A source for ribbon controllers.

I found a site that makes custom membrane switches and potentiometers.

The look like they would make good ribbon controlers.

http://www.spectrasymbol.com/linearposition.html

One of them even has three strips like I would like to use for a polyphonic theremin-cello!

If that's not exciting enough, click on "sample request" and they say they will send you some of their products.

I gave them my info and I will update everyone if and when I get some in the mail.

Nice find!! I'd love to see someone mix these with the heterodyning tone generation technique to build a theremin cello. Do let us know if you get a sample and put something together.

With a simple microcontroller & 14-bit A/D converter (like the Motorola HC11), one could probably whip up a quick MIDI cello pretty easily.

They arrived in the mail yesterday along with a nice sales letter and a business card.

There are a few on/off switches in different configurations but the stars of the show are the linear potentiometers.

They look like they will make great ribbon controllers.

The sample is only a few inches long but the company does custom work.

i got 1 of these strip thingys

plz tell em wat to do with it

zakiman

I made a radio once!

Zakiman,

Good question. Here is a little background, forgive me if it is too remedial but it is meant for anyone who might need the info:

They are potentiometers and they work just like the knobs on any electronic device.

I am not sure of the value of the samples from this company and I don't have mine with me.

Assuming that we got some made with the right physical size and appropriate value, we could use them to control the parameters (note, timbre, tone and/or volume. etc) of an electronic circuit.

I am toying with the idea of building or buying a synth circuit and mounting the whole thing into the body of an old cello I have taking up space in the garage.

Wasn't there a schematic for the theremin cello posted somewhere around here?

What if we mounted two or three ribbon controllers side-by-side and had the ability to tune them independently of each other to do chords? That way the player could just barre the three ribbons on the neck and play chords.

Maybe the right hand controls could have some way to adjust the volume of each in some ergonomic, intuitive way.

Any suggestions?

Also, what value potentiomoter would be most suited for controlling the notes on such an instrument?

Bumping this in response to Mr. Grillo's recent post...