17. Applications and Implications¶
assignment
Propose a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered
Electrical guitar with drums pads into the body of the guitar¶
Why a project with a guitar and drums ?
I played the drums for 10 years and the guitar for 10 years. I like players like Chet Atkins, Marcel Dadi, Tommy Emmanuel or Josh Turn guitar who inspires me. They all evolved their technic to be able to play the bass as well as the melody at the same time. They even play the drums by striking on the guitar body. I’m not as skilled as they are so I want to be able to play the drums from a loop.
Project definition¶
What will it do ?¶
My final project is an electrical guitar with drum pads into the body of the guitar
Who’s done what before¶
There are some Fabacademy projects made :
This project is a guitar one : Ben Matthes - Fabacademy 2015
Great theremin guitar, I like the visual and finishing :
Vilhjalmur Magnusson - Fabacademy 2016
The next project is a drum pad with capacitive sensors : Thordur Hjalmarsson - Fabacademy 2020
The next project is a cool drum pad project : Luis Perez - Fabacademy 2020
Another drum project (The electronic on this project is to control motors): Nicolas Kisic Aguirre - Fabacademy 2016
There are also some YouTube projects made with a guitar and Arduino modules which inspire me in terms of visual design :
The next project helped me regarding the programming aspect for MIDI controller : Arcade button MIDI controller
What will you design ?¶
The main part will be the drum design :
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The board + the program : Converting Analog input from piezo to MIDI data via serial port.
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The drum pads : TPU or bamboo drum pads with piezo sensors glued to it
Keyboard control
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Add keyboard control via an atmega328p and the V-USB software
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optional : Add a display screen
The guitar :
- Mill the body of the guitar on CNC machine
What I will not design :
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The neck of the guitar (I will buy one from the industry)
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The Humbucker pick ups, bridge and screws will come from an old guitar of mine
Planning
What materials and components will be used ?¶
Materials :
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FR4 copper board
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Atmega328p x2
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resistors, capacities, piezoelectric sensors, buttons, display screen
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TPU, PLA, Bamboo PLA for pads
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screws to fix electronic parts and body parts
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Mahogany wood for the body
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Plywood for the top of the body
Where will it come from ?¶
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Most of the electronic parts will come from the fablab
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Some electronic parts like piezo and display screen come from GoTronic
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The wood for the body of the guitar comes from the guitar fabric website
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The neck comes from my own guitar
How much will they cost ?¶
| Qty | Description | Price | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahogany wood 400x550x43 | 65.00 € | Fabrique à guitare | |
| 1 | Plywood 500x750x12 | 19.00 € | Leroy Merlin | |
| 1 | Display | 16.00 € | Go Tronic | |
| 2 | Copper Clad Board | 10.00 € | Farnell | |
| 2 | MCU - Atmega328P | 6.00 € | Farnell | |
| 1 | Miscellaneous electronic components | 10.00 € | Farnell | |
| 1 | Filament (6.5g/padx4) | 1.00 € | Prusa PLA | |
| Total | 127.00 € |
What processes will be used ?¶
Subtractive processes :
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Laser cutting (CO2 and Fiber cutting) to make the board
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CNC machine to mill the guitar
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finishing touches with a drilling machine
Additive processes :
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3D printing for the pads
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soldering the board
What questions need to be answered ?¶
How to communicate with buttons to the computer ?
-> I found this documentation :
-> Possibility to use a SAMD11C14 or an atmega32u4 or 16u2 for HID keyboard :
How to get a better signal from the piezo ?
-> maybe adding a resistor between the 2 wires of each piezo. Maybe add a bandpass filter.
How to fix body parts together ?
-> Initial answer : with screws
How to solder humbucker mics and guitar circuitry ?
-> Electric guitar wiring explained
-> Guitar wiring on Youtube
How will it be evaluated ?¶
The project revolves around two things :
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Is the guitar playable ? Do we have sound coming from a guitar amp ?
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Is the drum part playable ? Can we play a drum part along the guitar part ?