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Backlit knobs?


jamie3
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Welcome aboard!

You will probably need to:

a) Use existing ideas from here (keep searchin'!)

b) Use your imagination

c) Keep searching online (I'm now into my 2nd year of searching for the "right" switch)

my intent is to find a factory assembled knob/fader which i can purchase. they must be out there.

i do not plan on building my own. it is out of scope for this project.

ill keep looking.

.

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my intent is to find a factory assembled knob/fader which i can purchase. they must be out there.

i do not plan on building my own. it is out of scope for this project.

... I wouldn't know anybody who would build the LED INTO a knob... like you wrote in your first post: They are "backlit".

So backlit is done by you, you must look for a transparent knob and stick the LED through the frontpanel to backlight the knob.

Faders: Keep in mind, that this actually has to be built INTO a knob, which means, that the connecting cables are all the time moving up and down and will break one time. Spending money for two additional taper tracks in the fader just to feed the LED is not worth the money (I'm even not shure about you'll get a fader with that many tracks).

Greets, Roger

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my intent is to find a factory assembled knob/fader which i can purchase. they must be out there.

i do not plan on building my own. it is out of scope for this project.

You can have just about any switch made, or find anything you want, but cost will be a shock (money, and probably time too).

I found my perfect switch long ago, but they're $40 each, so I'm still searching. The present solution will be a custom run of silent and soft tact-style pushbuttons and custom made actuators, which I should be able to do for about 15$ a switch, but that's for a run of 1000+. For smaller runs (one or two midiboxes) you will find that unless you're extremely well paid, it will take you longer to earn the money than it will to make them yourself, and quite possibly it will even take you longer to find them..... So you may like to reconsider the bounds of your scope.

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Making back illuminated panels is easy if you have right engraving material for back illumination. I`m thinking of making my panel back illuminated but it takes pretty much LEDs if you want to have nice evenly diffused light. I really don`t like how it looks on Korg Zero4/8 controller (only one LED on top of knob ring)

Alps is making some LED faders but I think they are the ones used for EQs and not suitable as a mixing pots because they have tiny lever. You can make your own illuminated fader pretty much easily. I attached the quick drawing I just did to illustrate how it looks. You basically need to attach square LED to some piece of plastic, woods or even wire that is attached to the fader lever. LED is connected with thin wires to allow free movements. I did it using Radiohm faders that have flat square area  at the base of the fader lever outside of the fader which makes it perfect for gluing LED holder. In addition, you need to make sloth in the panel so you can the LED trough it. If you using some of the laserable panels for backlight illumination (check Rowmark materials) you just need to engrave it and you will get instant "protection screen" and want need any dust protective screen. If I find the test piece I`ll post some pix but I`m sure this sketch is helpful enough.

For rotary pots you really don`t need to have illuminated pointer as if you illuminate the ring around the pot it will be easy to see the pointer positions.

The easiest solution for seeing the panel in dark is UV sensitive paint. Check out what Tos did (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tosys/)

I wont say anything about buttons as there is already alot of info and pictures about it here.

ill.fader_thumb.gif

1989_ill_fader_gif778b78fc210f8f11611bee

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Nice idea but there's a problem... You've got an absolute mechanism driving a relative control. If the encoder skips a step (it can happen) then you're boned :(

(BTW you'd need a wheel at both ends to act as a pulley when the slider is moved in both directions)

Just a suggestion - instead of trying to backlight the knob, just backlight the slot.

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Thanks for the hints, i did not knew about the possible missing steps... that is true, dumb i am. I can add a reset at fader position zero... :-) nah! I could also use a potentiomer with a direct drive on it...

I'll try the encoder with a wheel ratio like 3:1 just for the pleasure of doing some test. :-)

.

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Man, is there anything that can't be patented? I'll patent using letters to write.

Nils, I`m sorry but I just patented letters. I did that just after I read these light slots are patented. ::) But, you can always buy it from me and I`ll give you discount because you are member of MB forum  ;)

What a nonsense!

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Man, is there anything that can't be patented? I'll patent using letters to write.

Why not? Why did nobody do it before? Not backlighting the slots is patented but functional signaling for audio mixers is the property.

It's fed by a RGB-LED. E.g. it shows you the function of a fader (InputChannel, Busses, Masters, etc.) or if you use it as monitor mixer on stage and you go into GraphicEQ-mode to tune the monitoring, the faders all turn yellow and act as the actual EQ band-levels.

... you see... you have to try harder  ;)

Greets, Roger

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I am thinking about backlit buttons as well at the moment.

Nikkai has some ok pushbuttons, but they are still rather costly (but much cheaper than the rest). You will have to write to them to find the local distributor.Mine is http://www.invertag.ch/, they sell me the KB and YB series for about USD 5 per button, if you order 200 pieces. But most probably I will make my own:

Take a 25mm aluminium square hollow profile, stick some 6mm opaque acryl into it, put an smd led and a small smd printbutton below, voila, there is your illuminated switch. Another idea is here: http://www.anyma.ch/2005/research/make-your-own-illuminated-buttons/

Best, ALEXander.

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  • 5 years later...

hi there! 

I'm now into my 2nd year of searching too, for pass through light pointer knob.

 

i wanted for my m-audio xponent that has build in illuminated pots as shown:    http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2062/2039075171_fc5977d7cc_o.jpg

here is a website that sells illuminated pots:    http://www.cliffuk.co.uk/products/encoders/index.htm

but i didn't find a nice soft touch 6mm "D" type with mark/line/point knob for me yet :/

i tried some diy knobs but i am not satisfied yet. If i make something good i'll tell you.

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