Is it as simple as wiring them to a 1/4" jack and plug them into some sort of midi "drum brain", or is there more to it?
You can play with materials a little for the surface -- I used plywood and mousepads. Mousepads are a little soft (the traditional 3/8" thick foam rubber with a cloth backing type...), Different thicknesses of plywood affect sensitivity, etc. If there isn't enough mass, false/double triggering happens.
It's a fun thing to try, and the materials are really cheap (and there are DIY drum trigger boards you can find on the internet now...)