noisetonepause wrote:mike@TrackTeam Audio wrote:Hey Tone-
Wondering how hard it would be to add 8 faders to the mix. i see it says something like 4 pots can be added, would you be able to sub faders instead? Also, is there any way to add 4 more? maybe diss 1 row of buttons or something?
To the best of my knowledge a fader and a knob are exactly the same thing electrically, a variable transistor. The difference is the shape.
You mean variable resistor, easy mistake, they all sound the same. Faders in general probably are pots there might be encoder faders but I get the impression encoders are more suited for endless controls like knobs.
Anything's possible.
At the least it would take adding some code to the microcontroller and reflashing it. you'd probably want to get encoders, as tehn wrote here, pots are flaky
tehn wrote:potentiometers are variable resistors:
* it’s easy for a microcontroller to read the position of the knob via an analog to digital conversion. (this code is contained in the original 40h firmware.)
* ADCs are noise-prone and often require averaging across several samples, resulting in lag.
* values from a potentiometer are also absolute (the value is the position of the knob), and most knobs have bounds (a max and min).
* accuracy for tiny tiny movements is not so good.
* super super cheap.
encoders send out pulses:
* it’s also easy to read by monitoring the pulses in a timed function
* much more immune to noise
* no lag
* infinite rotation, as the delta position is transmitted, not an index. this allows more flexible software interfaces, where the hardware won’t trash onscreen-modified values, allowing a more solid sync
* incredible resolution and sensitivity (4096 ticks per revolution)
* expensive
A couple of options come to mind
- Like you wrote, plop an encoder in place where 2 buttons were hooked up. As shown in that pic I posted of the two square waves that encoders put out, an encoder turn could be detected as two buttons hitting one after another, you'd just have to scan them fast enough to tell.
- Maybe get another logic board (no button board) and make a flavor of the 40h that's all encoders, no need for lights or button boards. Run two monome devices at once, which should be no problem. That's not a bad idea, put the logic board to another use.
A little more involved solution:
- The 74HC165 is a parallel in, serial out chip. So there's 8 input pins that can be 1 or 0 inputs then the microcontroller tells the 74HC165 to send those 8 bits serially out as 10101010, or 11111111 or 010101111 etc. One of those could support 4 encoders, does that make sense? Given that you could add a BUNCH of parallel to serial chips. THE PROBLEM is that the microcontroller can only keep track of so many things, eventually you'll hit a point where the code slows down and also the micro will start missing seeing changes on its pins. Also, each 74HC165 take 3 digital pins from the microcontroller.
Soooo, long story short, you probably could, it would take a few weeks or months of tweaking about after work, OR investigate other kits.
Let me know if that doesn't make sense, it's impossible to tell the comfort level of people on here until you post back and forth a few times. It doesn't have to be difficult, the monomes already did a lot of work for us.
I didn't notice that pin 33 is unconnected, there's another ADC pin you could use, albeit you probably have to tweak the uC code and reflash it because it's probably unprogrammed.
I found the firmware for various pot/encoder configs are here
http://wiki.monome.org/view/40hFirmware
Then you just need a programmer.
