touchmysound
Published © CC BY-NC

🎹 10 MIDI-Controlled Vibration Motors for Piano Performance

I used ten small vibrating motors for a musical performance with one performer on a (baby) grand Steinway piano.

AdvancedFull instructions providedOver 1 day3,349

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Solar Cockroach Vibrating Disc Motor
Brown Dog Gadgets Solar Cockroach Vibrating Disc Motor
×10
Resistor 1k ohm
Resistor 1k ohm
×10
Capacitor 100 nF
Capacitor 100 nF
×10
1N4007 – High Voltage, High Current Rated Diode
1N4007 – High Voltage, High Current Rated Diode
×10
General Purpose Transistor NPN
General Purpose Transistor NPN
×10
Switch regulator 3.3V
×1
Arduino Nano R3
Arduino Nano R3
×1

Software apps and online services

Arduino IDE
Arduino IDE
MAX
Cycling '74 MAX

Story

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Schematics

Schematics

Ten small 3.3V motors controlled via Arduino.

Code

Code translating bytes to motor commands

Arduino
receiving a series of bytes and controlling ten motors via serial
const byte numChars = 32;
char receivedChars[numChars];
byte CTL;
byte VAL;
const int motorPin1 = 11;   //PWM
const int motorPin2 = 10;   //PWM
const int motorPin3 = 9;    //PWM
const int motorPin4 = 6;    //PWM
const int motorPin5 = 4;          //ROTATING
const int motorPin6 = 8;
const int motorPin7 = 7;          //ROTATING
const int motorPin8 = 5;    //PWM
const int motorPin9 = 3;    //PWM
const int motorPin10 = 2;
boolean newData = false;

void setup() {
  pinMode(motorPin1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motorPin2, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motorPin3, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motorPin4, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motorPin5, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motorPin6, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motorPin7, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motorPin8, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motorPin9, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motorPin10, OUTPUT);

  setPwmFrequency(3, 1);
  setPwmFrequency(5, 1);
  setPwmFrequency(6, 1);
  setPwmFrequency(9, 1);
  setPwmFrequency(10, 1);
  setPwmFrequency(11, 1);

  Serial.begin(38400);
}

void loop() {
  recvWithStartEndMarkers();
  writeToMotors();
  showNewData();
}

void recvWithStartEndMarkers() {
  static boolean recvInProgress = false;
  static byte ndx = 0;
  byte startMarker = 255;
  byte endMarker = 250;
  byte rc;

  // if (Serial.available() > 0) {
  while (Serial.available() > 0 && newData == false) {
    rc = Serial.read();

    if (recvInProgress == true) {
      if (rc != endMarker) {
        receivedChars[ndx] = rc;
        ndx++;
        if (ndx >= numChars) {
          ndx = numChars - 1;
        }
      }
      else {
        receivedChars[ndx] = '\0'; // terminate the string
        recvInProgress = false;
        ndx = 0;
        newData = true;
      }
    }

    else if (rc == startMarker) {
      recvInProgress = true;
    }
  }
}

void showNewData() {
  if (newData == true) {
    VAL = (byte)receivedChars[0];
    CTL = (byte)receivedChars[1];

    Serial.print(" CTL ");
    Serial.print(CTL);
    Serial.print(" VAL ");
    Serial.println(VAL);
    newData = false;
  }
}

void writeToMotors() {
  if (newData == true) {
    //  VAL = (byte)receivedChars[0];
    //  CTL = (byte)receivedChars[1];

    if (CTL == 1) {
      analogWrite(motorPin1, VAL);
    }
    if (CTL == 2) {
      analogWrite(motorPin2, VAL);
    }
    if (CTL == 3) {
      analogWrite(motorPin3, VAL);
    }
    if (CTL == 4) {
      analogWrite(motorPin4, VAL);
    }
    if (CTL == 5) {
      if (VAL > 64) {
        digitalWrite(motorPin5, HIGH);
      }
      else {
        digitalWrite(motorPin5, LOW);
      }
    }

    if (CTL == 6) {
      if (VAL > 64) {
        digitalWrite(motorPin6, HIGH);
      }
      else {
        digitalWrite(motorPin6, LOW);
      }
    }

    if (CTL == 7) {
      if (VAL > 64) {
        digitalWrite(motorPin7, HIGH);
      }
      else {
        digitalWrite(motorPin7, LOW);
      }
    }
    if (CTL == 8) {
      analogWrite(motorPin8, VAL);
    }

    if (CTL == 9) {
      analogWrite(motorPin9, VAL);
    }
    if (CTL == 10) {
      if (VAL > 64) {
        digitalWrite(motorPin10, HIGH);
      }
      else {
        digitalWrite(motorPin10, LOW);
      }
    }


  }
}

void setPwmFrequency(int pin, int divisor) {
  byte mode;
  if (pin == 5 || pin == 6 || pin == 9 || pin == 10) {
    switch (divisor) {
      case 1: mode = 0x01; break;
      case 8: mode = 0x02; break;
      case 64: mode = 0x03; break;
      case 256: mode = 0x04; break;
      case 1024: mode = 0x05; break;
      default: return;
    }
    if (pin == 5 || pin == 6) {
      TCCR0B = TCCR0B & 0b11111000 | mode;
    } else {
      TCCR1B = TCCR1B & 0b11111000 | mode;
    }
  } else if (pin == 3 || pin == 11) {
    switch (divisor) {
      case 1: mode = 0x01; break;
      case 8: mode = 0x02; break;
      case 32: mode = 0x03; break;
      case 64: mode = 0x04; break;
      case 128: mode = 0x05; break;
      case 256: mode = 0x06; break;
      case 1024: mode = 0x07; break;
      default: return;
    }
    TCCR2B = TCCR2B & 0b11111000 | mode;
  }
}

Credits

touchmysound

touchmysound

6 projects • 44 followers
Alessandro Perini's artistic production ranges from audiovisual and light-based works to net-art, land-art and vibration-based works.

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Related channels and tags
  • Arduino
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  • Cycling '74
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