Cheap Touch Modules To Make a Ribbon Controller

DIY STUFF
1

As a sort of reply to mightywombat’s thread about simple piano kbd, having a similar “problem” but with a twist.
The twist is a bunch of touch buttons (see pic). Bunch = 50+ pieces.
They were very cheap (AliExpress) and that was the main reason I ordered them, but with no clear ideas how/where to use them.
Due to their simple function (strappable active on/off …) and easy to acticate I had an idea of some kind of ribbon controller.
The issue are the OPs of the small modules - how to make the 50+ outputs into something more binary (or analog)??? I could use a number of ultrasmall relays (Reed relay 5V) or use the priority encoder I mentioned in Mightywombats thread.
Also the modules seems to be activated from underside as well , so mounting them requires some planning.
Here’s a typical picture of a typical module. It is approx 1/2" by 1/2".

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These modules are sold cheaply from several sellers on AliX and some 50 of them is well under 10 USD. They can be used elsewhere as well.

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I’m picturing a grid of them–you’ve got 50, so maybe 7x7–each with a slightly different (low-ish) voltages divided into it, like in major scale values, and when you press them the active voltages are summed and then output through a DAC or something like that. Especially fun if they’re force-sensitive.

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Not force sensitive, but active outputs - zeroes and ones, but I will look into this idea yet.

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4

Go beyond a 90° grid if you want to expand the scope. The chord buttons on something like an accordion work well in a hex layout. I have a bag of these modules and am lookin at a scan to identify 4 and the order they were pressed giving a root and other elements of a chord system.

5

It wouldn’t take much to add a diy fsr to the playing surface of each module.

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If you threw in one of those keyboard multiplexer ICs or similar, a cheap microcontroller like a Seeed Xiao RP2040, and a DAC you could easily get whatever you want out of it.

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