Motorfader-NG Module

Introduction

The MF_NG module is the successor of the MBHP_MF module and has following design targets:

find a solution to handle high-quality faders like Alps K faders with “coreless” motors
find a solution for Core32 which doesn't deliver stable enough ADC conversion results due to the reduced 3.3V voltage range
find a solution for Core32 which cannot handle touch sensors properly without heavy CPU load (resp. without an additional external device or microcontroller)
find a solution which is compatible with PIC based projects for best usability
find a solution which is DIY friendly and doesn't require additional gear for something which isn't part of the MBHP yet
find a solution which can be easily tested and troubleshooted (no need to learn new processes)

And the result is:

a dedicated PIC controller controls the motorfaders directly.
the firmware can be updated via MIDI!
motorfaders are accessed via MIDI - this allows standalone usage, cascading (to chain multiple modules), and the re-use of existing infrastructure such as MIOS, MIOS Studio and MIOS Bootloader
the module can either be connected to a PC directly, or controlled from a second PIC or STM32
native support of various protocols (e.g. PitchBender, CCs, even Logic Control and Mackie Control Emulation)
support for 8 touch sensors
instead of TC4427 I'm using L293D now - not at least because of the integrated diodes.
due to the direct motor control connections, the PIC is now able to generate PWM with 50 uS steps for improved motor speed control while a motor is moved
since the firmware is dedicated for this task, there was enough memory free to integrate advanced features, such as runtime-calibration and motor position tracing which are supported by MIOS Studio