A physical volume knob for Sonos.
Turn it to change the volume. Press it to pause. No phone, no tablet, no app.
Website · Buy it ready-made (€149) · Build your own · Español
knobeast is a small box with a big dial and a little screen that controls the volume of your Sonos speakers over your home Wi-Fi.
- Turn the dial to change the volume, one step at a time.
- Press it to pause or resume.
- Hold it 2 s to pick speakers, 4 s to open the menu.
- The screen shows the room, the volume and what's playing.
It is a minimalist, physical way to control your music that doesn't depend on a phone or a tablet. Anyone in the family can use it, including kids, grandparents and guests: nobody needs the app, an account or a password.
knobeast works with any Sonos system. It makes the most sense in setups where there is no volume control at hand:
| Your setup | Why knobeast helps |
|---|---|
| Sonos Port + turntable, CD or other analogue sources | The Port has no volume buttons. When part of your system is analogue, knobeast gives it back a real knob. |
| Sonos Port + non-Sonos speakers (Bang & Olufsen Beolab, Genelec, KEF, Dynaudio… or an amplifier) | With the Port's line-out set to Variable, knobeast becomes the volume knob of your speakers. |
| Sonos Amp + ceiling or in-wall speakers | Built-in speakers have no controls. Mount a knobeast on the wall next to the light switch. |
| Sonos speakers you already love | Add a second control point in another room, or simply a beautiful object for your home. |
It can control one room, several rooms at once, or a Sonos group. Pick them on the knob itself.
- Local and private: it talks directly to your Sonos speakers on your network (UPnP/SOAP on port 1400). No cloud, no account, no telemetry.
- Multi-room:
- control single speakers, several rooms at once, or a whole Sonos group;
- speakers with the same name are told apart by model;
- fixed line-outs are detected and skipped.
- Easy setup:
- on first boot the screen shows a WPA2 setup network with a unique, per-device password and a QR code;
- scan it with your phone or connect from a computer, then pick your Wi-Fi.
- Updates:
- this community edition never connects to any server: you update it by hand whenever you like, over USB or wirelessly from its settings page;
- if a new version fails to boot, the device goes back to the previous one;
- ready-made units from knobeast.com get automatic, signed updates.
- Running your own signed update server is supported too (Ed25519, HTTPS, anti-rollback).
- Your rules:
- maximum volume limit;
- volume step of 1, 2, 3 or 5;
- screen dimming and sleep times.
- Six languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese.
- On a table or on the wall:
- the case sits at 13° on a table;
- with the wall bracket, which cancels out the angle, it sits flat on the wall, held by magnets;
- the USB-C cable is hidden underneath.
- Battery optional: runs from any USB-C charger, with an optional internal LiPo.
| Ready-made | Assembled, flashed and tested, printed in the colours you choose, wall bracket included, with automatic updates. €149, VAT included, at knobeast.com. |
| Build your own | Everything is in this repository. The parts cost little and are easy to find. Follow the build guide. |
Parts
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W;
- KY-040 rotary encoder;
- 1.3" SH1106 I²C OLED;
- optional: TP4056 USB-C charger, LiPo 802540 battery and KCD11 switch;
- a 3D-printed case.
Wiring
Case: caja/ contains the editable OpenSCAD design and ready-to-print STL files:
knobeast_1_carcasa(case);knobeast_2_tapa_inferior(bottom lid);knobeast_3_pomo(knob);knobeast_4_soporte_pared(wall bracket).
PLA, 0.2 mm layers, no supports.
Firmware: MicroPython. Install it with bash instalar_mac.sh (macOS; it uses mpremote, which also runs on Linux and Windows). It flashes MicroPython and copies pico/. New features land here on GitHub. To update, download the new version and copy it over USB or from the device's settings page; see Updates.
| Folder / file | Contents |
|---|---|
pico/ |
Firmware (MicroPython). config.py holds pins and defaults; Wi-Fi and speakers are set up from the device |
caja/ |
Case: OpenSCAD source and STL files |
docs/ |
Build guide (EN/ES), wiring, dimensions, images |
marca/ |
knobeast logo (see TRADEMARK.md) |
render3d/ |
Blender scripts used for the product renders |
instalar_mac.sh |
First install: flashes MicroPython and copies the firmware |
publicar_actualizacion.py |
Signs a release and publishes it to your own update server |
prueba_mac.py |
Finds your Sonos rooms and tests volume control from a computer |
diagnostico_mac.sh |
25-second USB diagnostic run |
prueba_wifi_mac.sh |
USB Wi-Fi test: networks seen, saved name and the exact connection error |
prueba_bateria_mac.sh |
USB test of the battery and charging resistors |
The code comments and the Spanish UI texts come first because the project was born in Spain. English translations of comments are welcome.
Today knobeast controls Sonos volume. The dial and the screen can do much more, and contributions are welcome:
- favourite stations and playlists;
- Home Assistant scenes;
- other multi-room audio systems;
- new case designs;
- more languages.
See CONTRIBUTING.md.
| Part | Licence |
|---|---|
Firmware and scripts (pico/, *.py, *.sh, render3d/) |
GNU GPL v3.0 |
Hardware design (caja/, wiring and dimension drawings) |
CERN Open Hardware Licence v2 – Strongly Reciprocal |
Documentation and images (docs/, README*) |
CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Name and logo «knobeast» (marca/) |
Trademark, not covered by the licences above: see TRADEMARK.md |
You may build, modify, share and even sell devices based on this project under these licences. Please don't call them «knobeast» or use the logo.
- General questions, business, press: contact@knobeast.com
- Security issues: security@knobeast.com. Please read SECURITY.md first and don't open a public issue.
- Bugs and ideas: GitHub issues
Ready-made units are sold at knobeast.com by DSM Beauty, S.L. (Málaga, Spain).
Sonos, Sonos Port and Sonos Amp are trademarks of Sonos, Inc. Bang & Olufsen and Beolab are trademarks of Bang & Olufsen A/S. Other trademarks belong to their owners and are mentioned only to describe compatibility. knobeast is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Sonos or Bang & Olufsen.