User:JackApplegarth/ENES-100/project 1

My Instructor's course page which points to this.

Week 1 Activities
Electronic Music Interface

Project Preference

 * Electronic Music Interface
 * Bernoulli (or Coanda) effect
 * Autonomous Power Wheel

Problem Statement
Design a user-friendly open interface for a synthesizer

Project Plan
Make a connection between the existing beat bearing board and a midi synthesizer different from the one previously used

Week 1 Narrative
The current diagram of the Electronic Music Interface documented on wikiversity was studied in order to determine a good starting point.

An attempt to reproduce the success shown in this VIDEO posted on the Electronic Music Interface wikiversity page was the next step. The video shows a student sending midi code from an arduino to a synthesizer; the synthesizer then reads the midi code and outputs musical notes based on the code. The student is also observed to modulate the tempo of the notes using the midi shield's potentiometers. As a result of watching this video, an arduino was connected to the computer and some test code uploaded. The arduino was then attached to a MIDI shield and a keyboard connected to the MIDI shield using a MIDI cable. Using this configuration, MIDI signals were successfully communicated to the keyboard and sounds were heard from the keyboard's built in speakers. Next steps will be: learning more about MIDI coding, arduinos, the functions of the MIDI shield, and figuring out a connection between the beat bearing board and the arduino that does not involve the use of an FPGA.

Week 2 Narrative
After successfully connecting the synthesizer to an arduino, the next step was to figure out the wiring harness that connects the beat bearing board to the arduino. The existing diagram was modified to something a little simpler. There were two reasons for this: 1) using an FPGA is no longer a viable option and 2) the original diagram was largely based around implementing a video display monitor under the beat bearing board. The idea is that the monitor would display graphics that correspond to the placement of a bearing on the board and the tempo of the output signal. Considering that no communication has yet been made between the beat bearing board and the synthesizer, this element was determined to be an unnecessary distraction at this point in the design phase. Here is the simplified diagram:

Though a connection has not yet been tested, it will be a next step in Week 3 of this project. Prior to this step, the connections of the beat bearing board test strip will be tested in an attempt to reproduce the success shown in this VIDEO. The video shows a successful connection between the beat bearing board and the arduino. The connection is made using a bread board. If this connection can be reproduced, it will rule out any problems with the arduino and the beat bearing board prior to making the connection via the mini test leads attached to the midi shield pins inserted into the arduino connectors.

Week 3 Narrative
The start of week 3 was used to try and reproduce the successful beat bearing board test switch circuit as documented on the Electronic Music Interface Wikiversity page. Shown below is the circuit diagram.

Here is a VIDEO showing the successful function of the circuit to be reproduced.

The first attempt at wiring this circuit did not yield results; the LED was not lighting up. This was probably due to a coding issue. The circuit was tweaked and the LED finally lit up. Another problem occurred though. The LED was blinking. It was decided that the problem was due to either faulty wiring or the coding of the arduino. It was discovered that PIN 13's power output was causing the LED to blink. This was because of a blink program that had been uploaded onto the arduino that caused the on-board LED to switch between HIGH and LOW voltage as well as the PIN 13 connector.

New code was uploaded onto the arduino and that kept the voltage at a steady HIGH output. The circuit was tested again, and it worked. Here is a VIDEO of the working circuit.

The next step was to get the arduino sketch program to recognize the test switch signal as being either on or off. An example of this can be seen in the orignal beat bearing test switch video where the bearing is placed on the switch and a read out is displayed on the screen as either on or off.

A basic readout was achieved, but it was very unreliable. For example, sometimes when the switch was engaged it would give a read out that it was off.

The next steps of this project will be to better understand the test switch circuit and build a circuit that creates a more reliable voltage read out. This is important because if the beat bearing board is expected to send signals to the arduino, that will in turn send midi code to the snythesizer, the signals must be precise; if they are not, the sound output will be unreliable.

Week 4 Narrative
Researched switch circuits for digital outputs. Researched pull-up and pull-down switches to make a more precise switch outputs.