14 DAY TRIAL // Raspberry Pi went well beyond being a simple programmable mini PC and entered the realm of the weird when creative people started using it in the most unexpected ways, like making a fruit piano.
Programmable PCBs that can process audio inputs can be found in most pianos these days, but they usually work in tandem with piano claps or chords, but never with fruits. However, thanks to a recent addition to the accessory line by Adafruit, José Federico Ramos Ortega managed to turn a bowl full of fruits into a MIDI keyboard, including fruits that act as switches for extra effects, multipliers or adjustable tones. Using a Capacitive Touch HAT, users can turn pretty much anything into a sound-making sensor while connected to the Raspberry Pi.
Being attached on the Raspberry Pi unit, the HAT adds 12 channels of capacitive touch sensing. An Alligator clip connected to the board and the other end to a conductive object like wood, metal and, yes, fruits will tell the Python on the Raspberry Pi that someone has touched the object.
After that, it’s simple: just connect 12 pieces of fruits to the 12 channels on the Capacitive Touch HAT and then set a function for each channel, having programmed MIDI effects enabled on your Raspberry Pi, and that’s it. You can now touch every fruit to make a sound. To allow a fruit to change tones or sounds, you need to program the channel connected to that fruit to act as a switch, and your keyboard is ready.
After playing a little concert on the fruits for your friends at a party, you can then make them a delicious fruit salad and share it with them, to complete the “singing fruits” experience.
