# Trinket USB Volume Knob

## Overview

One thing I miss from my old stereo system is the big volume knob, maybe you wish your computer or laptop had a volume knob too, too? This tutorial will show how you can build a little desktop toy that lets you quickly set the volume without having to open up iTunes or your control panel or run **amixer**  
  
If you have a rotary encoder with a built-in switch, you can even extend this project to turn it into a volume/mute control

# How it works!
  
The Trinket's USB port is used for uploading sketches, but you can **also** use it for some basic USB 1.1 devices. For example, under USB 1.1, you can make low speed USB devices such as...  

- HID devices
  - mouse
  - keyboard
  - joystick/gamepad/flightsim
  - many more... the drivers come from the operating system

- MIDI devices (input notes from sensors, or generate outputs from notes, etc)
- Custom devices (you have to write your own driver though)
- There are a few more rare applications

However, USB 1.1 cannot do stuff like virtual serial ports or mass storage devices, these require USB 2.0, sorry.  
  
The easiest and most useful are HID devices. Such as a [USB keyboard (link to another tutorial)](http://learn.adafruit.com/trinket-usb-keyboard).  
  
Today, keyboards have multimedia keys, such as play/pause or volume control. I will show you how to combine a Trinket and a rotary encoder to create a USB volume control knob. http://youtu.be/cQR2_ooVEtI

- [Next Page](https://learn.adafruit.com/trinket-usb-volume-knob/wiring.md)

## Featured Products

### Adafruit Trinket - Mini Microcontroller - 3.3V Logic

[Adafruit Trinket - Mini Microcontroller - 3.3V Logic](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1500)
 **Deprecation Warning: The Trinket bit-bang USB technique it uses doesn't work as well as it did in 2014, many modern computers won't work well. So while we still carry the Trinket so that people can maintain some older projects, we no longer recommend it.** <a...></a...>

In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1500)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1500/guides)
### Adafruit Trinket - Mini Microcontroller - 5V Logic

[Adafruit Trinket - Mini Microcontroller - 5V Logic](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1501)
 **Deprecation Warning: The Trinket bit-bang USB technique it uses doesn't work as well as it did in 2014, many modern computers won't work well. So while we still carry the Trinket so that people can maintain some older projects, we no longer recommend it.** <a...></a...>

In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1501)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1501/guides)
### Trinket 6-Pack - 3 x 3.3V and 3 x 5V Trinkets

[Trinket 6-Pack - 3 x 3.3V and 3 x 5V Trinkets](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1509)
**[We're no longer selling this pack of Trinket 3V+5V, we recommend our Trinket M0 which has better USB support, way faster processor, a ton more memory and CircuitPython support!](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3500)**

&nbsp;

Be the life of your...

No Longer Stocked
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1509)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1509/guides)
### Rotary Encoder + Extras

[Rotary Encoder + Extras](https://www.adafruit.com/product/377)
This rotary encoder is the best of the best, it's a high-quality 24-pulse encoder, with detents and a nice feel. It is panel mountable for placement in a box, or you can plug it into a breadboard (just cut/bend the two mechanical side tabs.) We also include a nice soft-touch knob with an...

In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/377)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/377/guides)

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