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How to Make a Banana Piano 

The Circuit...
Picture
Codes for Scratch for Arduino. It's always more fun to figure out your own programs but here are the ones I used. Just click to view.
Picture
For a simple five note piano. Click to view.
simple_banana_piano.sb
File Size: 474 kb
File Type: sb
Download File

Picture
For a piano that toggles between pitch ranges when a brussel sprout is touched. Click to view.
10notepiano.sb
File Size: 346 kb
File Type: sb
Download File

Picture
Don't expect to be able to perform a Beethoven piano sonata on this but it's a fun project and if you're out of bananas it should work with any fruit or veg. I wonder if there are any that work better than bananas? 

How does it work?

You are a resistor; electricity can flow you to make a circuit and when it does it can trigger an event (in this case a note to be played). When the A0 pin on the Arduino is pulled towards ground (0V) because the circuit is completed, the Scratch for Arduino program interprets this and plays a note. Connect each banana, with a 2Mohm resistor to a different analogue input and Bob's your aunty you've got a sort-of-piano!

To make the piano you'll need:

  • An Arduino board, I used an UNO that I bought for £10 online. Follow the instructions on setting it up
  • Arduino software on your computer, free download from www.arduino.cc
  • Scratch 4 Arduino software, free download from www.s4a.cat 
  • Some high value resistors. I used 2 Mega ohm ones, but it should work with any that are between 1 and 10 Mega ohms, You can find them at Maplin, around 30p each.
  • Ideally a bit of 'breadboard', that's the white board shown in the picture, it allows you to easily connect the wires and resistors to the Arduino, about £3 from Maplin
  • Some single core wire
  • your favourite fruit or vegetables, I like Fairtrade bananas! 
 
Click the link below for more clues about how to make the banana piano:
bananapiano_instructions.pdf
File Size: 2535 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Email: dan@loopycomputy.com
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Twitter: @dwar
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