If you’re into cool electronics and audio, have a look at Drawdio. It allows you to play music from anything and everything.
"Imagine you could draw musical instruments on normal paper with any pencil (cheap circuit thumb-tacked on) and then play them with your finger. The Drawdio circuit-craft lets you MacGuyver your everyday objects into musical instruments: paintbrushes, macaroni, trees, grandpa, even the kitchen sink…"
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Can anyone explain, how does this work? This can keep a kid busy for days.
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Hi Bluehash,
There is a schematic of the device here.
http://ladyada.net/make/drawdio/drawdiosch.png
and here:
http://web.media.mit.edu/~silver/drawdio/circuit-board-layout.gif
Looks to be just measuring the resistance and changing the oscillator accordingly. I am going to show the video to my daughter later today and see if she wants to build one. I should still have some 555 timers in my parts bin…
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There seems to be a wave of cool new ways to interact with the environment using sound and music.
However, things like oscillators and basic circuits have been around for a long time (think MOOG in the 1960’s or the Theremin in the 1940’s)
So what is different today that makes DIY and hacked musical devices more popular than ever?
Is it because the technology has become better/cheaper/easier?
Or have people changed ?
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Hi Alan,
Be aware that 555s require 5v; this project requires low Voltage 555s, such as the 551.
BTW, I have instructions at http://www.2ne1.com/drawdio on making one without the kit’s PCB if that helps.
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