TinyCircuits Forum

General Category => New Product Ideas => Topic started by: dc on March 10, 2014, 08:16:30 PM

Title: Rotary input knob for Tiny Shield LED's
Post by: dc on March 10, 2014, 08:16:30 PM

Hi Everybody,

I can't say enough how awesome this whole platform is-- its tiny and there are lots of sensor and actuator options.  It strikes me though that there is a pretty big gap in the user input arena.  The tiny shield LED's are wonderful (a great layout for displaying some sort of 1D data) but it would be way way better with the option of some sort of rotational knob and maybe a button.  Either a potentiometer (SMT trim pot?) or encoder in the center would be just wonderful, wouldn't it?  Power adjustment with concurrent display of % power level, temperature adjustment with the current temperature display etc.  A lot of potentially cool applications.

Even better would be one of the ones that lets you press the knob to do a button input, or a couple of tiny smt buttons- one on each side would let you do a full fledged user interface with multiple menu items.  A knob could even be magnet-lock removable so it still fits in the middle of a stack but that would take a bit of engineering or perhaps easier a tutorial about how to use superglue to do it;)  I could do a tutorial on that if it helped.

OOh, I just found something almost exactly like I'm talking about actually:

http://www.karlssonrobotics.com/cart/rotary-encoder-led-ring-breakout-board-blue/

(http://www.karlssonrobotics.com/cart/prodimages/10408-01.jpg)

Anyway, Keep up the good work!
-Dave

Title: Re: Rotary input knob for Tiny Shield LED's
Post by: calvinthedestroyer on April 28, 2014, 03:09:30 AM

NNNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!

do not use super glue! some glues are conductive when they dry.
You can mount a pot to the LED board with some double sided sticky foam.

We might make some LED boards with green, yellow then red LED's already on them for use as a gauge.

Title: Re: Rotary input knob for Tiny Shield LED's
Post by: Grimstone on April 28, 2014, 03:07:33 PM

Calvin,

Awesome to here about the multi colored LED boards. I suggested earlier and have need of them for several projects.

Title: Re: Rotary input knob for Tiny Shield LED's
Post by: dc on April 28, 2014, 09:42:36 PM

I'm not sure that issue merited the huge text and exclamation points for a first time post and from a moderator.  I don't mind the double stick tape idea though.  Less messy which is nice.  Still this is all totally unrelated to the attempt at giving  a helpful suggestion.

Title: Re: Rotary input knob for Tiny Shield LED's
Post by: Grimstone on June 12, 2014, 11:31:24 AM

Any news on the red-yellow-green LED gauge boards?