Adjustable Hi-Hat

Case Western Reserve University

In the fall of 2018, I took EMAE160 Mechanical Manufacturing, and it was my introduction to mechanical design. Components of the course included orthogonal drawings, manufacturing methods, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, and my personal favorite: the manufacturing design presentation. In a group of 4, we were to “Design something to benefit the human race, something with a real purpose”, and model it in SolidWorks. The project would have 6-8 parts, not including OTS components.

A musician in my group noticed in his drumming experience, hi-hat cymbals can be hard to position as they have a mechanical linkage and are typically heavier and less adjustable than other drum kit components. Our project aimed to solve that issue. Through the design of a custom rail, brackets, and mounting hardware, our final product would be able to slot in to a standard hi-hat cymbal and allow the user to have many more degrees of freedom to position it.