In old good days, the volume of TV / radio / amplifier was a potentiometer (rotary variable resistor). Remote controls already existed back then. How did a remote control move the volume? By combining a motor to the potentiometer:
Now motorized potentiometers can be found in exotic MIDI controllers.
I have seen rotary encoders on many enthusiast-grade keyboards. I am afraid that I feel they lack appeal. Without dedicated software running on PC, there are few good uses. Moreover, the rotary encoders are always incremental type. That is to say, the knob orientation itself is irrelevant. I feel something essential is missing.
If dedicated software is unavoidable (such software is hard to maintain), why not motorize? It is not only an input device, but also an output device. I feel the interactivity is wonderful. Of course, it makes the knob orientation relevant. So I investigated the area a bit.
The showstopper #1: Short life
The life of potentiometers is typically 1,000 to 30,000 cycles. Motorized products claim around 10,000 typically. It is good performance as the volume of amplifiers. For TVs, it looks uncertain. For MIDI controllers, I feel much more uncertain. Many MIDI controllers feature motorised faders (linear variable resistors), and many people complain that motorised faders don’t last very long. The replacement repair of the component looks almost mandatory.
Rotary encoders have a much longer life because it has no sliding contact. Why not go motorized rotary encoder, absolute type? Because no one makes it. I hope it will be released someday.
The showstopper #2: Too bulky
This drawing shows the dimensions of a motorized potentiometer:
The dimensions are typical. It says that the keyboard should be thicker than 50.5 mm. I am too young to see such thick keyboards. Even if I place it on the enclosure's side, the height is 29.5 mm. Too bulky.
Motorized potentiometers and faders are fancy, but it is hard to bring the valuable product to life.
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