This looks very interesting! It works basically like a rotary switch, there is a common pin and then 10 “outputs” and depending on which number you choose, the common pin is connected to one of the outs! Would make for a pretty cool interface! but a lot of hand wiring to be done…
I found these rotary switches for 1.61€, which is probably the easiest option (in terms of simply making a pcb for it) and also more or less cheap. But I am still thinking if it will be too cramped on the panel… I guess I need to print it out and test…
Those are 16mm diameter compared to 9.2mm from Farnell. I think you’d have to do some tests with a mock-up to see whether you want to spend money on the smaller ones. 9.2mm is really tiny, possibly too small for the purpose.
space between the faders is okai, with the rotary switches… I don’t know… could work, but I might like more space.
So, I think using smaller rotary switches is not really worth it, because I don’t want to use smaller knobs…
As you may have guessed, I am planning something like a metropolis sequencer, so the faders are for pitch, upper rotary switches number of repeats and lower rotary switches for mode (like trigger every repeat, every second, hold, pause,…) Also, I should make a new thread for this xD
That’s extremely tight. You couldn’t even use your thumb at that angle if the spaces marked out were all fully occupied with knobs. You’d need to use a much higher angle and I don’t think you could get much grip on the small knobs without accidentally brushing others.
I had my faders too tight in my DIY controller v1. They were about the same as seen there. One needs to at least look at the headers youd put on there and give a bit more.
Anybody have any success with AliExpress kits? Are they all fake/mislabeled parts? I think there are too many horror stories out there to trust them for IC chips, but for just resistors and caps and stuff… is it worth the gamble to pick up a load of spares?
I’ve ordered a handful of things from Ali and maybe I am just lucky, but everything has been pretty much as advertised as far as I can tell. They are running a big sale today too.
I’ve not bought more than a couple of ICs off AliExpress, but they’ve seemed to be fine. I certainly would not bet a project on an IC order from there being good, but at their prices it’s often worth a shot for something you don’t absolutely need to have* — worst that happens is you’re out a few bucks. Seems to me it would be more so for caps and resistors, which are pretty easy to check.
* [Added] and/or can’t find elsewhere from more reputable sources
I get things like pin headers, probe adapters, jumper wires, tweezers, jacks, CNC bits, tactile switches, IDC sockets, IC sockets, buck/boost converters, and bluetooth modules off aliexpress with no issues other than the occasional slow shipping.
I also got a book of SMD resistors off there and it’s been fine, not sure if they’re really the name brand they claim to be but they’re on spec at least.
I got a bunch of 10k/100k pots off there…but they’re noticeably lower quality than Tayda and other sources. Much happier with the pots from @popflier which are about the same price, much higher quality and arrive in just a few days.
I got some arudino nano’s off there - but 1 out of 4 was DOA. They were cheap enough I don’t really mind.
Shipping lately has been pretty slow though. For awhile I was getting things in just 2 weeks or so. But I ordered an antenna tuner kit and it took almost 3 months to show up.
I’d be wary of things like FTDI chips which are frequently cloned. And “too good to be true” deals on IC’s which are probably iffy pulls from equipment.
I haven’t been burned by anything off ali yet…but I’m also careful about what I order from there.
Cool, I rolled the dice and ordered some stuff. Even if it takes forever to arrive, it’s like a gift to myself in the future. And $2 for an Arduino nano… I’ll buy that lottery ticket.
The one thing I’ll say about the nano - I got two of them and they were of the ‘knockoff’ variety. They still function the same, you have to jump through an additional hoop in order to load code on them. Thankfully its nothing seriously onerous.
Oh, I’m sure they’re knock-off (legal, the Arduino is Creative Commons.) I’m guessing it’ll probably have a missing bootloader, but that shouldn’t be too tricky, fingers crossed.
Happy to hear that you like the pots I had manufactured. I’ve placed another order for B10k and B100k pots, this time with no tabs (yay!) I am told manufacturing will be complete and shipped to me on Nov 30th. Last time it only took 2 days to get to me so I’m thinking I’ll have them the first week of December.
