5 posts tagged “toy design”
I'm trying to make a game like Simon for my xylophone. I have all the code working, but the piezos, which I'm using to sense when a key is being struck by the mallet, are a bit wonky. In the video above you see the game starts with one note, which I hit. Then it plays that note followed by another and then I have to hit them both in sequence. And then another, and then another. Each time the game starts an new array of random notes is generated, so the notes you have to play are different every time. I'd like it to eventually randomly chose from a bunch of preset songs/melodies, rather than having each note be totally random every time you play.
When you hit the wrong note it plays a roll up the keys and starts over at one key. The only thing is that the piezos are not behaving as accurately as I'd like and very often when you hit the right key it detects that you've instead hit one of the keys next to it and does the roll and the game starts over... I did pretty much all of this today so hopefully after a few more hours I'll get the piezos right.
Flash Prototype here.
The most significant difference in this update of my idea is that the body of the xylophone (everything except the keys and buttons) is now going to be made of clear plexi and filled with RGB LEDs which will light up according to the color of the note which has been struck. I also improved the record/playback function, so that now it can record both chords and notes, and also you can switch between chords and notes regardless of which of the two you were playing with while recording. The actual recording itself is also more accurate, keeping track of the exact time that you struck each note rather than just playing them back at a set tempo as it did before.
Also, there is the promise of a "game", which will hopefully be up soon. I'm going for some kind of a musical version of Simon where you learn to play songs one note at a time.
JaeWook suggested that I add a pot to each key that will set the tempo at which it's key is repetetively struck, resulting is some Steve Reich-y phase patterns. Definitely a cool idea, we'll see if I actually get to it.
Time to start building.
My project for the week 1 "make a toy" assignment. The red and mirror 'ribbon' controller finds where your finger is pressing and plays a chord beginning with the key in front of it.
The ribbon controller is made using Hi-Fi VHS tape, conductive mylar, and electrical tape. The Hi-Fi VHS tape is resistive*, so if you send 5 volts into the mylar and wire the tape to your Arduino analog input you'll get a different value depending on where the mylar connects with the tape.
Sorry for the footage of my feet at the beginning, my copy of Premiere crashes every time I open it, hence no editting!
* note normal VHS tape is typically NOT, so if you want to make your own, look on the spine of your tapes box, and if it says "hi-fi" above the standard VHS logo you're in business.
