Easy Upgrade Turns Teenage Engineering’s Pocket Operators Into Instruments You Can Shake to Play

Also made from a custom exposed PCB, the Pocket Integrator simply straps to the back of Pocket Operators using a pair of included elastic straps. A small number of raised pins appear to make contact with exposed contacts on the back of the Pocket Operator, but most of the connectivity is handled through an included 3.5mm audio cable.

The biggest reason to use the Pocket Integrator upgrade is its built-in six-axis MEMS accelerator that allows the Pocket Operator to play samples by simply shaking it, like a handheld percussion instrument. It even includes its own sounds, so it can be used as digital maraca. The shaking motion can also be used to naturally set a tempo, which will be maintained even when the shaking stops. That tempo can also be shared to other digital instruments through the Pocket Integrator’s USB MIDI connection on the bottom, but an additional analog sync connection is included as well.

Although the Pocket Operators aren’t particularly power-hungry, the Pocket Integrator’s USB port can also be used as a power source, removing the need for a pair of AAA batteries. And while no one has created an open source alternative to the Pocket Operator’s firmware just yet, should that ever happen, the Pocket Operator can also be used to easily flash the PO’s firmware.

The Pocket Integrator is currently listed as “Coming Soon” on Crowd Supply by its creator, Mykle Hansen, but unfortunately at this time there’s no ETA on when it will finally be available for sale, or how much the upgrade will cost.