Circular Eclipse MIDI Device Features Capacitive Sensors and Programmable LEDs

What has 10 programmable LEDs and can be played like a circular electronic instrument? The LED Eclipse, of course! The device is made out of 30 layers of MDF, laser cut and assembled together with the help of alignment pins.

For light, the gadget uses 10 LEDs arranged around the center of its circle, diffused under acrylic sections. Below that, a capacitive keyboard is constructed with more MDF, along with copper strips that can detect when a human touches one of them, powering an interactive light and sound experience.

The LED Eclipse is controlled by an Arduino Uno, which takes input from each of the 10 “keys.” It then lights up the corresponding LEDs, and signals MIDI outputs depending on how it’s programmed. While 10 I/O pins are needed to accommodate the sensors, only one pin is necessary for the MIDI output, and another two for the LEDs.

You can see it demonstrated at 4:00 in the video above, in use as a strange and beautiful 2-player piano, then as a Simon-like game, and even as a fun lights display. Also, be sure to check out the 2:00 mark, where all 30 layers are animated in Autodesk Fusion 360 to show how they fit together.