There are many forms of human interface device beyond the ubiquitous keyboard and mouse, but when it comes to fine-tuning a linear setting such as a volume control there’s nothing quite like a knob. When it comes to peripherals it’s not the size that matters, as proven by [Stefan Wagner] with the Tiny Knob. It’s a very small PCB with a rotary encoder and knob, an ATtiny85, a USB port, and not much else.
It uses the V-USB software implementation of USB HID, and should you have a need for a Tiny Knob of your own you can find all the files for it in a GitHub repository. There’s even a very professional-looking 3D-printed enclosure for the finishing touch. We like this project for its simplicity, and we think you might too.
Over the years we’ve brought you more than one knob, they appear to be a popular subject for experimentation. If you’re up for more, have a look at this one.
The photo of the 3D printed case doesn’t have any tick marks, so it may not go up to 11.
You know, for $100, I’ll make one that goes up to 11. But for $1000 I’ll make one that goes up to 12. ;)
Im assuming it will go much higher than 11 😂
And for $1 I’ll sell you a life time copper fuse.
It’s time to put a end to blown fuses and the hassle of taking the blown one out and put in a new one just to have it burn out as soon as you turn the power back on. End to the days to the lossT time and money of a ticket from the law for that stu burn turn signal tail light.
Old fuses used toxic led in glass or plastic that are polluting the environment. For a SHORT time get a discount on auto fuses 5 for 25¢ .
All j/k. for use in the US only. Just for L.O.l drivers use Retro Encabulator ONLY
Never trust something you don’t know.
I’ve been looking for one that will accommodate an excavator-wheel-sized knob.
Excellent 👌
My problem with tiny knobs is my fat fingers!
That is why those corrugated axles are invented. You can put on any knob size you like.
I prefer the term “ribbed”.
These are usually referred to as knurled split shafts.
No I think it’s a groovy cylinder. Or maybe a ridged pin. Or it could be a roughed rod.
Honestly I have no clue.
British developer?
British writer. You have no idea.
I am shocked that this hasn’t gotten silly, quickly.
Once translated to UK English the innuendo in the headline is hilarious
Years ago I had an IET organised visit to Radcliffe power station (what is now the UK’s last coal station). As part of the tour we went to the very 60s control room. There was an operator stationed to watch the system frequency and control the governors to keep the real power export constant. I had assumed that would have been handled by the governors themselves. But old power station. Reciting the stories to my power distribution engineering colleagues, I said “there was a man there with a big knob twiddling with it” I couldn’t finish the sentence because of the reaction it felt childish at the time but I can see how I waded into it!
Approved by the Ministry of British Science Academy.
Very nice I’ve wanted to build something like this for ages but all got caught on the I’m too stingy to buy the quality of rotary encoder I want issue.
I envisioned a couple of buttons and a display.
So you can tune in dy and dx per click allowing precise lines to be drawn at varying angles.
Nice, but it’d benefit from an encoder with more detents. The cheap ones don’t have many position, which works fine for a small knob, but with a big knob (with a bit of inertia, ideally!) you definitely need finer control or there’s no point in the big knob.
Gah – take away the first sentence, then the jokes just write themselves… ;-)
I am all about the knob controls – especially since the knob is all important in creating controlled video feedback (my HD feedback device is here: https://www.thelightherder.com). I’d like to take this project from HD to 4K.
I’m commenting here because I’m searching for someone who has the technical ability to make some kind of 4k video control unit with knobs for hue/contrast/saturation/brightness (maybe this could be achieved in the analog 4k world) – or, someone who has the technical ability to alter a 4k field monitor like the Lilliput A12 to give it these knob controls. I know there’s a solution to use midi knob control modules, and software, but that’s not the solution I’m looking for.
If you know how to do something like this (or you know someone who does), I’d like to hire your services.
The Light Herder
But what software will the control be controlling? You can buy control surfaces for these things already, but the software must offer an interface they can interact with. Likewise, nobody can provide you with such a thing unless there’s an API or USB HID protocol that it can conform to.
4K analog? There are analog video standards that can do better than 2k?
Light herder…with an arduino pro micro and a few rotary encoders you can make that! You basically program the micro as a keyboard. Then in your software set the keys you mapped to each encoder.
“when it comes to fine-tuning a linear setting such as a volume control”
And me who thought those used a logarithm potentiometer for audio purpose
Log taper is used for volume control, usually. On electric guitar, linear is usually used for the tone control.
the AVR is so passe. The cool kids these days have moved on. Including the very creator of this knob.
https://github.com/wagiminator/CH32V003-USB-Knob
LOL
I just exhumed and gutted an old Griffin Power Mate that was relegated to The Box of Unsupported Hardware. This project might fit inside it nicely.
For ease of setting to a specific value and stability (doesn’t jump when you whack it like “trimpots” do, I’ve never found anything that beats those carbon pots with the three-ball planetary inside.
Rotary (digital) knobs are much better than old trimpots. Traditional volume, and left/right pan, are easy to implement.
But – for a mixing desk, how do you implement slider controls?
simple, you use digital calipers
All I can think of is a sequel to the YouTube short “Plot Device”.
I am known for my love for knobs, i fiddle a lot with knobs, and when I find one that I especially like, I can play with it for hours.
Now with that said, I wish I had saved the box of Griffin Power Mates that was heading to the E-waste, probably 20 or so.
I kept just one, and it died on me, and just after that I started playing with SDR radios, and now I need something like it, preferably a board with multiple knobs for VFO, Filter width and Volume.
Touch screens/pads and computer mouse can never be as exciting as playing with a real good knob.
I assume I could easily adapt the software to do left/right cursors? (for teleprompter speed control)