How to Make a Banana Piano 

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The Circuit...

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.

For a simple five note piano. Click to view.

simple_banana_piano.sb
File Size:	474 kb
File Type:	sb

Download File

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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

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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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