Receiver Control Panel

Unless this is for some kind of art or furniture project, it would be so much simpler to just use an IR remote receiver or, if the entire unit is to be hidden, extend the unit's IR receiving module.

If you simply must have visible control knobs, read on.

It's easy enough to relocate controls, but you need to be aware that some problems can arise in doing so -- induced noise, for one.

Use shielded cable, especially on longer runs. You *could* try twisted pair configurations, but you *could* also be sorry you wasted your time. You will want to add shielding to the new panel if it isn't metal. You may also need to add extra shielding to the pot casings, depending on the design of the original pots, where the new location is and what the controls are moved near.

If panel shielding is required, heavy aluminum foil will suffice. Use one large sheet of foil running the length of the panel and, if need be, pinch up enough extra for each pot so that you can wrap the entire pot casing. To ground the new panel, simply bolt on a ground wire ring terminal and run it to a proper receiver chassis ground. The secondary panel (required to hide the pot nuts) will hide the ground bolt head as well. If you need to wrap the pots with the foil, remember to first cover the outside surfaces of the solder terminals with a strip of rubber electrical tape. The adhesive on vinyl tape tends to turn gelatinous over time and it can leave behind a real gooey mess when/if you need to rework the terminals. Rubber tape is thicker, conforms well to the terminals and comes off cleanly, even decades later. You could use rubber caulk, but it can be much more of a hassle to remove.

Good luck, Ray

Thanks Ray for that complete response.

It is a furniture/art project and as such the buttons/knobs serve a couple functions. They make the critical controls accessible and they provide some visually interesting mechanical parts (since all the components will be behind nice wood doors.

I have no problem using an IR remote, but most of the remotes I see nowadays have massive grids of tiny rubber buttons. Are there any receivers you can recommend that have a remote with more intersting controls (ie. limited sets of buttons and knobs)?

afinpdx

That's all very nice, except that most modern audio equipment makes the connections between the front panel and main panel, using one or more flexiprints, which are in no way ' easily ' extendable. Volume controls are for the most part, no longer pots, instead being rotary encoders, controlling ' electronic pot ' ICs, via the system control micro. Likewise for tone control, tuning, source switching etc.

In order to do what you want to, and about the only practical way is along the lines that Ray suggests, is to find an old piece of kit that would lend itself to being modded in that way. I think that you will struggle to do it to a modern item.

Arfa

Sorry, no. The intent in remote design is to make them as lightweight, simple (mechanically), inexpensive and unobtrusive (i.e., thin) as practicable while at the same time giving the user plenty of control over the various functions. Some VCR remotes, particularly editors, have "jog/shuttle" rotary controls, but even they are pretty flat. You could build your own unique remote using rotary momentary switches to mimic the action of the original remote's pushbuttons. You could mount whatever knobs you wanted onto the switch shafts to get just the right look. Of course, to recreate all the control of the original would require a rather large remote box with tons of knobs, but it's doable -- not what I'd consider reasonable, but doable.

It's not all that difficult, if you don't mind doing loads of tight solder work. Desolder the original socket, wire up an appropriate length of cable from receiver board to socket, plug relocated control board into socket and away you go. Granted, surface-mount sockets are a lot trickier to deal with, but still can be done by a skilled solderer (solderist?).

To the OP: Your chances of getting acceptable results soldering directly to flex traces are virtually nil, as the iron will destroy the traces and vinyl backing. They must, therefore, be plugged into matching sockets. I've heard tales of limited success with low-liquidus-point silver solder made for surface-mount work, but I haven't bothered trying that approach, so I can't say from personal experience whether it's viable.

They're totally cool, too. A major annoyance of older analog pots is dirty/scratchy wiper contacts. I hate having to open up the things to clean 'em. The car stereo gang pots are the worst.

Your program source requirements are modest so it sounds as if what you are looking for is a normal stereo power amplifier with line level input. In front of that you need a control preamplifier to handle all the various source inputs. The preamp can be mounted where you want it in the cabinet and the power amp deep in the bowels of the cabinet if that is what you want. A stereo interconnect cable of appropriate length (say up to 5M) connects the preamp output to the power amp input.

A/B speaker switching can be custom wired to a suitable DPDT switch mounted next to the preamp.

This is no longer true. Aftermarket remotes are available with programmable touch screens...very clean designs with few actual 'buttons'. Instead, the user can program the lcd screen to contain as few or as many controls as desired--up to the limit of the device being controled's capability for remote operation--and page through various screens, if desired, to control the rest.

As an expample:

I would think something like this (The above is just the 1st example to come up on Google for 'lcd remote'. There are many, many others available...including software for Palm and other computer devices.) to be the OP's best solution in terms of control He may yet have other ideas as to the aesthetics of the project...with respect to a melding of high tech/low tech look and feel.

One thing which would be lacking in the above scenario would be visual indication of the controlled devices current state...ie a frequency indicator for the receiver, or channel number for the TV.

jak

It seemed as if he was going for an old tech look with knobs. Perhaps I misconstrued his design philosophy for the project. Those configurable touchscreen remotes are cool, to be sure, and the price has come way down on them.

Good point. I suppose he could use mirrors, with the topmost/outermost one being a spring-loaded, flip-up with veneer backing to match the cabinet's grain when retracted. Release that upper mirror and voila, you have a display. Or he could mount the display board somewhere in the new control panel for direct viewing and use appropriate rotary controls for changing tuner presets, etc. This thing will have a peculiar, though possibly appealing, look to it. I'd like to see pics of it when it's finished.