How to make an electronic piano with a 555 IC

In this instructable i hope to be able to show you how to make a simple toy piano using a 555 timer ic and a few basic components. This my first electronics project on perfboard and there are probably much more sensible ways of laying out the parts, it would have been easier to set them apart more but i didnt do that.

Step 1: What you'll need

6 x 1K resistors
6 x small buttons
1 x 10k resistor
10u and a 100n capacitor
555 timer chip
8r speaker
small piece of perfboard
battery clip and switch
wire leads
solder + iron
470 ohm resistor and a led

Comments

[samaddon]

Hello, can you tell me what's the value in numeric code is printed on a 100n ceramic capacitor (like :104 or and other number for 100n). And tell me which type of resistor the 10k resistor is it's variable or simple the circuit shows the resistor is variable but you have used a simple resistor ? give a clear answer please!

[acerpeng229]

Hi, nice one. hey, did you know that pianos have the black keys? if so, how do i add buttons on it to make it like a real piano.

[sholtob]

i made a better version which includes the black keys and is in theory tune-able

http://www.instructables.com/id/Atari-Punk-Organ-a-simple-555-synthesizer/

[maniacccc]

Extremely useful..tnx it works perfectly n ya u can add extra switches if u want!
Adding a pot btwn speaker n capacitor can help in tuning the piano as per ur requirements!

[jello23]

Made mine with a smal through-hole piezo buzzer instead of a speaker, but i wish there where a simple and cheap way to give it some nice enclosure, any tips or ideas?

[amp625]

hello, i built this and everything works great, but i was wondering if there is any way to hook up LEDs to individual buttons. I have been trying and it's either one works or the other. Any suggestions?

[Rush_2112]

I like the Kalimba Idea! Very funny!

[lonenome]

Nice one took me a few try's to get it right but this was a nice project i had fun and my kids did after i was done. Good work thanks for the project

[cc67]

if more buttons are inserted, do we need more voltage than 9V? and can we use any speakers beside 8Ω??? thanks

[sholtob]

you could still use the same battery, i have made another one thats more complex and that has more buttons and runs on only 6v. i have uploaded it to instructables

[cc67]

tnx

[cc67]

is the 10K resistor a potentiometer? And if it is one, how do you connect pin 1 to the gnd?

[sholtob]

yes it is, i didnt have one so left it out, the pins are conected line in the schematic and the arow represents the middle pin

[DavezDesignz]

anyway to sustain the notes for a period of time?

[sholtob]

only by holding down the button, unless you used a microcontroller or much more complex circuit

[thehowdyin3d]

how much does this cost in the end?

[sholtob]

i allready had the speaker and buttons, 555s cost around 20p and the rest of the components are cheap so probably 2 or 3 pounds if you bought it all separatly

[CSE251]

thank you very much .. I got it now ^^

[CSE251]

thank you guys I've just finishing the circuit and it works ^-^

but I really wanna understand the concept of how the buttons works and how each button makes a different sound ?

[sholtob]

when you press a button it makes electricity flw throughthe resistor into the chip, the further allong the buttons the highe the resistance as the electricity has to go through more, the resistance is what defines the musical note, you could substitute the buttons for a potentiometer and have smooth gaps between the notes

[Maco21]

hi,can i have PCB of this beautiful project,please please :)

[CSE251]

IS THERE ANY SPECIAL MEANING OF 8R SPEAKER HERE.CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN.THANK YOU VERY MUCH

[sholtob]

8r means 8 ohm, i think it stands for resistance, you can buy them online or dig one out of a cd player, i have used other values but i don't know if that is bad for them although it seams to work

[Robot Lover]

I suppose that more buttons could be added no?