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Hi

In my opinion focus fader is the best fader out there. It is simple and does what I need, it cuts without any unnecessary tension-fade calibrations and other expensive stuff.

I try to find out how it works
I am not so good at circuits and i cant read a circuit diagram so i opened my fader and tried to understand and I need your help to tell me if i got it right.

 

So here is the focus fader

This is a drawing I made

 

So the powers comes in at V+ and it brakes to 2 ''paths''. The one powers the 2 opto interrupters and then goes to Ground. The other sends power to VC1 and VC2 which are the channels of the mixer, so when there is power sent the sound is ON but when the opto interrupter is closed there is no power sent so the sound is OFF. Both channels are connected to ground with resistor.

Did i get it right? Is this how it works?

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Guest rasteri

Yeah that's basically it. R1 and R4 are current limiting resistors for the LEDs, and R2/R3 are emitter resistors for the phototransistors, which are set up in a common-collector design - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_collector

R2/R3 are (presumably) high enough in value so they pretty much cause the transistors to switch on immediately without any linear region.

EDIT : although, you said "power" when you really mean "voltage".

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Guest rasteri

Thanks rasteri,

so if you want to use the fader on other VCA mixer the only requirement is that this mixer has the same Voltage at ''V+'' as the stanton?

 

Yeah pretty much. It'll depend on the VCA circuit though.

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  • 1 month later...

 

 

Hi

In my opinion focus fader is the best fader out there. It is simple and does what I need, it cuts without any unnecessary tension-fade calibrations and other expensive stuff.

I try to find out how it works

I am not so good at circuits and i cant read a circuit diagram so i opened my fader and tried to understand and I need your help to tell me if i got it right.

 

So here is the focus fader

This is a drawing I made

 

So the powers comes in at V+ and it brakes to 2 ''paths''. The one powers the 2 opto interrupters and then goes to Ground. The other sends power to VC1 and VC2 which are the channels of the mixer, so when there is power sent the sound is ON but when the opto interrupter is closed there is no power sent so the sound is OFF. Both channels are connected to ground with resistor.

Did i get it right? Is this how it works?

 

 

Checking in,2017... It's a minimalist approach. Even now there is no need for anything more complicated with added circuits. Maybe even less complicated since scratching is getting more and more precise.

 

I have smd reflective sensors from the 90's so it's not something that was overlooked,once Stanton was involved there was no need to do anymore work.

 

It was easier to drill holes on the side panels and insert the 2mm IR Leds for me at the time.

People forget I wasn't some rich kid that could afford to buy supplies to make circuit boards :-)

It's the reason why the FF v1.0 came to exist to begin with, cheap faders were $60 and Alps/Vestax $120.

 

Against all odds it made it to Stanton and they took it to the finish line, the interrupter is what they stayed with.

 

There are no rules, whichever way achieve your result that's valid.

Time to add Faders to an FX Box....

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  • 2 weeks later...

haha how the hell did you make that ?

whats the process to making a sketchy home made PCB like that ?

I'm very interested to know

There are lots of tutorials (instructables ie) but if you don't want to search I have some here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4ftWaZ6ARSURmVQaTc3cV9OWU0

 

I hope it will useful to your first steps.

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Guest rasteri

Yeah home-etching PCBs is fun at first but it takes a lot of fiddling to get right, and drilling the holes is a pain in the arse. Especially when China can make you a milled/drilled/soldermasked/silkscreened board for less than a fiver.

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Yeah home-etching PCBs is fun at first but it takes a lot of fiddling to get right, and drilling the holes is a pain in the arse. Especially when China can make you a milled/drilled/soldermasked/silkscreened board for less than a fiver.

Agreed. For simple things is more straightforward protopcb with some led cutten legs as wires... ;)

 

Like:

with a little patience... hehehe

But as I said these is sexy and mess with etching make it dirrty :V

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haha how the hell did you make that ?

whats the process to making a sketchy home made PCB like that ?

I'm very interested to know

 

hehehe it's very easy, like Mutis said there are a lots of tutorials.

 

I used :

 

Hydrogenated water 120 volumes

Dilute hydrochloric acid

water

permanent markers

 

if you want i would make a video

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Yeah home-etching PCBs is fun at first but it takes a lot of fiddling to get right, and drilling the holes is a pain in the arse. Especially when China can make you a milled/drilled/soldermasked/silkscreened board for less than a fiver.

Agreed. For simple things is more straightforward protopcb with some led cutten legs as wires... ;)

 

Like:

with a little patience... hehehe

But as I said these is sexy and mess with etching make it dirrty :V

 

 

 

I do pcb because the protopcb with holes is very sensitive. When you are long with the soldering iron in the small contacts of the plate, they leap up and shit hehehe..

Edited by indigno80
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Guest rasteri

I do pcb because the protopcb with holes is very sensitive. When you are long with the soldering iron in the small contacts of the plate, they leap up and shit hehehe..

Your soldering iron is too hot then :)

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I do pcb because the protopcb with holes is very sensitive. When you are long with the soldering iron in the small contacts of the plate, they leap up and shit hehehe..

Your soldering iron is too hot then :)

 

My iron soldering it's too old hehehe doesn't carry a temperature control.... JBC 30S

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  • 4 weeks later...

I started messing around with my focus fader but im not even sure if it is a working fader or not. I gave V+ 5v, metered both VC and I get 5v no matter if there is something blocking the interrupter or not. Is there anyway to check if the interrupters are bad?

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