sm pro audio nano patch etc.../ a-designs atty - anyone opened one up?

http://www.adesignsaudio.com/atty.html
http://www.smproaudio.com/produkte/monitor-controller.html
I've been on the hunt for a monitoring solution and I'm curious as to whats inside these things. Are they just quad 5k or 10k pots hooked up as voltage dividers? Are they balanced bridged-t attenuators using super-custom pots? I figure if this were the case they would advertise a constant impedance? Thanks, Ben

i'll open one up (sm-pro) when i get a chance and take some pics with my phone.

All these are pots-in-a-box.
Some are connected as normal pots, some as shunt attenuators.
Normal pots are not well suited for balanced operation, shunt attens are, at the expense of having residual attenuation even at maximum.
Ideally, the choice should be made according to the type of connection:
-Pot for unbal to unbal
-Shunt atten for bal to bal
-Either one for unbal to bal
Bal to unbal is tricky, depends if the output is floating or not; may require some creative wiring.

i just opened a nano patch and it's a 4 ganged 5k log pot wired as a shunt.

greetings,

thomas

edit: oh yeah the pot looked like the ones zvex uses in his pedals. so i presume it is an alpha.

Thanks so much for the responses and for checking. I've been going around in circles about this monitor solution. Does anyone know where to get those alpha pots or any 4-gang 5k log pots?
Thanks, Ben

try an ALPS 10K dual ganged! works just fine!

Thanks 3nity - I have a couple actually. I was just worried that the 10k output impedance of the pad(when the volume is all the way up) will be a bit high for my powered speakers.
I was able to find a couple of dual 1k pots at mouser but they were both linear taper - has anyone ever used a linear taper pot in this type of application?
Thanks and Best, Ben

an option?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPS-Quad-Potentiometer-RK27114-blue-velvet-5K-10K-Pots_W0QQitemZ260437908475QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca34f1bfb&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1234|293%3A1|294%3A50

Hello,

I have a Nano Patch and I opened it to replace the potentiometer... after 3 years of intense use, it began to make noise when I move it.
But it is really hard to find a replacement: the potentiometer is an A5K like this http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPS-Quad-Potentiometer-RK27114-blue-velvet-5K-10K-Pots-/260596977755?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cacca505b but it is smaller, exactly half.

Anyone have idea where I can find a compatible replacement?

Thanks

Don't know about pots, but I ordered one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Balance-XLR-23-Stepped-Attenuator-Potentiometer-10K-Log-/290437666616?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item439f6f1738
to try out for monitoring duty.

Skylar said:

an option?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPS-Quad-Potentiometer-RK27114-blue-velvet-5K-10K-Pots_W0QQitemZ260437908475QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca34f1bfb&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1234|293%3A1|294%3A50

Click to expand...

These are great for having good balance at low levels. I use one with my Quad amplifier.

Thanks, I think I will opt for the ALPS RK27114 beacuse is cheaper and it is not stepped (this is very important for me).

But I must find a way to fix it ... perhaps another pcb.

I just built a monitor controller. It's not the first one I built, but first one I really like. I use a stepped attenuator , the 25$ versions from hong kong, but I didn't take the balanced one. Instead I dropped it between a debalancing and a balancing unit from funk-tonstudiotechnik to overcome load issues on lower levels. Mr Funk de/balancing units are way better than anything you could DIY. Inclusive case and psu I paid around 150€

nicholas

mav_kbd said:

Hello,

I have a Nano Patch and I opened it to replace the potentiometer... after 3 years of intense use, it began to make noise when I move it.
But it is really hard to find a replacement: the potentiometer is an A5K like this http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPS-Quad-Potentiometer-RK27114-blue-velvet-5K-10K-Pots-/260596977755?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cacca505b but it is smaller, exactly half.

Anyone have idea where I can find a compatible replacement?

Thanks

Click to expand...

wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a new nanoptach? they are so cheap..

Yes, actually it doesn't cost so much, but I resolved in another way.

Before ordering the new potentiometer I checked in a small electronics store near my town and I've been very lucky: I found it for 27€ and it works great!