control knobs with pointer stripe

plutonia · Post by **plutonia** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 4:38 pm

why do korg produce fantastic synths with all black knobs that make it difficult to see the setting? the older synths, like polysix/monopoly etc always had knobs with pointer strips. owners have to resort to painting white strips on, or buying knew knobs for their synth so that they can see its settings. it's ridiculous!

Mikey S · Post by **Mikey S** » Sun May 14, 2017 6:58 pm

I used a Bic Wite-Out pen. It's tiny work, but I drew white paint into the slots, and carefully wiped off the excess from the sides of the slot. After a few tries, one knob at a time, I got better at it. I only did the tops of the knobs, not the slot leading down the sides. Looks pretty good to me! An hour's work, and only a few bucks.

Bertotti · Post by **Bertotti** » Wed May 17, 2017 2:40 am

I thought about getting some of the smaller fiber optic glass like we use in Rifle sights and gluing it to the knobs.

moho · Post by **moho** » Wed May 17, 2017 2:22 pm

Bertotti wrote:I thought about getting some of the smaller fiber optic glass like we use in Rifle sights and gluing it to the knobs.

I was thinking along the same lines but with an L shaped piece of brass or copper rod.

Bertotti · Post by **Bertotti** » Wed May 17, 2017 2:53 pm

moho wrote:
Bertotti wrote:I thought about getting some of the smaller fiber optic glass like we use in Rifle sights and gluing it to the knobs.
I was thinking along the same lines but with an L shaped piece of brass or copper rod.

I gave that a thought as well but the darn fiber optic sure does work well in low light and that is something I would like. I think I will stop by my gun shop today and see what it might cost.

Bertotti · Post by **Bertotti** » Wed May 17, 2017 11:13 pm

Here's the stuff I was thinking about. I am undecided as to the size yet.
Truglo Replacement fiber optic
Granted this stuff needs some external light to really work well it does not just shine on its own.
There is already a groove on the knobs of the Minilogue which are just shy of 1mm, .040 is minimally over 1mm. I would use a small dab of clear silicone in the groove and lay the fiber optic in it. I wonder how well that would work. I also see the glow in the dark liquid you could paint into the groove. That might be a better option if you plan to play in dark areas but it needs light to remain charged, I think.

One glow paint example is
siteglo

Bertotti · Post by **Bertotti** » Sat May 20, 2017 8:14 pm

Well I looked into the fiber optic on end not is very bright but on the side or lengthwise it isn't. Maybe it is still useable but I would need to mount it so the end pointed up and the side had access to external ambient light, gathering light form the sides is what makes the end glow so well. My local shop wanted 3$ an inch so I passed. Much cheaper on line and I am not sure I will go this route now.

Mikey S · Post by **Mikey S** » Sun May 21, 2017 2:24 am

Here's mine with the Wite-Out

http://www.mikespieth.com/Misc/minilogue/minilogue.html

Bertotti · Post by **Bertotti** » Sun May 21, 2017 4:40 am

Mikey S wrote:Here's mine with the Wite-Out

http://www.mikespieth.com/Misc/minilogue/minilogue.html

Looks pretty good! I'm thinking of some florescent paint I have.

Bertotti · Post by **Bertotti** » Thu May 25, 2017 8:46 pm

FYI
Stopped by the local Hobby lobby and picked up these paints
Testors fluorescent acrylic paint
I figure it will be bright enough but I am not sure if I will use one color for all knobs or maybe group them together with different colors Like Amp e.g. gets a color and anything that adjusts the amount of am e.g. in any given area would be the same color etc.
If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on using a single color or multiple colors to help define knobs and their association to other areas please post them. Thanks!

Bertotti · Post by **Bertotti** » Sat May 27, 2017 8:34 pm

So far the white out is probably the cheapest and brightest alternative but I did go with he fluorescent paints. White primer in the groove and fluorescent yellow over top. looks good not as bright as white until a blueish light hits it then it just glows! I may color code the tops of the knobs with the other colors to group things to gather better but truthfully I'm not sure how I want to group them. If you have any thoughts on that please share! Here are two pics sorry I couldn't get img to work. A bit of cleaning up to do my brush was a bit long and I was a bit messy and should have used a magnifier, my eyes were not working we'll late last night.

https://pix.sfly.com/tOWrYQ
https://pix.sfly.com/ySNyms

Bertotti · Post by **Bertotti** » Mon May 29, 2017 10:59 pm

Anyone using these flexible led strips you can cut to length or add length to to illuminate their rigs? I'm looking for some option either uv or color changing to get a more blue hue to help the fluorescent steps really stand out. I tested them with a uv flashlight and they really look good.

Mikey S · Post by **Mikey S** » Tue May 30, 2017 2:14 am

You've probably seen these. Kind of pricey.

https://www.jrrshop.com/korg-minilogue- ... oC7Arw_wcB

Koekepan · Post by **Koekepan** » Tue May 30, 2017 4:08 am

You could always do what I do on my pistol sights. Get some Las Vegas hooker neon green nail polish. Lasts well, easy to remove if necessary, cheap, and very highly visible.

Or you could just get one of those lamps for illuminating your rig.

Bertotti · Post by **Bertotti** » Tue May 30, 2017 9:54 am

Thanks all but Inthink I wasn't clear enough. I have already painted fluorescent stripes on my knobs, what I am looking at are the lighting strips rather then using a regular fluorescent or incandescent bulb. The Led strips can be cut to length and are somewhat flexible so that you can mount them under shelves or cabinets or anywhere you want. I am modifying my desk and was thinking of adding these under the front edge of the shelf using UV or a hue light that will go purple enough to take full advantage of the painted stripes capabilities. Have any of you used those?