Faderpunk - DIY Assembly

Welcome, and thank you for booking a spot at the ATOV DIY workshop! We're really glad you're here and taking the opportunity to build your very own Faderpunk. This is a unique experience as Faderpunk is not available as a kit and most likely never will be, making this workshop the only way to get your hands on one built by yourself. This manual will guide you through every step of the assembly process. Take your time, enjoy it, and don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.

Tools Required

  • Soldering iron
  • Solder
  • Flush cutters
  • Tweezers
  • Phillips screwdriver (M2)
  • Eurorack nut driver
  • 5.5mm nut driver
  • Painters tape

Safety

Please follow this manual to the letter. Each step has been carefully designed to ensure a smooth and safe assembly. If you are unsure about anything at any point, do not improvise — come and find Arthur before proceeding.

Parts List

Button Board

  • Button PCB
  • 24-pin flat flex connector
  • 18 buttons

Main Board

  • 16 faders
  • 19 3.5mm jacks
  • 1mm pitch 8-pin header and socket
  • LED board
  • 4x M2 screws

Module Assembly

  • Front panel
  • PCB spacer
  • 3x 9mm cylindrical spacers (shiny)
  • 4x 12mm cylindrical spacers (matte)
  • 3x 2mm cylindrical spacers
  • 7x self-locking nuts
  • Enclosure
  • Painters tape

Case Assembly

  • IO board
  • 4 jack nuts
  • 25cm flat flex cable
  • 10-pin to 10-pin IDC cable

Assembly Steps

Step 1 — Button Board

Parts needed:

  • Button PCB
  • 24-pin flat flex connector
  • 18 buttons

Button board parts

1. Insert the connector into its footprint on the back side of the PCB. Once in place, solder one pin to secure it and verify it is well positioned before soldering the remaining pins.

Connector placement 1
Connector placement 2
Connector placement 3
Connector placement 4

2. Flip the board and insert the 18 buttons into their footprints.

Button placement

3. Once all buttons are placed, flip the board again and press the PCB firmly down against the table so the buttons seat fully into their footprints. Repeat this a couple of times before soldering.

Tip: Press down on the board periodically while soldering to keep everything in alignment.

Button back pins 1
Button back pins 2

4. Once everything is soldered, insert the flat flex cable into the connector as shown in the picture and set the button board aside.

Cable into button board
Button board soldered

Note: Mind the orientation of the FFC.

Step 2 — Main Board

Parts needed:

  • 16 faders
  • 19 3.5mm jacks
  • 1mm pitch 8-pin header and socket
  • LED board
  • 4x M2 screws

Main board parts

1. Place all faders into their footprints.

Fader placement

2. Pre-connect the pin header into its socket, then place it on the PCB as shown in the picture, with the socket on the PCB side.

LED connector 1
LED connector 2
Header placement on PCB

3. Place the LED board onto the assembly. Make sure the pins are going through the LED board.

LED board placement

Warning: The LED board is made of very thin PCB material and is extremely fragile. Do not bend it.

4. Secure the LED board with the 4 M2 screws.

LED board screws

Warning: Do not overtighten the screws — this can cause cracks in the LED board.

5. Solder the header to the LED board. Press the PCB down onto the header while soldering to ensure the pins are well inserted.

LED board soldered

6. Install all the jacks and place the 3D-printed tooling to hold them in position.

Jack placement
Jack holder placement

7. Once all parts are placed, flip the PCB and solder everything except the large fader stabilizing pins. These are left unsoldered to allow for easier fader replacement if needed.

Main board soldered

Step 3 — Module Assembly

Parts needed:

  • Front panel
  • Assembled main board
  • Assembled button board
  • PCB spacer
  • 3x 9mm cylindrical spacers (shiny)
  • 4x 12mm cylindrical spacers (matte)
  • 3x 2mm cylindrical spacers
  • 7x self-locking nuts
  • Enclosure
  • Painters tape

Assembly parts

1. Place some tape on the edges of the enclosure to protect the panel from scratches.

Case prep 1

2. Place the panel upside down on top of the case.

3. Place the spacers on the studs on the panel as shown in the picture. The 9mm spacers are shiny and the 12mm spacers are matte. Set the 2mm spacers aside for now.

Spacer placement

4. Place the main board onto the assembly.

Assembly 1

5. Place the 2mm spacers on the studs going through the main board.

2mm spacer 1
2mm spacer 2

6. Place the button board and secure it with the self-locking nuts.

Button board assembly

7. Connect the 24-pin FFC between the main board and the button board.

Button board FFC connection

Step 4 — Case Assembly

Parts needed:

  • IO board
  • 4 jack nuts
  • 25cm flat flex cable
  • 10-pin to 10-pin IDC cable

Case assembly parts

1. Connect the cables to the IO board as shown in the picture.

IO board cable connection

Note: Mind the orientation of the FFC.

2. Place the IO board into the case with the jacks going through it and secure with the 4 jack nuts.

IO board mounted
IO jack nuts

Step 5 — Final Assembly

1. Connect the main board to the IO board using the flat flex cable and the 10-pin IDC cable.

All connections

Important: Make sure the 10-pin cable is connected to the IO EXP connector and not the Eurorack Power connector.

2. Power the unit using USB. The boards are pre-flashed and calibrated in our workshop.

3. Bring the unit to Arthur for testing.

4. Once everything checks out, fit the fader caps and the 19 jack nuts.

Congratulations, your Faderpunk is ready!