Mamma Mixer!!

This is the big mama of all audio mixers.
It’s kidproof. I’ve witnessed kids climbing right on the fader knobs and causing no harm.
Holy wow. See my hand there? That’s not a small hand. That’s a biiiiig fader.

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Like a funky British audio console I worked on at a BBC World Service studio, this mixer just uses the control surface faders to set a gain control voltage to some offboard voltage controlled amplifiers (VCAs).

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I’ve just kinda overlooked this thing for years until today when I had to open it to change a set of captive, vandal resistant headphones screwed through it. What I expected was to find some cute little linkage connecting to a set of small faders. What I found puts Penny & Giles faders to shame!!!

Warning!! Engineering porn ahead!! Have some lint free wipes, DeOxit Fader Lube, mild dish soap and water ready before clicking…….

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Above: the actual conductive plastic fader. Left: the slider. Slider and linear bearing are all 80/20 industrial hardware.

When fully assembled the fader faces sideways and falling dust/grit fall past it harmlessly.

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Cue/fader start contacts!

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Replaceable UHMW? Delrin? Bearing surfaces

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Connections for the track and fader start

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The actual conductive plastic fader is about 14 inches long.

If the fader track were hung upside down instead of sideways, you’d be able to pressure wash this control surface from above with no ill effects (other than maybe channels acting weird until fully dry).

I fully expect to see this on next year’s models from Telos Alliance and Sierra Automated Systems. 😉

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