Mini MIDI Drum

Its key aspects are:-

• Low learning curve
• Runs on batteries
• No programming skills needed

Narrative

This music machine was created to assist an amateur drummer who had lost the use of his legs in an accident. It was simple enough to create an electronic instrument to give five drum sounds, including the "kick" drum. The buttons on the instrument case were for either testing or practice. But how to create the functionality of the Kick Drum?

A variety of techniques were attempted. This included accelerometers, ultrasonic range finders and various type of switches. The search went even as far as consulting a dental technician to encapsulate a pressure sensor in dental plastic. This worked but the plastic structure deteriorated rapidly.

Then it was remembered that sky divers us a "tooth switch" that triggers a camera shutter when the tooth switch is operated by biting onto it. Problem solved!