Level: Beginner
Skills Required: Propeller C programming, breadboard circuit-building
Hours to Complete: 1
This project will show you how to build a 4-note musical ‘keyboard’ where you use tilt, rather than actual buttons or keys, to control the notes you play. We also added LEDs that light up in different colors depending on which note is playing, because no fun project is complete without LED lights! This activity is suitable to be built on a Propeller Activity Board but it is also available for the BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board, accessible on its own project page.
If you know how to program in Propeller C but are unfamiliar with PBASIC, this could be a great time to introduce yourself to one of our most popular programming languages! The BASIC Stamp version of the Tilt Tones project uses simple concepts taught in the What’s a Microcontroller text, which is available in print or as a pdf.
Getting Started
If you are new to the Propeller microcontroller, circuit-building on a breadboard, or programming, it would be a good idea to review the following before beginning:
- Breadboard Basics
- The following Propeller C Tutorials:
- The 4-Directional Tilt Sensor Documentation (available from the downloads section of Parallax.com)
Parts List
- (1) Propeller Activity Board (A Propeller Board of Education will also work)
- (4) Any combination of LED colors
- (1) Piezo Speaker
- (1) 4-Directional Tilt Sensor
- (4) 220 Ohm resistors