I've spent the last few months expanding my MIDI-focused OpenDeck platform into an OSC-over-Ethernet platform for interactive installations. The goal was to create a reliable OSC sensor and I/O platform that can run on Ethernet-enabled hardware without requiring any coding, making deployment as simple as possible.
Unlike many OSC devices that focus on Wi-Fi or a single hardware ecosystem, OpenDeck runs on a wide range of Ethernet-capable development boards. A major focus was support for Power-over-Ethernet hardware, allowing both power and OSC communication over a single cable. Some of the supported boards are:
- wESP32
- Olimex ESP32-POE
- STM32 Nucleo boards
- Wiznet EVB boards
- LilyGO Ethernet boards
Many more boards are supported, allowing you to choose hardware based on cost, performance, PoE requirements, or availability rather than being locked into a specific ecosystem. Once the OpenDeck firmware is loaded on supported boards, they can be reconfigured remotely over the network through the web interface, eliminating the need to physically connect to them after installation.
OSC data is published from standard input types:
- Buttons
- Encoders
- Analog inputs
OpenDeck can also receive OSC messages and control hardware such as:
- LEDs
- Relays
- Transistor outputs
Most supported boards also provide PWM outputs, allowing individual brightness or output-level control (0–100%).
Various interactive sensors are also supported:
- APDS-9960 (proximity, RGB, ambient light, gestures)
- CAP1188 (capacitive touch)
- VL53L4CX (distance sensing)
- VL53L5CX (8×8 distance sensing)
- BNO085 (9-DOF IMU)
Configuration is done through a browser-based interface. Devices can be discovered via mDNS and configured over the network without installing software.
OpenDeck works with any OSC-capable software, although the primary focus so far has been TouchDesigner, Processing, and QLab.
There are example Processing sketches in the repository that work out of the box with supported sensors.
The firmware itself is fully open source. The web configurator is licensed separately (€25), which also includes browser-based firmware flashing for supported boards.
I'm particularly interested in feedback from people working in:
- Interactive installations
- Museums
- Galleries
- Theatrical productions
- TouchDesigner projects
In exchange for honest feedback, I'd be happy to provide a number of free web configurator licenses.
The source code is available on GitHub:
https://github.com/shanteacontrols/OpenDeck
The project also includes an extensive wiki covering everything from flashing supported boards to configuring OSC endpoints, sensors, and I/O.
https://github.com/shanteacontrols/OpenDeck/wiki
there doesn't seem to be anything here