FaderMate Master Control Unit Assembly instructions

Product Fitting Guide v1.0.0 (October 2018)
© 2018 FaderMate. All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents
1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Background.............................................................................................................................3
1.2 Document Outline...................................................................................................................3
1.3 Further Reading......................................................................................................................3
2 System Overview............................................................................................................................
2.1 Component Descriptions.........................................................................................................
2.2 MCU Overview.......................................................................................................................
2.3 MCU Kit Contents..................................................................................................................5
2. FCU Overview........................................................................................................................5
2.5 FCU Kit Contents...................................................................................................................6
2.6 Block Diagram........................................................................................................................7
3 Console Compatibility Requirements.............................................................................................8
3.1 Fader Body Fit........................................................................................................................8
3.2 Fader Cables...........................................................................................................................9
3.3 FCU Fit.................................................................................................................................10
3. Cabling..................................................................................................................................1
3.5 Planning Your Installation.....................................................................................................16
Fitting Instructions........................................................................................................................18
.1 Before You Begin..................................................................................................................18
.2 Setting FCU IDs....................................................................................................................18
.3 Installing FCUs and Routing Daisychain Cables.................................................................20
. Connecting the Data Interface..............................................................................................21
.5 Connecting the Power Cables...............................................................................................2
.6 System Connectivity Test.....................................................................................................27
.7 Removing the Old Faders.....................................................................................................28
.8 Connecting Console Audio to the FCU................................................................................31
.9 Fitting and Connecting the Motorised Faders.......................................................................32
.10 Basic System Test...............................................................................................................3
.11 System Calibration..............................................................................................................35
5 Using the Product.........................................................................................................................35
Version History..................................................................................................................................36
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1 Introduction
1.1 Background
FaderMate is a oving fader auto ation syste which has been designed to be retrofitted
to a wide range of analogue recording consoles.
Fitting the syste involves replacing the existing audio faders in the console with the
otorised faders supplied as part of the FaderMate Fader Control Unit (FCU) kit.
FaderMate specifically does not require any echanical odifications to be ade to fader-
related etalwork in ost consoles.
Each bank of 8 faders is controlled by a single FCU circuit board (see section 2.4) which
ust be installed in the fader tray void. The FaderMate syste as a whole is controlled by
a 1U rack ount Master Control Unit (MCU - see section 2.2).
1.2 Document Outline
This docu ent explains the following:
How to deter ine if a particular console is co patible with FaderMate
How the syste plugs together
How to install a full syste
1.3 Further Reading
For ore infor ation about how to use the product after it has been installed, please refer
to the FaderMate Product Manual.
For specific infor ation relating to the FaderMate GUI anage ent software application
(used for syste calibration and configuration), please refer to the FaderMate GUI User
Guide.
The latest versions of these docu ents can be found at
http://fadermate.co.uk/downloads.html.
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2 ystem Overview
This section gives a brief overview of the FaderMate syste in order to provide context for
sections 3 (Console Compatibility Requirements) and 4 (Fitting Instructions).
More detailed descriptions of the roles of the various syste co ponents are given in the
Product Manual (available at http://fadermate.co.uk/downloads.html).
2.1 Component Descriptions
A FaderMate syste co prises two subsyste kits: a single Master Control Unit (MCU) kit
and up to 4 Fader Control Unit (FCU) kits.
2.2 MCU Overview
The Master Control Unit is the heart of the FaderMate syste . It is a 1U rack ount
odule which should be ounted close to the console. It connects the FaderMate syste
to the co puter by eans of 8 MIDI DIN connectors (on the rear panel) and a USB
anage ent connector (on the front panel).
The front and rear panels of the MCU are shown in Figures 2.2.1 and 2.2.2.
Figure . .1 – MCU Front Panel
Figure . . – MCU Rear Panel

2.3 MCU Kit Contents
The MCU kit contains the following co ponents:
a) 1 x FaderMate MCU odule
b) 1 x daisychain data interface cable
c) 1 x aster data interface cable
d) 1 x length of two core power cable
e) 1 x IEC ains cable
f) 1 x USB type A to type B configuration cable
A full MCU kit is shown in Figure 2.3.1.
Figure .3.1 – MCU Kit Contents
2.4 FCU Overview
The Fader Control Unit (FCU) is a single circuit board which deals with the auto ation of a
bank of 8 faders.
It receives its power fro and co unicates with the DAW software via the MCU.
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2.5 FCU Kit Contents
The FCU kit contains the following co ponents:
•1 x FaderMate FCU odule
•8 x Alps otorised faders (fitted with custo ribbon cables)
•8 x etallised fader knobs
A full FCU kit is shown in Figure 2.5.1.
Figure .5.1 – FCU Kit Contents
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2.6 Block Diagram
The block diagra of an exa ple 24 channel FaderMate installation is shown in Figure
2.6.1.
Figure .6.1 – 4 Channel Installation Block Diagram
A single MCU can support between 1 and 4 (inclusive) FCUs and thus up to 32 oving
faders can be acco odated. There is no reason (in principle) that an installation could
not include 2 or ore MCUs to allow ore than 32 faders to be auto ated (subject to
support in your preferred DAW software).
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3 Console Compatibility Requirements
Although FaderMate is intended to be a universal syste , there are several echanical
factors to consider when deter ining whether your console is co patible with the syste .
These require ents can be su arised as:
The otorised faders ust fit in place of the original faders
The console ust be able to acco odate the FCU circuit boards in such a way
that the otorised fader interface cables reach between the board connectors and
the faders
There ust be a way to get the necessary data interface and power cables inside
the console and connected to one of the FCU circuit boards
It ay also be useful to refer to sections 2 (System Overview) and 4 (Fitting Instructions)
which provide so e context for how the whole syste fits together.
3.1 Fader Body Fit
Each FCU kit ships with 8 Alps otorised faders.
The crucial difference between this fader and a non- otorised unit is that there is a drive
pulley at the top of the fader as shown in Figure 3.1.1.
Figure 3.1.1 – Motorised Fader Drive Pulley
The presence of the drive pulley extends the body of the fader by approxi ately 14
beyond the centre of the top fader ounting hole.
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FaderMate will only fit a console which can acco odate this extended fader body. The
parts which are ost likely to foul the otorised fader are
•The first potentio eter/switch in the channel strip (at the top of the fader)
•The console ‘buffer rail’ (at the botto of the fader)
Figure 3.1.2 illustrates these space constraints in a typical console.
Figure 3.1. – Typical Motorised Fader Space Constraints
3.2 Fader Cables
The faders supplied as part of the standard FCU kit are fitted with cables 10c in length. If
required to acco odate echanical peculiarities of a particular console, you ay
request any nu ber of your otorised faders to be fitted with an alternative longer cable of
approxi ate length 33c .
Please see section 3.5 (Planning Your Installation) for ore details about the
circu stances under which it is appropriate to request faders with longer interface cables
when sub itting an order.
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3.3 FCU Fit
An outline (plan view) drawing of the FCU circuit board is shown in Figure 3.3.1. Note that
if the diagra is printed on A4 paper it is to scale.
Crucially, the FCU board has di ensions of 23.2 c x 14.5 c x 2.5c (width x length x
height) and would usually be placed in the fader tray directly underneath the faders which
it controls.
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