OpenDeck

OpenDeck

OpenDeck is a platform for building interactive control and sensing devices using MIDI and OSC. From USB MIDI DJ controllers and DAW control surfaces to Ethernet-connected OSC nodes, sensor interfaces and media installations, OpenDeck supports a wide range of hardware projects.

The main platform features:

• Browser-based configuration
• No firmware development required
• Hardware-independent - supports multiple MCU families and development boards
• MIDI and OSC support
• Extensible sensor support

The platform lets you focus on hardware and interaction design rather than tweaking and debugging firmware.

Click the image below for a demo video of the OpenDeck configurator

Configurator is available either online or offline.

Some of the devices built with OpenDeck

Peripherals

OpenDeck supports the following peripherals:

Core I/O

• Buttons
• Encoders
• Single-color LEDs and other types of outputs such as relays or transistors
• Potentiometers
• FSRs (force-sensitive resistors)

Displays

• Nextion HMI touchscreen displays
• SSD1306 small OLED display

Sensors

• APDS-9960 proximity, light, RGB, and gesture sensor - OSC only
• CAP1188 8-Key Capacitive Touch Sensor - OSC only
• VL53L4CX time of flight distance sensor - OSC only
• VL53L5CX 8x8 time of flight distance sensor - OSC only
• BNO085 9-DOF orientation IMU fusion sensor - OSC only

Each sensor has specific configuration options such as smoothing, selectable event output etc.

Features

OpenDeck provides extensive MIDI and OSC functionality:

• MIDI: sending of both 7-bit and 14-bit Non-Registered Parameter Numbers (NRPN), latching messages on buttons, various encoding modes for quadrature encoders, output control using MIDI In, configurable MIDI channels for each component individually, Bluetooth MIDI and more.
• OSC: Ethernet transport, configurable destinations, sensor data streaming, output control, automatic network discovery via mDNS, network-based configuration and firmware updates.

A detailed guide to all supported configurable features can be found here.

If the feature you want isn’t supported yet, don’t feel discouraged. Open up a discussion thread and let’s talk about it.

Official board

Currently, there is only one official board available to buy: the L variant, where “L” stands for “large”. The board is available on Lectronz store.

This board is based on Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller and features the following:

• 128 digital inputs
• 64 digital outputs
• 64 analog inputs
• DIN MIDI
• USB MIDI (USB C)
• Connector for touchscreen
• Connector for I2C OLED display
• Additional connectors with 3V+GND and 5V+GND connections

The L board doesn’t have OSC support. It focuses on providing lots of I/O specifically for USB and DIN MIDI use-cases. OSC functionality is available on a number of supported Ethernet-enabled boards.

Supported boards

The firmware supports various other boards, both small and large:

Board	MIDI	OSC
Adafruit Grand Central M4 Express	USB, DIN	No
Adafruit Metro ESP32-S3	USB, DIN	No
Adafruit Metro ESP32-S3 + W5500 Ethernet Shield	USB	Ethernet
Adafruit Metro ESP32-S3 + W6100 Ethernet Shield	USB	Ethernet
Adafruit Metro RP2040	USB, DIN	No
Adafruit Metro RP2040 + W5500 Ethernet Shield	USB	Ethernet
Adafruit Metro RP2040 + W6100 Ethernet Shield	USB	Ethernet
Arduino Nano 33 BLE	USB, DIN, BLE	No
LILYGO T-ETH Elite	USB	Ethernet
nRF52840 DK	USB, DIN, BLE	No
nRF5340 DK	USB, DIN, BLE	No
Olimex ESP32-POE	No	Ethernet
Raspberry Pi Pico	USB, DIN	No
Raspberry Pi Pico 2	USB, DIN	No
ST Discovery F407VG	USB, DIN	No
ST Nucleo F767ZI	DIN	Ethernet
ST Nucleo H563ZI	DIN	Ethernet
ST Nucleo H753ZI	DIN	Ethernet
STM32F411 Black Pill V3+ with populated external flash	USB, DIN	No
Teensy 4.0	USB, DIN	No
Teensy 4.1	USB, DIN	No
Waveshare Core405R	USB, DIN	No
Waveshare ESP32-S3-ETH	USB	Ethernet
W5500-EVB-Pico	USB	Ethernet
W5500-EVB-Pico2	USB, DIN	Ethernet
W6100-EVB-Pico	USB, DIN	Ethernet
W6100-EVB-Pico2	USB, DIN	Ethernet
wESP32	No	Ethernet

For more details on supported boards, check the wiki page. Support for custom boards can also be added.

Documentation

Available on dedicated Wiki section.

Discussion

Need help? Want to show off your OpenDeck-based builds? Head over to Discussions!

License

OpenDeck source code is available under Apache License v2.0. Zephyr RTOS, which OpenDeck is built on top of, is also licensed under Apache License v2.0.

Third-party components with different licenses:

• u8g2: Two-clause BSD
• vl53l4cx: Three-clause BSD
• vl53l5cx: Three-clause BSD
• zlibs: MIT