ARDUINO NANO TONE KEYBOARD KIT TUTORIAL
Want to make music? We love music, so we designed this kit based around a small keyboard footprint. This kit will allow you to be able to play music from the keyboard right away, or reprogram it and make the buttons do whatever you would like!
WARNING: SOLDERING IRONS ARE HOT. SOLDERING IRONS ARE NOT TOYS. ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION WHILE USING A SOLDERING IRON.
Arduino Nano → The kit uses an Arduino Nano, which is a programmable microcontroller. The buttons are all assembled in a matrix configuration, so it will be able to determine which button is pressed at any given time.
Resistors → There are two resistors in this kit. The 100 ohm resistor helps limit current going to the speaker, while the 1000 ohm resistor does the same by limiting current going to the LED.
Button Switches → The 17 buttons in this kit are all arranged in a matrix setup. This allows the microprocessor to poll just a few pins and be able to determine which button was pressed at any given time. We have pre-programmed the Arduino Nano with code that will match the buttons to their specified notes on the keyboard.
PREPARATION
Count all of your parts and verify everything is in your kit.
| Arduino Nano | 1 | Processor Board |
| Male Headers | 2 | 1x15 Pins |
| Female Headers | 2 | 1x15 Receptacle Socket |
| Buttons | 17 | Black button with 4 Pin |
| 100 Ohm Resistor | 1 | Brown Black Brown |
| 1000 Ohm Resistor | 1 | Brown Black Red |
| Blue LED | 1 | Blue Dome Shaped |
| Speaker | 1 | Round Black Speaker (Long Pin is Positive +) |
| Battery Harness | 1 | Red and Black Wiring |
| 9V Battery | 1 | 9V Battery |
| USB Cable | 1 | USB Cable |
| PCB | 1 | Printed Circuit Board |
STEP 1
Install the seventeen (17) buttons into the PCB. It may be easiest to install only one or two, bend the leads back slightly so it makes a good mechanical hold. Flip the PCB over and solder each leg. Repeat until all buttons are installed.
STEP 2
Locate designators R1 and R2. The 100 ohm resistor will go into R1. The 1000 ohm resistor will go into R2. Bend the resistor legs and install them into their correct locations. Bend the legs slightly outward to hold them in place, and then flip and solder them in place.
STEP 3
Locate the LED and the D1 position on the PCB. The LED needs to be installed with the longer leg in the positive (+) round hole, while the shorter leg goes into the negative (-) square hole.
STEP 4
Grab the speaker next, as it will go into designator BZ1. Match the positive (+) pin on the speaker with the positive (+) hole on the PCB. Solder into place. Do not remove the sticker on top until you have completed all steps.
STEP 5
Locate the male headers, the female headers, and the Arduino Nano. Install each female header into the PCB and solder 1 pin each. Next, slide the male headers into the female headers, the short end will still be left exposed. Now place the Arduino Nano on these exposed pins with the USB towards the edge of the PCB (see the marking). Solder each of the pins on the Arduino Nano first. Once finished, flip the PCB and finish soldering the female headers in place. This makes the Arduino Nano removable for other projects.
STEP 6
Next we will install the battery harness. The RED wire will go to the positive (+) pad on the PCB, and the BLACK wire will go to the negative (-) pad on the PCB. You can choose whether to install the wires from the bottom or the top of the PCB.
STEP 7
Plug the battery in and the Arduino Nano will boot up with the pre-existing code. Play some music on your new keyboard!
STEP 8
To change the programming on the Arduino Nano, you'll need to download and install the software from Arduino's Website. Once installed, check out our GitHub page here that has the base code that you can modify and change. You'll use the USB cable to connect the Arduino Nano to your computer's USB por and upload your new code from the Arduino IDE.
SCHEMATIC OF THE KIT
