The Doboz TSNM MK I is great touch controller you can build DIY. Touch Sensing Note Memory (TSNM) has 12 capacitive touch plates. TSNM can act as a keyboard, arpeggiator, and sequencer. It has a built in quantizer with a 5 octave range, pressure sensitive touch plates, and CV recorder.
TSNM is a great module if you want a touch controller. The sequencer is a great bonus. The module takes up 28hp which is a large investment in space but functionality makes it worth it, and the touch plates are a good size for playing.
Here is a demo from the creator:
The module works great and is very intuitive. Most of the options are easily accessed from the menu and nothing is buried. The LED grid displays helpful iconography that helps explain what is going on.
This model has been discontinued but you can still find them Reverb. There is an updated version TSNM MK II. I’m working on building a MK II at the moment.
Sadly, I fired my MK I 😭. There are two connectors on the back one of them is power, the other is not power. I connected power to the wrong one 🤦. There was smoke, it was bad.
The TSNM uses a Teensy 3.2, it’s a microcontroller that’s the brains of the module. You can see the Teensy in the second picture is fried. The board on the left is an MPR121 capacitive sensor. This might also have some problems, it doesn’t have any visible problems but it may have a lethal voltage.
I’m trying to resurrect this. The first step is replace the Teensy and upload the firmware. Turns out these are hard to get right now. The supply chain problem is real, it’s affecting my DIY projects! Luckily I found a spare I had bought.
To be continued…
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