Bit of a long pause here, but here we go!
Here’s a video of playing with it: Custom Sensel Overlay + MPE in Ableton on Vimeo
Then in terms of process + files:
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I’ve got one Fusion file that has a base for the mould in:
, as well as some parts to locate the magnets
and a blank overlay
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I then export the Morph map as an SVG
and bring it into Fusion:
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Then extrude or otherwise build up the controls:
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combine with the blank to make a positive of the final overlay:
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and then cut this out of the tank from the first step to make a mould:
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and now its ready to 3d print:
For the silicone, I’ve been playing with different hardnesses. I’ve been using Wagnersil, which has a very squidgy pink one (22 shore hardness) and a blue one which is a bit stiffer and less sticky (32 shore hardness). So I’m trying the blue one on the top:
Then I put a bit of silicone in the top and bottom trenches, and push in the magnet locator:
which means when the silicone cures, there are nice spaces ready for magnets:
Then, fill it up with the softer, pink silicone, and wait for it to cure.
Things I’ve learnt:
- silicone is still really sticky. The harder blue stuff is nicer for faders, but it still needs ridges in the direction of travel to make it work nicely. Talcum powder helps a bit.
- putting blue all around the edge is a bad idea - it shrinks a bit, so the whole thing tends to bow, and loose contact with the Morph.
- the magnets have a tendency to tear out - would be nice to use some stiffer silicone here.
Here’s a zip of the supporting files:
SenselOverlaySupport.zip (1.2 MB)
I can’t upload the final file, as it’s too big for the forum (6.3MB), but there is the tank and magnet placement pieces, and a small set of controls, which shows extruding things from an SVG file.
