Netherlands-based technology company Streacom has announced that its VU1 computer dial system is now up for pre-order, with product shipments expected to begin before the year is out. We first reported on these highly configurable dials with eInk screens back at Computex 2023. Streacom, which was founded to deliver streaming media-related products, was at the PC trade show to promote VU1 and its SG10 (passive) gaming case.
The Streacom VU1 dynamic analog dials are one of those products that are both simple, yet offer a pleasing range of customization and configuration options. Essentially, they are USB-connected dials based on the tried and trusted moving coil mechanism which moves a pointer in accordance with the current applied.
To make these old-tech dials thoroughly modern Streacom has done a number of things. Firstly, it has implemented an eInk insert, so the dial can display any scale and inscription. Secondly, it has readied software control for several real-time system dials which is easy to extend / customize. Last but not least Streacom has implemented RGB lighting, despite reservations about what it calls “unicorn puke.” Here the RGB lighting could come in useful as the black & white eInk displays can be given greater meaning or context with the changing color light.
Streacom’s VU1 dynamic analog dials have an appealing simple design. They are described as 55mm cubes, machined from extruded aluminum. The housing has a sandblasted and anodized finish in natural or black. A new thing, since Computex, appears to be the angled stand option, and these can be attached to the base of each VU1 so the dial is easier to view when positioned at desk level.
At Computex, we heard that a starter pack of three VU1 units plus a hub would be sold for $99. However, there seems to have been some inflation, with a pack like this now listed at €130 ($138). Remember Euro retail prices include 20% VAT, and the price is also said to include global shipping.
Other kits advertised include a four-dial expansion set for €125, a single hub for €42, and a single dial for €38. Standard USB A to C cables connect your PC to the hub and up to 54 dials can be daisy chained using USB-C to -C cables.
