edge and corners.

Finally a platform was made for the FCB 1010 to sit on at a roughly 40 degree angle. It is a simple piece of plywood with some offcuts to hold the unit in place and at the height needed to clear the pedalboard frame so it sits over it.

Updates

I disassembled the rest of the organ in the room today. It feels quite empty in there. Hopefully for not much longer though.

The bench received some glue and will be sanded and painted. The bench top has started to receive some Danish Oil and is looking lovely and smooth. I love Walnut.

Behringer FCB1010 Modification

As part of the organ re-build I am going to keep the Behringer FCB1010 foot controller to use the two swell pedals. I decided to modify it though so the plastic was covered by a nice wood.

I opened the back of the unit and the two pedals are attached via four screws. The way the pedal works is it has a piece of plastic that transitions from black to clear. There is a light and a sensor detects how much light there is an turns that into the volume being full or off. Clever but simple.

You can tighten the screws up as well if you want a stiffer pedal once the bracket is free from the unit. It is simply a nyloc nut that a little spanner can hold and you can tigthen a screw.

I made the new Swell pedals out of some tulipwood that was just wider than the pedal itself. I screwed these on with some self-tapping screws from behind. I then sanded and rounded over the pedals and finished with some Danish Oil to give a lovely smooth feel to it.

Wiring Sustain Pedals

This evening I pulled out one of my Behringer UMX 61 keyboards and attached it to a computer with the program MIDIOX on so I could see the commands being sent. I needed to find a way to hook up sustain pedals easily, hopefully by connecting to the onboard buttons. After playing around with the keyboard and having some idea how the switches worked I purchased some 1/4" female mono jack sockets and hooked up my sustain pedal. I quickly found out that the top rail of the UMX 61 switch PCB works with the tip of the jack and that the bottom part worked with the main part of the jack.

From this I will now be able to wire in the amount of jack sockets I need and purchase some sustain pedals to work for my Cavaille-Coll foot pedals. I will need to solder a test one and fire up Hauptwerk tomorrow to make sure it truly works.