Maker Camp is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the generous support of the Members of Make: Community.
1 Hour
TO COMPLETE
WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
- Littlebits power (1)
- Littlebits oscillator (2)
- Littlebits keyboard (1)
- Littlebits envelope (1)
- Littlebits filter (1)
- Littlebits delay (1)
- Littlebits split (1)
- Littlebits synth speaker (1)
- 1/4"t Acrylic board, 24"x18"
- 1/8"t Acrylic board, 12"x18"
- 1/4"d brass tube
- 9/32"d brass tube
- Guitar strap
- For an easy build use the Littlebits Synth Kit
STEP 1
Power + Keyboard + Oscillator + Splitter + Envelope + Filter + Delay + Speaker, and an other Oscillator goes between Splitter and Filter.
STEP 2
Use a laser cutter to cut both the upper and lower levels of the keytar body out of ¼ inch-thick acrylic. The template file for the laser cutter can be found here. In the file, the littleBits logo should be etched with the laser cutter (this will prevent bubbles from forming when applying acrylic glue to the surfaces.
STEP 3
Glue up the five layers of littleBits letters. Make sure that the three upper layers have a big cut out of the ‘e’ and ‘B’ and the two lower layers have only a small cut out of the ‘e’.
STEP 4
Before you add the circuit to the keytar body, apply 3M VHB tape to the top of all the Bitsnaps (colored connectors) that are positioned after the splitter.With these same Bits, we used adhesive shoes to lock the modules together and stick them down to the lower body of the keytar. 3M VHB tape will also do the trick. Do not peel the film off the adhesive tape until you determine where exactly to place the modules on the lower body. You will also want to add VHB tape to the backside of the speaker.
STEP 5
STEP 6
Glue the letters to the upper part of the keytar body using acrylic glue.
STEP 7
Cut two 1” pieces of ¼” brass tube.
STEP 8
In our template file, the holes for the brass tube on the lower body are a little tighter than the corresponding holes on the upper body. Push the two brass tubes into the holes on the lower body – you may need to use a mallet.
STEP 9
STEP 10
Now, peel off all the film from the modules with VHB tape and stick them down in their proper place.
STEP 11
Glue the upper half of the keytar body to the lower half. Put some acrylic glue on the letters and close the lower body quickly. The two brass pipes will help guide you when positioning the upper and lower bodies.
STEP 12
STEP 13
STEP 14
Print 6 plastic knobs with a 3d printer. Use glue dots to secure the 3d printed knobs to the black knobs on the modules.
STEP 15
Hit the power and rock on! For big sound, you can plug into exterior speakers!
WHAT'S NEXT?
This project can be made in a variety of ways! The instructions above are for a more complicated version. For an easier version that uses common household materials, see instructions from the Synth Kit Booklet (pp.30-31) or click here to buy the SYNTH KIT on the littleBits website.
Please Note
Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Power tools, electricity, and other resources used for these projects are dangerous, unless used properly and with adequate precautions, including safety gear and adult supervision. Some illustrative photos do not depict safety precautions or equipment, in order to show the project steps more clearly. Use of the instructions and suggestions found in Maker Camp is at your own risk. Make Community, LLC, disclaims all responsibility for any resulting damage, injury, or expense.
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