MotorPot MIDI Stepper?!
Deftaudio is at it again! We recently covered their fidget spinner Eurorack module, and now they’ve turned the concept on its head! A powerful stepper motor inside this module has a shaft coupler attached to it, so you can get creative and use it to turn knobs automatically on any other module in your rack. Or you could use it as a display piece, and have it spin an LED board in response to the music you’re making.
The MotorPot can be controlled via MIDI through the standard Eurorack TRS-A/B cables or via USB as a MIDI class device. It’s also possible to rotate it with a control and gate voltage like traditional analog synthesizers typically use.
Using a rotating disc and shaft, the MotorPot controls a slide pot on the rack above
The example shown above is very over-the-top and we think it’s great! Controlling a linear potentiometer with a reciprocating drive is just ridiculous enough to be awesome. The particular stepper motor used has some power behind it, and Deftaudio recommends giving it a separate 2A supply if it’s going to be used in a way that draws a lot of power. Most Eurorack power supplies are not quite beefy enough to handle the load that this module creates, so double-check what your rack has before installation.
The module is available both as a DIY kit and as a fully assembled unit, ready to go. If building the DIY option, make sure to get a Teensy 4.0, either from Deftaudio pre-programmed or from another vendor and then program it yourself. Give your rack some personality with this quirky motorized module!