Theremini

Top view
Side view

Inspiration

I was inspired by the Theremin, a musical instrument that can be played without touching it. Considering current concerns with spreading germs and disinfecting surfaces, I thought playing an instrument that does not need to be touched can be helpful for learning at school.

What it does

It uses an ultrasonic sensor to sense the players hand and plays a corresponding note. It also displays the note that is being played on the screen. As a prototype this project represents a device that can be used to teach music in a classroom setting while maintain social distancing and limiting spreading germs. As an Arduino project this is a great project to teach electronics and music.

How I built it

I used the The Elegoo Super Starter Kit for Uno, specifically the ultrasonic sensor, passive buzzer, LCD screen and the potentiometer. For the code I used the Arduino IDE and the SR04 pitches and liquidcrystal libraries. I divided the range into 12 5cm sections for the 12 notes crom C4 to B4.

Challenges I ran into

Challenges I faced included wiring the circuit. The many pins in the LCD screen were hard to push into the breadboard. Also, The large number of jumper cables got confusing.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I have never built a circuit before without copying directly from the schematics so I am proud I was able to get my project to work.

What I learned

I learned a lot about how to use and code the Arduino. Specifically about the large array of libraries. A lot of time was spent looking at the api.

What's next for Thremini

If I had more time I would add the ability to control the volume. I would also add midi integration so different instrument sounds can be played as well as the music transfer to a computer.

A video demo is in the Try it out section