User Guide - 16n-faderbank/16n GitHub Wiki

Configuration

The 16n by default is setup to transmit CCS 32-47 on midi channel 1, on both TRS and USB MIDI; I2C is setup as "follower". You can alter the configuration of your 16n without recompiling the firmware, by using a web browser.

The 16n configuration site can be found at https://16n-faderbank.github.io/editor . You'll need to connect a 16n via USB, and then visit the site in a browser that supports WebMIDI. Currently, that probably means Google Chrome. Details of your 16n should appear on screen, and you can then adjust the configuration in the browser before transmitting it to your hardware. You may need to close any other applications accessing MIDI for (eg your DAW) for the editor to work correctly.

Similarly, when you have finished editing your configuration, close the Chrome tab with the editor in before you re-open your DAW.

USB MIDI

Connect USB to computer or other USB host. By default, faders 1-16 transmit MIDI CC data on CCs 32-47, channel 1. This can be altered using the configuration site.

TRS MIDI

Connect USB to computer/USB host, or a USB power supply. Set toggle switch to appropriate MIDI standard. Connect TRS midi converter to MIDI port. (If you have a TRS socket on your MIDI device, you can just use a 3.5mm TRS-TRS cable). Faders 1-16 transmit MIDI CC data on CCs 32-47, channel 1. This can be altered using the configuration site.

CV

Connect USB to a USB power supply. Faders 1-16 emit 0-~5V out of their relevant jacks. Connect jack sockets to inputs on your synthesizer. Do not connect jack sockets to outputs on your Eurorack system; there is power protection on the Teensy, impedence resistors on the sockets, but damage may occur if you do so. Configuration has no impact whatsoever on CV - it is emitting the 'raw' voltage through the fader.

I2C

I2C is complex and requires a bit more care when connecting up with your 16n. You can do some very powerful things with it, but you need to be very mindful of a few key points:

  • I2C is very picky about cable length. Keep your cable runs as short as possible. If your cables are too long, your bus may “hang” and cause connected instruments to become unresponsive until reboot.
  • Connect and disconnect devices only when they are powered down. This keeps your instruments from locking up or being damaged. (I2C just wasn’t designed to be as robust and hot-pluggable as MIDI or USB.)
  • Be extremely careful not to connect audio or MIDI cables to the I2C jack. This could damage your 16n’s processor.
  • 16n’s I2C jack is a 3.5mm stereo jack wired as follows: tip SDA, ring SCL, and sleeve GND (ground). The various devices in the ecosystem that support I2C order these pins differently. Check your devices documentation or PCB to ensure that you are connecting to it properly.
  • Depending on the number of devices on the I2C bus and your configuration, you my need to utilize a bus board to add additional “pull up” resistance to the bus in order to have reliable communications. There are a number of options available for this in the community.

By default, the 16n firmware is set up to work with a monome Teletype out of the box (otherwise known as "Follower" mode). Make sure you are running the latest Teletype firmware (3.0 as of this writing). Simply connect to the I2C bus and go. The 16n commands are listed in the Teletype documentation available here: https://monome.org/docs/modular/teletype/manual/#n-faderbank. These commands allow for the Teletype to programmatically read the position of any of the 16n’s faders.

The “I2C MASTER” option (or "Leader") allows the 16n to emit commands directly to a number of modules. (This can be set in the configuration app, and then will be applied the next time the device boots). It sends CV values to up to four monome Ansible, four bpcmusic TXo, and the Orthogonal Devices’ ER-301 all at the same time. Note: In this configuration, you need to have additional pull-up resistors on the I2C line (as mentioned above). Either use one of the available powered I2C busboards for this purpose or, if you don’t plan on connecting your 16n to a Teletype (which supplies its own pull-up), you can populate the pull-up resistors on the 16n PCB.

"Can I have multiple faderbanks working over I2C?" - basically, no. Brendon has a good explanation here of why not