Picotracker: the fully open groovebox is finally here!
Pelican (Parangool) | Thu 18 Apr 10:45 a.m.–12:25 p.m.
Presented by
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Maksim Lin
@mklin
https://www.manichord.com/blog
Maksim is a freelance developer who over the years has worked on everything from phone exchanges to large corporate websites to mobile webapps and Android app development. Previously senior developer at the National Gallery of Victoria, he now specialises in Flutter development. He is involved in the Flutter community as a Flutter/Dart Google Developer Expert and co-organiser of the GDG Melbourne and Flutter Melbourne user groups.
Maksim Lin
@mklin
https://www.manichord.com/blog
Abstract
Last year at Everything Open, I presented my ML-2 project which attempted to build a tracker-based groovebox using a RPI4 and a reverse engineered midi controller.
This year I'm happy to have something far better: a fully open hardware and open source, self contained, portable groovebox powered by a RaspberryPi foundation RP2040!
Attendee’s do not need any prior knowledge or experience in trackers, music making, RP2040 or firmware development. However for those wanting to build the picoTracker, some basic experience in soldering will help alot and for hacking on the firmware, any C/C++ experience will go a long way. For those that just want to compose some music, all you need is to bring your curiosity and a creative spirit!
Attendees of the workshop will get the opportunity to not only learn how to make music tracks using the picoTracker, but also learn how to hack on and install their own firmware and even **optionally** build a picoTracker devices for themselves from kits that will be available for purchase, with only some simple through-hole soldering required. I will also have some sets of RP Picos with audio boards on breadboards for attendees to use and experiment with.
In the workshop, we'll quickly cover the history of picoTracker's firmware and tracker-based music making in general, before diving into the fun stuff of hacking on these cool devices. All that will be needed from attendees who want to participate in the software parts of the workshop will be a laptop running preferably Linux but a Macbook should work as well.
For those wanting to purchase a kit to build a picoTracker will need to bring a soldering iron, though there will be 1 or 2 spare soldering irons for those that don't have their own.
Last year at Everything Open, I presented my ML-2 project which attempted to build a tracker-based groovebox using a RPI4 and a reverse engineered midi controller. This year I'm happy to have something far better: a fully open hardware and open source, self contained, portable groovebox powered by a RaspberryPi foundation RP2040! Attendee’s do not need any prior knowledge or experience in trackers, music making, RP2040 or firmware development. However for those wanting to build the picoTracker, some basic experience in soldering will help alot and for hacking on the firmware, any C/C++ experience will go a long way. For those that just want to compose some music, all you need is to bring your curiosity and a creative spirit! Attendees of the workshop will get the opportunity to not only learn how to make music tracks using the picoTracker, but also learn how to hack on and install their own firmware and even **optionally** build a picoTracker devices for themselves from kits that will be available for purchase, with only some simple through-hole soldering required. I will also have some sets of RP Picos with audio boards on breadboards for attendees to use and experiment with. In the workshop, we'll quickly cover the history of picoTracker's firmware and tracker-based music making in general, before diving into the fun stuff of hacking on these cool devices. All that will be needed from attendees who want to participate in the software parts of the workshop will be a laptop running preferably Linux but a Macbook should work as well. For those wanting to purchase a kit to build a picoTracker will need to bring a soldering iron, though there will be 1 or 2 spare soldering irons for those that don't have their own.