The Monome creators have announced they’ve almost sold out of their open-sourced, open-ended, button-filled Monome 40h hardware. The original Monome has proved to be a bit of a cult hit since it was first produced, finding a wide variety of applications for musicians and visualists. The old will make way for a new, 16 x 16 “100h” controller in place of the 8 x 8 “40h.”
Peak at the 100h [monome.org]
The new wooden enclosure (black walnut) looks gorgeous; the faceplate remains aluminum. I wonder if some will actually prefer the fewer-button design; if so, you’d better act quickly before they run out. Of course, this being open hardware, with a little work you can build your own custom model, as we saw here. (See Building a Custom Monome Controller, with STS9’s David Phipps.) David’s unit went with a rectangular rather than square configuration.
Pricing on the new model: TBD, but they’re estimating well over US$1000. (Grab those smaller ones while you can, apparently!) Availability: expected early August. No preorders yet.
The new Monome will be at the Maker Faire along with yours truly, and I also hope to catch up with creator Brian Crabtree soon.