Tonex One Controller: An open-source controller and display interface for the IK Multimedia Tonex One guitar pedal

This project uses a low-cost embedded controller (Espressif ESP32-S3) to form a bridge to the IK Multimedia Tonex One guitar pedal (which does not have native Midi capability.)

Note: this project is not endorsed by IK Multimedia. Amplifier skin images copyright is owned by IK Multimedia. TONEX is a registered trademark of IK Multimedia Production Srl

⭐ Key Features

• LCD display with capactive touch screen.
• Screen displays the name and number of the current preset.
• The User can select an amplifier skin and also add descriptive text
• Use of simple dual footswitches to select next/previous preset
• Bluetooth Client support. Use of the "M-Vave Chocolate" bluetooth Midi footswitch device to switch presets (4 buttons, bank up/down)
• Other Bluetooth Midi controllers should be fairly easy to support with code changes, provided they use the standard Bletooth Midi service and characteristic
• Coming in V1.0.2.2: Bluetooth server support. Pair your phone/tablet with the controller, and send standard Midi program changes, bridged through to the Tonex One pedal (note Server and Client cannot be used simultaneously)
• USB host control of the Tonex pedal
• Serial Midi support
• Menu Config options to disable items like the display, so it could become just a tiny bridge device

Hardware Platforms

For more information about the hardware platforms, refer to Hardware Platforms

Development Info

For more information about the firmware development and customisation, refer to Firmware Development

User Interface

For the hardware platform with and LCD display, a User Interface is shown. The User Interface design was done using Squareline Studio: https://squareline.io/

UI Design:

Usage

Hardware platform with Display

• Connect power
• After a few seconds of boot time, the LCD display should now show the description for your current Preset
• Change presets using one or more of the following methods
  1. Touch screen Next/Previous labels
  2. Dual footswitchs for next/previous preset
  3. Bluetooth Client mode: M-Vave Chocolate footswitches. Bank 1 does presets 1,2,3,4. Bank 2 does presets 5,6,7,8. Etc.
  4. Bluetooth Server mode: Bluetooth Midi controller to send Program change messages 0 to 19
• The Amplifier skin image is not stored in the Tonex One Pedal, hence this needs to be manually selected
• To select an Amp skin and/or change the description text
  1. Press and hold the Preset name for a few seconds
  2. Navigation arrows will appear next to the amp skin image
  3. Use the left/right arrows to navigate through the available amp skins
  4. Press the description text. A keyboard will appear, allowing text to be entered
  5. Press the green tick image to save the changes. Changes will be saved permanently and remembered when next powered on

Hardware platform without Display

• Connect power
• Change presets using one or more of the following methods
  1. Bluetooth Client mode: M-Vave Chocolate footswitches. Bank 1 does presets 1,2,3,4. Bank 2 does presets 5,6,7,8. Etc.
  2. Bluetooth Server mode: Bluetooth Midi controller to send Program change messages 0 to 19

Programming a pre-built release

• Download the release zip file from the Releases folder and unzip it
• Press and hold the "Boot" button on the Waveshare board
• Connect a USB-C cable to the Waveshare board and a PC
• After the USB connection, release the Boot button
• Run the programmer exe on a Windows PC (note: this is provided as a binary package by Espressif Systems, refer to https://www.espressif.com/en/support/download/other-tools)
• Note that Linux and Mac are supported via a Python script. Refer above link.
• Set the Chip Type as "ESP32-S3"
• Set the Work Mode as "Factory"
• Set the Load Mode as "USB" (for devices like the recommended Waveshare module.) Some other PCBs that use a UART instead of the native USB port will need this set to "UART"
• In Download Panel 1, select the Comm port corresponding to your ESP32-S3. This can be determined by checking on the Windows Control Panel, Device Manager, under Ports
• Press the Start button to flash the image into the Waveshare module
• When finished, close the app and disconnect the USB cable (the screen will be blank until the board has been power cycled)
• Follow the Operation instructions

🙏 Acknowledgement

• [LVGL graphics library] https://lvgl.io/
• Waveshare board support files for display and touch screen driver examples
• https://github.com/vit3k/tonex_controller for great work on reverse engineering the Tonex One USB protocol

Release Notes

V1.0.2.2:

• Updated to be compatible with Tonex 1.8.0 software
• Support for Waveshare Zero low-cost PCB without display
• Support for Bluetooth Server mode

V1.0.1.2:

• Fixed issue with USB comms. Pedal settings are read, modified (only the preset indexes) and then sent back to pedal
• Note: not compatible with Tonex V1.8.0

V1.0.0.2:

• Initial version
• Caution: this version has an issue with USB. It will overwrite the pedal global settings! use with caution and backup your pedal first
• Note: not compatible with Tonex V1.8.0

©️ License

The Tonex One Controller is under the Apache 2.0 license. It is free for both research and commercial use cases.