Deluxe Keyboard project of 61 keys 5 octaves, each key has its sound independent of the other keys, you can play several at once, very real, for this we have used 2 Makey Makey remapped with the numbers 0 to 9 and letters of A to Z that Scratch offers us.

This project is broken down into 2 parts, the first 3 octaves are for the Teacher and the next 2 for the Student, thus facilitating a closer and more practical learning, ideal to teach the little ones at home or in school by repetition, imitating to the teacher.

Supplies

What do we need?

* 2 x Makey Makey

* 1 Laptop, Computer or Raspberry Pi

* Carton (reduce, reuse, recycle)

* Copper Tape

* AWG 24 thin cables

* Crocodile cables

* Breadboard

Tools

*Cutter Knife, saw and Scissors

*Welder

*Crimping machine and Dupont connectors

Step 1: Keyboard

The main piece of our piano, we can use complex machines that cut on cardboard or use homemade methods such as the cutter, saw or scissors (not to get hurt or do it with the help of an adult).

In our case we use a thick cardboard called a bee panel, but you can use a pair of cardboard sheets glued together to make the thick keys.

(IMPORTANT: leave some separation 2 or 3 mm between the keys so that they do not overlap when pressing one or the other)

Pattern 61 TECLAS.xlsx as an example

Step 2: Wiring

We want to see the beautiful part of the keyboard, we are going to make some connections behind each key with copper tape to which we will solder a thin ø awg 24 cable that will be connected to the makey makey card.

Recommended: leave enough cable to make the connections on the cards

Step 3: Scratch

We found that we can not assign all the plates that we would like, it would be great an 88-key keyboard, a realistic stage piano stage, but the hub mode does not work since each input of Makey is like a light bulb connected to a switch, if We connect 2 or more inputs (eg light bulbs) to the same switch, the 2 or more lights will light up, in the same way and all the keys will end up when only one is pressed, is that understood?

On the other hand as the Makey extension for Scratch, it does not allow to use many more inputs, we will use the default keyboard events from 0 to 9 or from A to Z so we will get 36 independent connections and with them we get (3 octaves) Professor side and we will repeat (2 octaves) Student side.

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/362835179/

Step 4: Remap Makey Makey

In the previous step we commented that in the application we will use the default keyboard events from 0 to 9 or from A to Z.

Now we need to remap the makey makey cards to assign a value from 0 to 9 or from A to Z

1st card from 0 to 9 and from A to H 2nd card from I to Z

To do this we have two options:

1 Remap directly from the makey makey page.

https://makeymakey.com/pages/remap

2 Installing libraries in Arduino and loading a sketch where we will modify the values in settings.

Makey Makey Remap Board 1 Sketch

Makey Makey Remap Board 2 Sketch

Instructions: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/makey-makey-advanced-guide

Step 5: Connect the Wires

Connect the wires

The first thing is to put some Dupont connectors to each cable end, before we had soldered one end to the copper tape.

Now you have to connect key by key to each board and once connected the first 36 keys, we have to replicate for the next 2 octaves of the keyboard.

For that we will use the breadboard or protoboard, this part will be easier if we use 6 connector sleeves.

To guide you you can use the file 61 Keys. xlsx at the beginning of the instructable and the images of the remake of Makey Makey.

This is the part that requires more patience and help since the cables go from back to front, where we will place the boards.

Step 6: Conect the Ground

We have everything connected, sure?

With a piece of cardboard the size of our keyboard we do the part that we will connect to the ground.

The keyboard has, long white keys and short keys, so that the keys are not continuously making contact we will make 2 separations with a thin strip of 1cm. from side to side.

With copper tape we will pull a line for the short keys and another for the long keys, in the image it looks good, we connect a ground connection to one side from one board and the other side to the other, so that when pressing Close the circuit. (we can also connect a bridge between boards)