Ever wondered how you can combine your rockstar dreams with your favorite MCU? Michael Baker and his senior design group at Cal Poly Pomona recently answered this question by opting to use multiple MSP430 devices when creating a laser MIDI guitar. The design is primarily composed of seven MSP430G2553 MCUs along with laser beams that function as strings and touch sensors that serve as frets.
Knowing that the group wanted to create an electronic guitar that resembled the real instrument and was cost efficient, Michael cited the MSP430’s balance of performance and price as an obvious choice for the project’s MCU. Additionally, the group directly mentioned the complementary development environment of LaunchPad and Energia as keys to their success.
One highlight of the guitar is its velocity-sensitive component. Similar to an actual guitar, the faster an object moves across any photointerrupter, the louder the note(s) and the longer they will sustain. The team is considering further work with their design post-graduation, so take a look at their YouTube video below and keep an eye out for this sweet instrument in the future!
The team:
Michael Baker, Andrew Soto, and Nestor Mayorquin are recent graduates of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona with degrees in Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology.
(Please visit the site to view this video)