The Joshiano

Project Goal Description:

Our goal for this project was to create a fully-functional stylus-based Joshiano®™. The Joshiano®™ would have enough keys to play most songs (anywhere from 4-8 keys), and would be plugged into a computer for the code and power.

Tinfoil, a plastic/cardboard/wooden slab, electrical tape, an Arduino, wires, a compand a resistor

First start out by measuring out a 13cm by 5cm piece of wood, cardboard, or plastic. The thickness does not matter, as long as it is sturdy. Then cut out a 13cm by 5cm piece of aluminum foil. Measure 2.5 cm along the width (longer side) starting from the end, and make a mark. Repeat this from the next mark until you have three lines. Then cut the foil along the lines. You should have 5 strips.

Glue the strips onto the plate, making sure that none of the strips are touching each other. Next, put electrical tape on all sides of the strips to secure them in place. Finally, grab your wires or crocodile clips. You can either solder the wires into the foil or use the crocodile clips. If you are using crocodile clips, make sure to leave a bit of overhang on the foil on the edge.

Now, grab your Arduino and connect it to a breadboard. Since you will need something to figure out what note needs to be played. Refer to the guide on Picture 4 if you are having difficulties with the wiring(Note the buzzer, this is what will be playing your notes). Starting from the left, wire the first key to D7, the second key to D12, the third key to D2, the Fourth key to D3 and the fifth key to D4.

By this point, your physical Joshiano®™ should be done. However, you’ll notice that even when it is plugged in, it does nothing. This is where the coding comes in. First you’ll need to launch the Arduino IDE program. Then, copy and paste this code into the window.

CODE