HackerTube.dev

DIY haptic input knob: BLDC motor + round LCD

scottbez1 · 2.9M views · 2022-03-11 · 2:11

Open on YouTube ↗

If playback is restricted in your region, try opening the original video. Use Mark watched to add it to your marked videos.

Overview

A two-minute demo of SmartKnob View, an open-source input knob built from a brushless gimbal motor, magnetic encoder and round LCD. Closed-loop torque control gives software-defined detents and end stops.

On Hacker News

HN people hold it up as a polished solo hardware project and the go-to example of haptic knobs, including in discussions of physical car controls.

Recommended by 2 HN people across 2 months · HN mentions 2023–2026

Topics

Search by tags

What people said

laurencei · 2024-07 · Strong recommendation

Hey OP - if your thinking about a smart knob with haptic feedback etc - check this open source project out that you can build yourself - its amazing: [LINK] Video demo here: [VIDEO]

Read the original HN comment ↗
rzzzt · 2025-06 · Recommendation

Vaguely related - two encoder wheel projects on YouTube that might interest you: - "Wireless High Resolution Scrolling is Amazing": [LINK] - "DIY haptic input knob: BLDC motor + round LCD": [VIDEO]

Read the original HN comment ↗
crote · 2026-05 · Reference

I'm not convinced it is that easy. Cars traditionally have very generic button clusters, like [0]. It is even very common to have dummy buttons in there. Combine that with today's cars where those buttons are hooked up to some MCU to send a CAN message instead of being hardwired to a function-specific cable in a giant loom, and it is suddenly quite easy to change button functionality quite late in the design process for basically zero cost: you just need a slightly different label print and a small firmware patch! Or, if you want to be 100% flexible, go with the ATM approach where physical buttons are placed next to an icon shown on a screen[1]. All of the flexibility and all of the tactile feedback! You can even go for a multi-level layout, with a top row of mode selection buttons, a bottom row of mode-specific function buttons, and perhaps even a big fat dial with haptic feedback[2]. Or even go all-out Elgato Stream Deck[3]. And sure, the fact that slapping in a giant touchscreen lets them decouple UX design from physical controls is going to play a big role. But it is by far the laziest and least user-friendly way of doing so. If that's the best you can come up with, you probably shouldn't be doing UX design at all. [0]: [LINK] [1]: [LINK] [2]: [VIDEO] [3]: [LINK]

Read the original HN comment ↗

Sources

Video by scottbez1, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

Views, duration and playback status refresh separately from the published catalog. When an update fails, existing data remains visible.

Selection checks
  • SaaS & AI candidates: Topic keywords do not match
  • Editor-approved picks: Editorial review is required

Rule matches identify candidates. They do not guarantee video quality or financial results.

About the library and its sources