(^46) The Official Raspberry Pi Projects Book raspberrypi.org/magpi
rian McEvoy wanted
to make a toughened
electronic keyboard for his
cousin, who has Down’s syndrome:
“He loves music therapy but he
breaks pianos on a weekly basis.”
Brian’s aunt asked him to help
with therapy devices for his cousin
and other such kids. “The idea was
exciting because there is a whole
different mindset when designing
for someone who will not handle
things with gentle hands. These
projects have to absorb damage
without hurting anyone.”
The result is the Tough Pi-ano.
It has no exposed metal, and the
keyboard area is covered with thick
plastic. For its keys it uses arcade
buttons, which are inexpensive and
easy to replace. Each of four octaves
is powered by a Pi Zero, with a USB
sound card outputting the audio to
an external amplifier and speakers.
Projects SHOWCASE
Hammer the keys on this incredibly robust musical instrument
The Tough
Pi-ano has 48
‘keys’ in total
It will be used
for music
therapy
The keys are
plastic arcade
buttons
A Pi Zero
controls
each octave
The USB sound
cards cost
$0.99 each
Quick
Facts
Audio from the four Pi Zeros’
USB sound cards is sent to an
external amp and speakers
TOUGH PI-ANO
Arcade buttons are used in
place of traditional piano keys
B
A layer of smooth plastic protects
the keyboard and its user
BRIAN MCEVOY
Brian McEvoy blogs incessantly about
his projects, which range from fiction and
programming to 3D printing. He has an
affinity for cats, carpentry, and nachos.
24hourengineer.com
While Brian contemplated
the Tough Pi-ano’s design for
two years, it only took him a
couple of weeks to build, putting
his woodworking skills to
good use. “Keeping everything
simple was integral to making
a solid structure.” Since the
original design concept was for a
perfect piano replica with easily
replaceable octaves, he started
crafting wooden piano keys. After
experiencing too many problems,
however, these were replaced
with plastic arcade buttons. “In
the end, arcade buttons were the
best solution since they were easy
to source and replace.”
Twelve arcade buttons are wired
to each Pi Zero, via a resistor board