Tom Vulpes
@vulpeslabs
Maker, Educator, Creative Technologist, Musical instrument inventor. Creative Director for Hackoustic, CTO for MTFLabs, inventor of SPOKE. Spokeboard.com
Dear American friends. There is a small stock of my boards in the US at PiShop here www.pishop.us/product/spok... The board turns anything conductive into any type of computer input. Helping you build all sorts of creative new interfaces for music, gaming, interactive artworks etc
Materials you can use to control your computer. With a SPOKE board as the bit in the middle. www.spokeboard.com
In a Nick Drake sort of mood. I built this instrument using a spoke-mini, bamboo canes and little metal leaf decorations.
I built a capacitive touch instrument using pewter cast fungi embedded into a log. It uses a spoke-mini and runs Circuitpython to handle the MIDI. #CircuitPyhtonDay2026
I created a new free web tool for my SPOKE board that lets you configure exactly what each touch sensor does without the need to go near the code. Set individual pins to be midi notes or chords or cc inputs or have them be keyboard or mouse commands. www.spokeboard.com/play
SPOKE got a 9/10 review in the latest Official Raspberry Pi magazine! Plus they interviewed me about my work and projects. It's a massive honour to be recognised by them. SPOKE wouldn't even exist without their products and dedication to open source knowledge and hardware.
An oldie, chopped into a mini. Trying that whole marketing scam of an enticing title that doesn't make sense unless you watch the whole clip. But also, I built SPOKE to make my own creative life easier. Then quickly decided everyone elses creative life should also be easier.
Using SPOKE to turn the SPOKE artwork into a playable musical instrument.
My SPOKE-mini solder yourself kit is now up at @pimoroni.com Use it to turn a rpi pico into a 26 pin capacitive touchboard and embed it inside projects, musical instruments, games controllers, interactive artworks, accessibility devices, all sorts! shop.pimoroni.com/products/spo...
Built a transparent midi controller using the SPOKE-MINI to show off how to connect upholstery nails to the board. Super simple and reeeeaaaaally nice tactile touch sensors.
Wishing my mate Sam all the luck in the world performing tonight at Eurovision! I'm not especially patriotic, but he's a great representative of proper British eccentrics.
These are just some of the things already built with the SPOKE board. Super easy touch sensing for creative projects. www.spokeboard.com
SPOKE can easily be coded to work in a bunch of different modes. Or a combination of different ones. Or completely new ones we hadn't thought about yet as it's all run in #Circuitpython www.spokeboard.com for more info!
Added some new Visualisers for the SPOKE midi pages. This will work with any MIDI controller, OR just tap the screen to get randomised notes! www.spokeboard.com
Sams enamel pins work great as a touch sensors on SPOKE boards. Anyone else excited for his EuroVision act?
I have a new page for SPOKE that allows you to edit the circuitpython code on the board directly from the browser. With a bunch of templates for different modes and tools like a scale-builder that lets you choose exactly what midi note is mapped to each pin. tom-vulpes.github.io/SpokeWebMidi...
Small preview of a web based interface for my SPOKE board where you can search for sounds, load them onto the webpage and then use the board to trigger them. I already have a million ideas for lessons/workshops/installations.
Kickstarter pledges for my spoke board are now out in the wild and its both very very exciting and also a bit nerve wracking.
Im showcasing some of my work at this little museum in London called the V&A this weekend as part of the Digital Design Weekend. Pop down if you can. It's a free event and an amazing museum.
Exciting SPOKE update! Spent the day up at @pimoroni.com headquarters finalising the board and working out the kinks. Almost ready to go!
The packaging for my very soon to be released board is AMAZING. Artwork by the wonderful @jakeblanchard.bsky.social printed by uk company EcoCraft.
Super simple 26-pin capacitive touch board for a @raspberrypi.com Pico.
My Kickstarter for SPOKE ends tomorrow morning and I'm genuinely amazed by the support I've received. I'm still finding more stuff it can do. In this example it's using physical connections rather than capacitive! Opening a whole new way to experiment. www.kickstarter.com/projects/tom...
One of the excellent features of the SPOKE board is the very customisable neopixel lights. The kickstarter ends today if you want to grab an early bird discounted one! I chose these colours for the demo as #transrightsarehumanrights
My latest build uses a SPOKE-MINI to help me build a capacitive touch miniature midi musical mech. youtu.be/Lm-84dPe5Dc?...
