Brandon’s Player Piano Took Patience, and A Whole Lot of Solenoids

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Brandon’s Player Piano Took Patience, and A Whole Lot of Solenoids
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Brandon Switzer had a grand image in mind when he set off to create this player piano. Like most of us, he had an arduino that had been sitting there doing nothing for quite some time. He needed a project to focus his attention and learn some things. He landed on the idea of making a digital player piano from a regular piano.

Brandon’s idea isn’t unique. Player pianos exist already, but a modern one that takes digital files can be up to $10,000. By approaching this project with a DIY mindset, Brandon was able to pull it off for roughly $650. Not bad!

As you can see in the video, the project consisted of creating the circuit to power a ton of solenoids — one for each key —  then finding a convenient way to mount them all. Brandon did a fantastic job and his results are something to be proud of.

 

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I get ridiculously excited seeing people make things. I just want to revel in the creativity I see in makers. My favorite thing in the world is sharing a maker's story. find me at CalebKraft.com

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