This is a mod I'll be attempting to do to my 800 MkI.
I've yet to see an 800 with this simple, yet very helpful mod and am a little dumbfounded that it has not yet been done.
Personally, I can't stand the push button Up/Down value keys. Rotary encoders work WAYYY better IMO.
The link you provided is a custom built board.. his price is a little steep and I believe it can be built for around $10 USD, sans a custom PCB. I'm sure most of his cost is high due to that custom PCB.
The version I think I may build will use a CD4011 and CD4013.. but there are other mfr's who build similar chips that integrate nice features like "debouncing" circuits inside the quadrature decoder.
Debouncing is key to getting a smooth signal out to the triggers, otherwise you'd end up getting wild jumps in up/down values when moving the knob slow or fast.
An optical encoder would be nice and smooth to use.. could even be a mouse scroll wheel placed next to the Up/Down keys and inserted parallel to the keys so you can choose to either move the knob/wheel or push the buttons. And you dont have "bounce" issues with optical encoders like you do with mechanical ones.
But.. I think I'd rather use a mechanical encoder.. the kind that looks like a regular potentiometer, but with the "notches" you can feel when turning it. Having one that is totally smooth like the optical ones may not have the right feel to it.
-Blaine
--- In korgpolyex@yahoogroups.com, "k9k9dog" <domgoold@...> wrote:
>
> anyone like the look of this?
>
> http://go.to/datadial
>
> seems like it could be a nice addition, espec'
> to the ex800.
>