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Mod of Panasonic Fader for Touch Operation


Guest StevetheBean

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Guest StevetheBean

This question is addressed to those of you using the Panasonic Motor Fader available at All Electronic.

It is rather trivial to implement touch sensitivity; the circuit is quite simple. However, it's necessary to have electrical conduction from the metal fader cap to the circuit - a single wire/connection.

I'd like to know if the Panasonic fader would lend itself to this kind of mod. Is the nub on which the fader cap is mounted an electrical conductor? Does any part of it stick out on the underside of the fader to which a wire could be attached/soldered? Is the body of the fader a conductor and in touch with this center section, or is it isolated?

I think you see where I'm going with this. Any speculation is welcome, but hard facts would be preferable ;). I got all my PC boards from Mike and am know beginning to shop the components.

And a question to Thorsten (Thank-you! Thank-you!...): Is is the LC emulation setup to accept this touch-sensitivity?

Thanks to all.

Steve

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I'd like to know if the Panasonic fader would lend itself to this kind of mod.

Probably not, I thought about trying something like this, and measured for continuity from the fader post to everything on the fader with no luck.  The fader post is isolated.  So, I looked at the possibility of tack soldering a very flexible wire to the fader post, but with the design of the frame of the panasonic and the length of the throw there would be no way to keep that wire from getting hung up in the belt for the drive.

I might be missing a way of modding these faders for touch, so I have some decent close up pics of the panasonic handy if anyone wants a look.  Just let me know and I'll post them here.

Later all!

SmashTV ;)

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Hi,

 I believe that Thorsten has taken this issue into consideration, and written implementation that does not require touch sensitivity to release motor when you stop the fader moving. Other than that, there is no way to add touch sensitivity unless you attach some sort of wiper to the knob and add a track externally to the slider for it to rub on. Probably too difficult.

bye from Steve :)

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  • 3 months later...
Guest DavidChristopher

Hmm. This changes things somewhat. Can someone confirm this is indeed correct? If so, maybe panafaders are the way to go...

Hi,

[tt]I believe that Thorsten has taken this issue into consideration, and written implementation that does not require touch sensitivity to release motor when you stop the fader moving. [/tt]

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yep

this is true but if you want maximum life from your faders you need to use either touchsensitive faders or a "disengage button"

Personally im not using either at the moment but it depends on your style of working

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I just had an (weird) idea...

wouldn´t a AOUT (which will come) to a valueable resistor (that IC-resistor), a rotary encoder and a LCD showing the actual positions make something like a  "cloned" (tell me a better word...) motorfader?

And: Wouldnt it be like half the price of the Panasonic MFs but having an "pseudo" - touch sensitivity (as soon as the encoder is moved and so on)?

???  :)

What do you think of that? Mackie Control clone with ALPS MF clones ...  ;D

Just not the feeling of MFs, but whatever, the LCD would show the value anyhow...

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I just had an (weird) idea...  

wouldn´t a AOUT (which will come) to a valueable resistor (that IC-resistor), a rotary encoder and a LCD showing the actual positions make something like a  "cloned" (tell me a better word...) motorfader?

And: Wouldnt it be like half the price of the Panasonic MFs but having an "pseudo" - touch sensitivity (as soon as the encoder is moved and so on)?

   

What do you think of that? Mackie Control clone with ALPS MF clones ...  

Just not the feeling of MFs, but whatever, the LCD would show the value anyhow...

This may allready be possible... Just a row of pan-pots (encoders) and use the flip button to switch them into fader mode. This works with logic, but I don't know about other programs.

Also, in theory it sounds like a good idea, but having worked like this in logic, it is a real pain trying to look at a numeric value for each of the fader positions... it is nowhere as easy as looking at the fader's positions. (though it may be possible to use LED rings, to show fader positions, but I'm not sure how)

Does anyone know if you can assign the fader position to show up as a bar, in flip mode, like with the level meter function? it would save having to make ledrings!

well I hope someone can add something useful to this...

BTW I think Thorsten has mentioned using LED bar, and slider pots (not motorised) as the faders in an old post.

bye, from Steve

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Yes, you can use the LCD as a bar meter (like in the MB64). And if you built it right, every bar would be above its encoder.

Although this makes it more visible, without looking it up somewhere numerical, youre still right.

You would need a damn big LCD to exchange the real position of a real MF.

But still, would be an option...

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Yes, you can use the LCD as a bar meter (like in the MB64).

hey pay,

 do you know if you can do this in LC? I know you can use the lcd as meters, but I haven't been able to work out if you can use them to show position like mb64 (don't really want to build ledrings, but I think I may have to! The box will be heaps better with it I suppose! TK... THIS IS NOT A FEATURE REQUEST! you do enough already!!!)

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LED's -.....15mA each, X 90 approx = 1.3A ...Hmmm...

to answer your question, pilo, I think an LED bar will be better, set up near the top of the surface, like a meter bridge, as it is :

A.. Easier,

B.. Much easier to wire up (just a simple grid, instead of point to point)

C.. you can see the meter levels easier,

D.. when I switch it to ledring mode, my hand won't obstruct the view of the ledring, and

E.. if I choose to run encoders most of the time, even to adjust fader levels (save the life of the panasonic faders, except when writing automation) then I will have a nice indication of the fader virtual positions (good idea for a portable or budget version of the LC)

Downside... Not very cool for panning things! (especially if you have lots of pots panned hard left/right in a row!!

arrghh! I'm writing too much, not building enough!! ;)

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That with the LED current isnt quite right Steven... :P

Those LED rings are multiplexed, meaning:

If you have e.g. 8 LED Rings with 11 LEDs in each ring, the 11 LEDs are switched through all the time. So also if ALL LEDs are lit, there are only 8 LEDs draining power in one moment.

8x20mA=160mA (muuuuuch better, isnt it?)

disadvantage: Some low-quality LEDs dont switch all on in that short period of time (thay appear darker), so you have to go up with the current a little (to 30 mA or so).

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hey pay,

That with the LED current isnt quite right Steven...  

Those LED rings are multiplexed, meaning:

If you have e.g. 8 LED Rings with 11 LEDs in each ring, the 11 LEDs are switched through all the time. So also if ALL LEDs are lit, there are only 8 LEDs draining power in one moment.

8x20mA=160mA (muuuuuch better, isnt it?)

disadvantage: Some low-quality LEDs dont switch all on in that short period of time (thay appear darker), so you have to go up with the current a little (to 30 mA or so).  

oh! thats good, I'm glad you corrected my mistake so quickly!

yeah, 160mA.. much better  ;D (won't need a new PSU afterall! ;D

bye, from Steve

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