SPOKE turns capacitive touch into musical control with RP2040

The SPOKE is a CD-sized USB-C device featuring 27 capacitive touch pads arranged circularly around an RP2040 microcontroller. By default, it functions as a MIDI controller with each pad triggering musical notes in a pentatonic scale, programmable via CircuitPython. The browser-based interface at spokeboard.com provides instant MIDI functionality, audio visualizers, and sound assignment tools pulling from Freesound.org libraries. Two Qwiic/STEMMA QT ports allow peripheral expansion at the cost of two touch pads. Unlike conventional controllers, SPOKE tracks extended touch surfaces through any conductive material including fruits, copper tape, or pencil graphite, recalibrated via reset button. Developer options include HID keyboard emulation, Minecraft controls, and Arduino IDE compatibility through the same RP2040 chip used in Raspberry Pi Pico. For space-constrained projects, a SPOKE-mini DIY kit version is available with soldering-required components.