Simple Arduino Laserharp

Here I will describe a way to make a simple Arduino laserharp, a musical instrument that plays music when you block a beam of laser light from hitting a phototransistor. This project was done as a part of the PHYC 308L class at the University of New Mexico, and my detailed notes outlining my process can be found on my Open Science Notebook.

The final product is pictured above.

Step 1: Parts

The parts that you will need for this project are:

Arduino Uno                                                                   $34.99 from Radioshack
Breadboard                                                                    $8.99 from Radioshack
Laserpointer                                                                   $6.99 from Amazon
Diffraction Grating                                                         $8.00 from Amazon
Speaker                                                                          $3.59 from Radioshack
100  resistor
4.7 k resistors (3x)
NTE3034 Phototransistor Detector (3x)                  about $2.50 each
Some cardboard and tape