Build a Circuit Board Faceplate for Electronic Projects

One of the most difficult parts of building a homemade electronic gizmo, is making it not look homemade. I have explored many techniques in my quest to come up with a cool looking enclosure for my projects, but this latest experiment may turn out to be one of my favorites.

I have been designing circuit boards for many years but for some reason I never thought to use a PCB for the faceplate of the project. It makes total sense when you think about it. Circuit boards come in custom shapes with precisely milled holes and cut outs. And silk-screened graphics are par for the course.   So, I decided to try to make a custom front panel using a black circuit board from my friends at JLCPCB. The results are amazing! And they do all the work.

I used Fusion 360 to design the board and Inkscape to draw the graphics. The final step was to import the files into KiCAD and finish the board. I have to admit, getting all these programs to work together was a challenge - so I documented the entire process in the following video! Take some time and follow along and you'll be designing your own custom faceplates in no time!

DOWNLOAD the Inkscape graphics used in the video HERE

DIY TRAKTOR Loop Controller - PART 2

Welcome to Part 2 of the LOOP-R controller for TRAKTOR S4 MkIII. In Part 1 I showed you the circuit and how to build it. In this part we'll take a look at how I came up with a custom enclosure to make it look pretty.

DIY TRAKTOR Loop Controller - PART 1

I recently got a TRAKTOR S4 MkIII so I could do some live music production on my Twitch streams. The Traktor software has a Loop Recorder included but unfortunately, Native Instruments removed the loop controls on the MkIII. No big deal, we'll build our own!

I call this project the LOOP-R and it allows you to easily access all the loop recorder commands with the push of a button. Watch the video to learn how to build your own on a breadboard.

Download the code and schematic HERE

Parts List: (With Amazon Links)

1 - Teensy LC (With pins)
5 - Push Buttons (Momentary - Normally Open - 12x12)
1 - LED (Red)
1 - 330 Ohm Resistor
1 - 10K Potentiometer (Linear - Center Detent)
2 - BreadBoards
1 - Phone Jack (Mono - 1/4")
1 - Foot Switch (Normally Open)
Jumper Wires (Assorted)

TWITCH Bench Display with GetInTouch

As some of you may know, I have a Twitch Channel where I hang out when I'm working in the Lab. During one of my streams I met a couple of really nice German guys who are the creators of the GetInTouch extension for Twitch. I was very impressed with the Arduino Library they created that can easily connect an Arduino to your Twitch channel.

After playing around for a while I came up with a LCD Bench Display that allows viewers to send messages during the stream. As a bonus, it plays some preset messages when it's not in use. Free advertising! So in this episode I'll show you how to build your own.

You can download the code and schematic HERE
Download the 3D printable enclosure at my THINGIVERSE page

Parts List: (With Amazon Links)

1 - LCD Display (40x2 - 5 Volt - No Header)
1 - Arduino Nano (With headers)
1 - Adafruit Perma-Proto Half-Sized PCB
1 - Piezoelectric Speaker (30mm diameter or less - NO Driver Circuit)
1 - Trimmer Potentiometer - 10K ohm
1 - 330 Ohm Resistor
1 - 100 Ohm Resistor

12 - M3 x 6mm Screws - (Plastic Black)
6 - M3 x 10mm Standoffs - (Plastic Black)

Wire - (30 AWG - Stranded)
Wire - (22 AWG - Solid)

TEENSY-Synth PART 11 - ENCLOSURE

After a lot of long nights in the lab I have finally finished the enclosure for the TEENSY-Synth! This was a challenging build and I had to pick up a few new tricks along the way, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Download the files for this project HERE

Here are the exact parts for this project and where I purchased them.

Parts List:

Mouser Electronics

1 - Enclosure: Hammond 1590DDBK

15 - Potentiometers: 652-PTV09A-4025FB103

15 - Knobs: 450-4760

1 - USB Connector: 523-UE27-BC54-130

1 - 6N138 Optocoupler: 782-6N138

1 - Midi Jack:161-0005-E

1 - 1n4148 Diode: 512-1N4148

1 - 74HC4067 Multiplexer: 595-CD74HC4067M96

1 - LM7805 Regulator: 926-LM7805CT/NOPB

1 - 1N4001 Diode: 863-1N4001G

1 - 100uF Electrolytic Capacitor: 140-RGA101M1EBK0611G

1 - 10uF Electrolytic Capacitor: 80-ESK106M035AC3AA

1 - 220 Ohm Resistor (1/4 Watt): 603-CFR-25JR-52220R

1 - 470 Ohm Resistor (1/4 Watt): 603-CFR-25JR-52470R

2 - 0.1uF Capacitor: 594-K104M15X7RF53L2

Amazon

3 - Toggle Switch: SPST

1 - Barrel Jack: 2.1mm

1 - 1/4" Jack: Mono TS

4 - M3 Standoff: 10mm
8 - M3 Screw: Button Head 5mm

TEENSY-Synth PART 10 - HARDWARE

In this episode we are going to add Potentiometers and Switches to the TEENSY-Synth with the help of a 74HC4067 Multiplexer.

Download the example code and schematic HERE

Parts List: (Amazon Affiliate Links)

1 - 74HC4067 Multiplexer (Do NOT get the 74HCT4067 version)
(NOTE: The DIP package of the 74HC4067 seems to be going away. If you want to experiment with this circuit on a breadboard you can use a breakout board like this one from SparkFun)

3 -  SPST toggle switches
15 - Potentiometers - 10K - Linear Taper
1 - 5 Pin Midi Jack
1 - 6N138 Optocoupler
1 - 1n4148 Diode
1 - 220 Ohm Resistor (1/4 Watt)
1 - 470 Ohm Resistor (1/4 Watt)
Breadboard
Hook-up wire

Power supply circuit (optional)
1 - Barrel Jack - 2.1mm
1 - LM7805 Regulator
1 - 1N4001 Diode
1 - 100uF Electrolytic Capacitor
1 - 10uF Electrolytic Capacitor

TEENSY-Synth PART 9 - MIDI INPUT

So, I know I said that the TEENSY-Synth project was over. But, I have been receiving so many requests, suggestions, and videos from people who have been inspired by this project - I think it deserves a little more attention.

Many people have been asking for a fully self-contained, hardware version of the synth so that is what we will do! The first step is to add a 5-Pin Midi jack to the synth so it can be easily connected to older synths and sequencers.

Download the example code HERE

Parts List: (Amazon Affiliate Links)

1 - 5 Pin Midi Jack
1 - 6N138 Optocoupler
1 - 1n4148 Diode
1 - 220 Ohm Resistor (1/4 Watt)
1 - 470 Ohm Resistor (1/4 Watt)
Breadboard
Hook-up wire