I made a motorized fader feel like a light switch
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You keep showing this off and you’re gonna have to straight up sell me one.
[edit: love the physicality of the interface]
Thank you and I’d be happy to :) I’m doing a first batch of 20 consoles, shipping early 2027. You can get first access when pre-orders open by joining the pre-order list: https://sacrebleu.studio
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Can u give link to the motorised pots
They are Alps Alpine motorized faders. RSA0V11M9, you can find them on mouser
Note they don’t have touch sensing. For some reason Alps Alpine retired that feature on new motorized faders.
You could probably implement that yourself by measuring capacitance. I’m sure the way they do it isn’t complicated.
I’m sure it’s possible but it’d be tough because the mobile part on the fader is plastic. The caps themselves are machined aluminum. but I’d need a wire from them or some mechanical system to like a metal piece connected from the cap touching a rail. I gave up on that thinking it’d be hard to make it reliable enough. Maybe I missed something obvious.
Thankyou
I got some motorized faders a few years back for < $10 apiece from AliExpress and they look exactly like that model.
yeah you can get much cheaper faders than the Alps Alpine ones. Haven’t tried them so I can’t speak for how well they work compared to the branded ones. How was durability?
The coolest thing I have seen recently. wow. awesome
Thank you! Glad you like it. I’m posting the build as I go on Instagram (@sacrebleu.studio) if you want to follow along.
This is sick.
Thanks!
I bet there’s a lot of music/audio producers who would like this integrated with their DAW.
It’s crossed my mind. I designed it with a second usb port for midi connection. If/when I can get to it I’m adding midi support. If anyone here is using a DAW I’m curious to hear what you use and how this could work with it.
Have been a thing for decades. Behringer (budget consumer brand) has even had these for about 20 years.
Yeah I’m familiar with Behringer consoles, just wondering if there are things these consoles don’t already do that a console like mine could be useful for.
Well the great thing about midi is you can configure it to be whatever you want. A note, CC etc. the downsize is the existing units are already packed with buttons and mappings so they work pretty much out of the box with common DAWs.
Very nice
Thank you!
What lights/hub does this work with? I have a few hue, Nanoleaf and ikea lights, some on the hue hub, some directly on Alexa - how does it work?
It works with anything connected to Home Assistant. So you would install Home Assistant (free, but you need a small server like an old laptop running it, you can also buy a small hub that runs it). Home Assistant is compatible with all major brands, most likely works with ikea and nanoleaf, but haven’t checked.
I’m also working on a native integration with Lutron lights.
I guess this isn’t using ESPHome?
Yeah it’s all custom code
Info on the screen?
This prototype uses a waveshare + ESP32 module. The production model will have a custom screen I’m getting manufactured (similar screen, but custom glass)
Does the rotary dial also have feedback?
It’s crossed my mind. I looked into approaches like Scott Bezek’s Smartknob https://github.com/scottbez1/smartknob
Ultimately I couldn’t really justify one. It would have added too much cost and complexity, while I didn’t have a super clear use case for it. What I went for is a Bourns optical encoder with a piezo to simulate detents (similar to the Nest design). It feels really solid, it never misses a step, and it’s extremely durable. But yeah it doesn’t move on its own. Maybe if this thing ever gets a v2…
That may wear quickly. Add a dampening algorithm that prevents the slider from running into the hard endstop with speed.
The fader does slow down in the last few mm. But you’re right I need to make sure it holds up in the long run. I’m going to run a few thousand snaps on a bench fader to see what wears, and soften the landing if needed. This thing is in the bedroom right now. My wife is going to love the idea of having it run all day 😂
Siiick