The Kit ($41 USD): The cheapest option for those interested in doing some soldering and who wish to supply their own Teensy LC. The code is available here https://github.com/bcjacobs/PhOut12v2

The Kit + Case ($52 USD): The same as above plus a case

Fully Assembled and Preprogramed($89 USD): Everything ready to go. You still need to supply your own power supply and whatever you want to control (dc motors, solenoids, relays, etc.)

What is it?

This is the PhOut12 by Knick Knack Sound - an affordable, versatile, and easy to use motor controller shield powered by Teensy. It comes pre-programmed as a USB-MIDI device that requires no extra drivers or software to work with any digital audio workstation or programming environment like Pure Date and Max/MSP.

The board can control up to 12 DC motors, solenoids, or relays, and four servo motors. It also has two digital or analog inputs for pedals, knobs or sensors.

How do I use it?

To get started, connect the PhOut12 to your computer with the micro usb cable.

To control a solenoid, DC motor, or relay simply connect the device with a standard DC power connector and plug in power that matches what the component requires. The PhOut12 has two power inputs so you can power devices with different voltage requirements from a single board. You can activate (turn on or off) the device you connect by sending it a note on message from a digital audio workstation like Logic Pro, or a programming environment like Max/MSP. You can find the default midi note numbers that activate each output on the PhOut12 guide.

Servo motors can be connected to one of the four, three pin connectors available on the side of the unit. Servo outputs 1 and 2 are powered by DC in 1-6 while servo outputs 3 and 4 get power from DC in 7-12. When plugging in your servo make sure the ground wire is on the top. By default, the servo outputs are controlled by MIDI continuous controller numbers 1 through 4.

The PhOut12 also has two analog or digital inputs to receive information from pedals, knobs, or other sensors.

The PhOut12's Teensy microcontroller is programable with the Arduino programing language, so it can be customized for any one of a number of applications. By programming the Teensy yourself you can control devices without the need of a computer.

What makes it special?

The PhOut12 has two different power inputs so you can control, for example, a 5v solenoid, and a 12v DC motor form one board making it easily usable with a variety of DC powered devices. The PhOut12 has four independent ports for servo control The PhOut12 can serve as a standalone interface to control DC devices without a computer. The PhOut12 has two analog or digital 1/4" input ports making it easy to connect standard midi or expression pedals.

What are some of your product features?

• preprogrammed as a class compliant MIDI device (no special driver needed)
• control 12 DC electronic devices independently with MIDI note numbers
• control 4 servo motors with MIDI continuous controller messages
• two power inputs make it possible to power devices at two different voltages from a single board - two 1/4” ideal for MIDI foot or expression pedals but would work with any controller that can be read on an analog/digital teensy pin
• programmable with the Arduino IDE to run code independent of another computer
• two 1/4" control inputs output uses: solenoids motors servos relays for AC devices input uses (tip: pin, ring: +3.3v, sleeve: GND): digital input (foot pedals, buttons, switches, etc.) analog input (expression pedals, knobs, expression pedals)

What does the kit come with?

The PhOut12 is also available as a kit making it more affordable and customizable.

Included with the kit is:

• one pcb
• 12 10k ohm resistors
• 2 100 ohm resistors
• 12 diodes
• 12 mosfets
• 2 1/4” jacks
• 14 dc power jacks
• two rows of header pins
• 3x4 right angle header pins (not shown)

There is a spot on the board for an ethernet connection. This was intended to power a group of devices through ethernet cable, not for serial communication. The connector is not included in the kit because it is such an unusual requirement. If you find it useful (for low power applications only) you can pick some up here:

RJ45 connectors

What sort of things can I use this for?

Kinetic sculptures, musical robots, analog or digital control input, live performance, crazy things I can't dream of.

Product dimensions.

9.5cm x 9cm x 3.25cm

Is there anything required for this product to work that it does not come included?

The PhOut12 controls other devices which are not included in the kit. You must also provide the appropriate DC power source for those devices. A key component of the design is the ability to connect and reconfigure devices without any tools. That means that everything is connected with DC power jacks. Your devices should be outfitted with these before use.

If you want to use just one DC power supply to power all the outputs on the board I recommend getting a splitter like this:

Splitter available on Amazon

Is it good for all levels or only advanced users?

The fully assembled PhOut12 is meant for beginners. The kit can be customized to suit the needs of the advanced user.

For beginners, it's necessary to have a basic understanding of electricity. It's necessary for the user to provide their own power supply(s) and mechanical device(s).

Things to look out for.

This is an open source board. It's set up in a way I think will benefit the most number of people but it's certainly not optimally configured for every application. If you want to control high voltage devices it will get hot! Possibly too hot. High voltage may be as low as 12v if you have significant current flow. In these situations you may consider adding more space on the board and adding heat sinks. Other modifications may be necessary for high current uses.