Making my Big Button Cartesian Sequencer

[JonGreen]

Ok, a little explaination, since I use my own ‘well it makes sense to me’ drawing style for this.

Basically all the componants that I will mount to the panel are shown as boxes with the type of componant inside i.e. a box labled ‘Jack’ is a jack socket and is (in this instance) the correct size on the diagram for a Truconnect/Switchcraft style box jack. I have also got an almost phallic symbol denoting a flip switch and a square with a circle inside for a push switch. The arcade buttons and the step controls are arranged into 4x4 grids. I am not showing the arcade switches themselves, just know that the ones I am going to be using are 24mm hole cut out/32mm when mounted with a surround, and the boxes on the diagram are 35mm giving enough space to be sure they will fit neatly when centered in the box.

Ins and outs are labled, as is one of the ‘Step’ boxes, assume all steps are the same, just with different co-ordinate labels (I think I have labeled them wrong on my diagram, but I will double check which way round to properly label my co-ordinates and make sure its right before I engrave the panel). Also, I am using small knobs on the steps, namely the ~12mm Rogan RB Small (no skirt) knobs. They are expensive, but they make everything fit and have a similar style to Sam’s chosen SCI knobs so it should look the part with the rest of my Kosmo modular.

Also I am going with the second possible step layout, so the knobs are in a straight line, as I have also illustrated (in my own rough way) a diaganal variant which likely won’t be used.

The purpose of the Gate switch on each step is to tell the sequencer to fire a variable length gate from the GATE output when that step is selected, the length of which is set via the Gate pot and CV, wheras the X & Y trigger outputs will fire when either the X co-ord or Y co-ord changes. That way I get a nice amount of variation with different kinds of triggers and can generate all three from the Arduino directly. I am also tempted to have them output via a vactrol, to give them more useful shapes if I am using them to ‘ping’ and filter or LPG and it would mean I could easilly bump up the triggers and gates from 5v to 8v to be more euro compatible. The Pattern knob and associated CV input will change the behaviour of the pattern mode (called Snake on the MN Rene), as to which direction it travels across the grid. I may also add toggle switches to allow you to set the X & Y IN jacks to progress either forward or backwards for both inputs (meaning your Y input could be running backwards whilst your X input is running forwards). In Pattern mode clocking either X or Y will produce either a forward or a backward step respectivly along the pattern as selected on the Pattern pot.

Et voila! Hacky ass cartesian sequencing in Kosmo. Here’s hoping she works…

[ChristianBloch]

@JonGreen

Here’s hoping she works…

Man, I hope so, because I’d love to build one of these

[JonGreen]

Well, its been a while so I figured an update is in order. The code is coming along nicely, just need to get the buttons to function as intended now, but on a major front I now have a proper front panel design.

The whole panel is going to be milled on my little Sainsmart 3018PRO CNC in three passes as the panel is technically too large to do in one go. One for the stage programming section, one for the button matrix, and a third for the gate and pattern knobs and CV outs.

The circles are being cut through the panel for controls, and the dashed lines will be ignored but are on the design to show the outer limits of the knobs. Everything else is going to be a 0.2mm engraving that I will then fill with white paint on a black background (so imagine the picture inverted). I might even get fancy and do some airbrushed artwork on the panel before filling in the engravings… oh and I hate the name I gave this one, but can’t think of anything better. Any ideas?

I have also put together another panel for a 25cm wide sequential AD envelope generator, using Sam’s super simple TL072 AD envelopes and a simple forward backward sequencer and a little analog logic for the min and max being output across all 16 stages. Buttons on each stage allow you to trigger said stage without the sequencer getting involved as well so you can use it to produce accents on demand etc. Selecting a stage will involve an encoder (in the middle) that can set the active stage to the sequencer as well as turn off said stage so it isn’t triggered as the sequence runs past.

Also planned is a 5cm wide clock module and a 10cm wide sequential switch, giving a nice 40cm wide array of hands on sequencing over two rows of modules.

[Doolang]

Built one this weekend. Just waiting on a couple of buttons. Just need to grab some buttons. This is my second.

[JonGreen]

Nice! I figured I would go with 16 steps since I had the panel space, but that looks ace! Are you doing anything fancy with the outputs?

[Maxhirez]

So-out of curiosity and a little bit of envy-are you using foam cupboard-liner as a stencil for these panels? Because that looks f*cking brilliant.

[Doolang]

The odd time i’ll use a few out for modulation, or I’ll use them out to the reset to shorten sequences.

[Doolang]

Thanks!! Pretty much! Not foam though. Seems more like rubbery plastic. I’ve done a bunch. Really happy with the way this one turned out.

[JonGreen]

lol, no, I meant on the circuit itself. Have you added extra buffers on the outputs etc, and have you done the whole Min/Max with invert and if so did you have any issues crop up that I could/should avoid Also is that a dual CV sequencer (like a Buchla 250) or is it a series of AD Envelopes like I am planning?

The panel looks super cool but lack of labels makes it tricky to work out whats going on

[Doolang]

Ahh, right. Nope. Haven’t done anything special. Pretty much the same as Sams layout with euro power. It’s a dual cv 8 step. Labels are coming. I’m trying to find a better way than paint markers, which is what I usually use. I print like a 4 year old and don’t want to mess up the pretty finish. I’m the only one using it, so no issues here.

[Maxhirez]

Yeah, it turned out great… hypnotic even…
ALL HAIL HYPNOTOAD!

[Bitnik]

I’m still blue-skying on basic stuff like labels (the advantages of being short of actual hobby time and money while having plenty of spare time in between daily tasks.) I thought of Letraset dry transfers, but they’re now collectibles.

I used to use simple letter stencils from an art shop. That seems to be a viable and inexpensive alternative to hand lettering, and a brief check on eBay shows a wide variety of typefaces are available in plastic stencil as small as 3.5mm.

[JonGreen]

I am lucky with the lettering to have my CNC machine, I can either use a laser module to strip off paint and expose the metal underneath or just go old school and engrave it and use old school paint techniques to get my lettering. Hopefully I will be running off the first of the panels this week so I will update on how I did it and what the end results look like.

[JonGreen]

Ok, so I have been busy working away on synthy stuff this last week, and one of the things I have done is to actually test out my panel manufacturing methods. I was pretty sure that it was going to work eventually, but I hadn’t actually tried my planned methodology out for real.

I realised this when I sat down to start making the front panel last weekend and figured I should probably do something else first. As I had been planning to make one anyway I figured that a fancy front panel for my deathly boring ‘Manual Voltage Processor’ might be in order.

I have documented how I got from panel blank to finished panel below.

First, I designed the panel in Illustrator before exporting it to a format that my CNC software could understand. Later I would realise that importing like this caused a slight layout error on my rail holes as they went out of position relative to the rest of the board caused by using a ‘Responsive SVG’, its not a problem here but its a lesson I will take to heart.

Anyway, it milled ok, some minor issues cutting through the back side of aluminium on my Alupanel board, but since it was already cut to size it just meant that I needed to drill out the last .4mm of the holes.

Making a wasteboard and module holder

Blank panel mounted

Milling the panel

Finsihed trimmed panel

So now I had an engraved and cut panel I gave it a good priming (just to make sure my paint would properly adhere to the gloss surface) and gave it a coat of paint to form the background. This was acrylic artists spray paint, which is a bugger to use unless you have practice, but you could use any kind of paint to achieve a background colour/pattern/whatever you like.

After painting

After clearcoat

As you can see in the second photo, once I had got the artwork on the panel, I then gave it a good coat of gloss varnish. This was important for the next stage. I then used a Titanium White artists oil paint and thinners to paint in the engraving, and because I had clearcoated it I could then use a rag and more thinners to carefully clean off the overspill. Its a bit laborious but I think it came out quite nicely in the end.

Final panel with lettering, minor touch-ups to be completed in a few days

Now for anyone eagle eyed, yes the Attenuverters label at the top is a little close to the row of sockets beneath, but they do just fit, and yes I still need to do another pass of cleaning with thinners to get the last of the white paint smears off the panel here and there, but waiting for oil paint to dry takes days, and its a very minor touch up so I figured I would write it up now. I’ll also give it another blast of clearcoat before I assemble it so it has a nice uniform finish (the thinners dulls it).

[devicex]

dam nice panel .sounds and looks like you put a lot of work and patience into it . mine are just one color and have finger prints in them because i am in to much of a hurry to let paint dry thoroughly. good job very inspiring. lol I should take more time so my shit comes out better .

[JonGreen]

Lol, the waiting was surprisingly easy. For once having to go to work was a boon because I would come home of an evening, put the next layer of paint or clearcoat on and then go do my usual evening stuff. Mind you, the space scene came together in about 10mins flat, because that kind of artwork has to be done quickly or it doesn’t turn out.

[Bitnik]

I just noticed an old post where you described using a CNC machine to engrave the lettering. I think the results speak for themselves here. You did a great job on the artwork overall. I’m still thinking in terms of colour-filling panels to reflect function and maybe using coloured washers or nuts. Meanwhile I feel as if you’re painting the Sistine Chapel. Bravo!