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GEIST (former project-title: Gerät Eins)

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maschine:
Hey everybody,

after my fun project, the Nintendo64 inspired NMK64 I'm introducing a more serious project which I call the Gerät Eins, German for "device one". The mk was designed first and foremost around my needs and was created around a TA65, so it will also be compatible with the Tada68 pcb. It's top-mounted, angled at 7°, the base will be brass, the top alu, featuring a relatively heavy, half-cylindrical brass weight which works as a stand. I imagine the mk to have an overall very matte, almost like a fine sandpaper finish which feels premium and "pro" and not apple-esque.

The main problem I occured will be the dial on the left hand side. It was inspired by classic Leica cameras and premium hifi devices and was designed "over" the edge/border. I couldn't find any rotary encoder which is which is small enough to not getting through the case. I'd welcome any advises and recommendations. I think the dial will be the most challenging part of the whole mk tbh - everything else will be pretty straightforward (I hope).

Worst case would to give up the dial but I'd love to keep it because I need a dial for volume control or to adjust brush sizes, rotating the canvas, choosing tools, I have a lot of artist friends who also wish they'd have a dial on the left. Maybe it will be wise to have a custom pcb down the road, because the pins for the rotary encoder on the TA65 is next to the backspace which will a bit fiddly I guess.

Here are some CAD screenshots and renders.

I'll keep the community in the loop about the progress.





























Edit: project-title Gerät Eins (German: device 1) changes to GEIST.

nevin:
what are the dimensions you are shooting for? (it's not mentioned)
there are some half-height or low profile encoders as well as smd encoders.
not sure if the height of the stem or the base width of the casing+pcb is the main problem...

maschine:
Oh you're right, sorry - the thickness I'm aiming for is 1,5cm. I was shooting for a even flater profile in case you want to use the mk without the stand so the edge doesn't cut into your palm. However 1,5cm is the flatest I can go with still featuring an optional silicon damper mat. For now I've put the rotator encoder aside and focus on a working interior design that looks slick. When everything works and is production ready then I will put my focus back on the encoder and go from there.

Anyway, I think the height of the stem AND the base width might be the problem here - the low profile ones you mentioned will solve the first problem I guess, let's see what we can do about the base. Thanks for the tips!

nevin:
it should be doable.

the only other thing i can think of would be the bottom most part of the dial would actually be part of the case, to house the part of the pcb for the encoder. the cap/knob would have to stop at the pcb or it wouldn't be able to turn a full 360 deg.

this would give the illusion of only the cap/knob sticking out of the case.
like so:

maschine:
You know what... that's actually pretty awesome and so "simple" if you know the trick. I've seen some low profile encoders with a circular board which might fit. I think that could be the way to go - let's find out...

Thanks man! Will post some progress.

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