Arduino++
In the first part we built up some percussion sensors using piezo electric elements that can detect a strike and provide feedback on the strength of the blow.
In this part we define a software framework that turns these, and any other similar sensors, into a DIY percussion kit.
Some small projects are interesting because they can enable more than their initial proposition, and the simplicity of producing synthesized sounds using a MIDI interface allows us to experiment with different types of instrument ‘user interfaces’.
In this project I build a flexible software kernel for a DIY MIDI percussion kit that can initially be used switches and piezo sensors but is easily extensible.
As a child I enjoyed playing an electronic light-and-sound game called Simon. This memory had completely slipped from my memory until I recently saw something about it on the internet.
As this seemed to be a good subject for some Arduino recreational programming, I did some research and recreated the game using Arduino code. Here’s the result.
I often use Pro Mini format Arduino Boards in my projects, especially when the processor is embedded as a ‘set and forget’ controller. They have a small form factor and are very inexpensive.
However, as I prototype systems using standardized breakout modules (see this past article) it has been annoying not having a sensor-type board for this processor footprint. So I decided to make my own.
A question that I am asked on a regular basis is why particular characters in messages are not displayed ‘as-expected’ by the Parola library. These characters, often typed in from the Serial monitor or embedded within strings, contain non-ASCII characters. Here’s what is happening.
Part 1 and part 2 of this series set up the hardware and software infrastructure to support end-user applications using the YM2413 synthesizer. These are discussed in this final instalment.
The first part concluded with the YM2413 hardware and an amplifier on a test Arduino Uno shield. In this and the next part we explore the interface to the device and how to control the hardware to make music.
When researching material for the SN76489 sound generator (documented in these previous articles) I discovered that many early microcomputer systems incorporated both the SN76489 and a YM2413 FM synthesizer. The Yamaha synthesizer looked like an interesting piece of hardware to explore. Here’s the result.
My project ‘to-do’ list has for a long time included automating a percussion instrument. I recently decided that a xylophone or glockenspiel type instrument would be a good idea … until I saw the cost of one of those things!
So to fulfill my ambition in an economical way, I downsized to automating a toy glockenspiel. Here’s how it went.
Ring Tone Text Transfer Language (RTTTL) was developed by Nokia in the 1980’s as a format and mechanism to manage ringtones on cell phones. As Nokia was leader brand at the time, this method was quickly adopted by many other manufacturers and became the de-facto standard for ringtones.
As cell phone hardware became more capable, the use of RTTTL has diminished in favour of more advanced sound production – today most ringtones are simply ordinary sound files. RTTTL files, however, are still useful in may applications.
