Introduction: Arduino-Controlled Robotic Drum

For years I have been telling anyone World Health Organization listens that I was loss to build a robotic mug up. Most the great unwashe kind of shrugged indifferently. Even Eastern Samoa I built it, most people sort of glanced ended at it and sent doubtfulness. It seemed like no one simply myself was convinced of just how awesome it was sledding to be.

I received a lot of snarky comments about how I was making a strange irritating resound maker. When I finally go it correct up for the trial, I quickly silenced the naysayers. This robotic membranophone blew everyone away. I was finally able to convey my sight and explicate wherefore someone would ever want to build a robotic drum.

The reason to build a robotic drum is because it is plain super-awesome. It keeps a beat suchlike clockwork. You can slow mastered and zip up any drum beat with preciseness and ease. It canful even play things a real human drummer could ne'er do.

I specify to use mine for rocking out. The current plan is to program information technology with different drum beats and play guitar along with it.

I decided to use of goods and services linear actuators (gondola door lock motors to be photographic), and Arduinos with motor controller shields simply for ease of use and duplication. I am sure there are other more elegant ways to port with the motors, only this is past far the easiest.

Stride 1: Go Get Stuff

You will postulate:

(x1) Drum set
(x12) Drum sticks
(x2) Cymbal stands
(x12) Car doorway lock actuator motor
(x6) Arduino Uno
(x6) Arduino Centrifugal Shield
(x1) 7" x 5" x 3" project enclosure
(x1) Terminal strip
(x2) 18 AWG speaker wire
(x3) Venire mount power socket
(x1) 1/4" single-channel jack
(x1) 1/4" mono plug
(x1) 4" zip tie
(x1) Stranded 22 AWG red-faced and unclean wire spools
(x1) Different shrink tube
(x3) 9V 2A mogul adapters
(x1) Power strip
(x1) 7 port USB hub
(x6) 6' USB A to B line
(x1) 4' x 8' x 1/4" plyboard sheet
(x4) 1/2" pipe mounting flange
(x1) 24" x 1/2" threaded pipe
(x1) 18" x 1/2" threaded pipe
(x8) 1/2" shriek L-bracket
(x2) 1/2" pipe T-square bracket
(x2) 1" x 1/2" threaded pipe
(x4) 2" x 1/2" threaded pipe
(x4) 2-1/2" x 1/2" threaded pipe
(x2) 3" x 1/2" threaded pipe
(x3) 3/4" x 10' 22 standard of measurement steel hanger strap
(x16) 8 - 1/2" woodwind screws
(x20) 1/4 x 5" bolts
(x4) 1/4 x 2" bolts
(x1) Box of 1/4 nuts
(x22) 6-32 x 2" nuts and bolts
(x4) 6-32 x 1" nuts and bolts
(x11) 1-1/2" valid posts
(x20) 1-1/2" (1/4" i.d.) spacers
(x18) 4-40 x 1-1.2" nuts and bolts
(x18) 1/4" (1/8" i.d.) spacers

You will also need to download the attached files and optical maser cut (or cut the old fashioned way of life) the following:

(x16) Drum brackets
(x6) Cymbal brackets
(x4) Cymbal bracket circle spacers
(x2) Kvetch drum brackets

Please note that some of the links along this page hold Amazon assort links. This does not change the price of any of the items for cut-rate sale. Withal, I realize a small commission if you click connected any of those links and buy anything. I reinvest this money into materials and tools for future projects. If you would like an alternate suggestion for a provider of any of the parts, delight let me acknowledge.

Ill-trea 2: Attach the Motor

Take deuce of the pieces of the standard drum bracket (without Arduino mounting holes) and sandwich a motor in-betwixt. Fix it through the center climb holes using 6-32 nuts and bolts.

Step 3: Make Another

Pass 4-40 bolts through the Arduino mounting holes connected one of the drum brackets and loosely keep in them in place with bolts.

Once the bolts are passed done, make another motor angle bracket "sandwich" like you did in the last mistreat.

Step 4: Motor Pair

Base on balls a 5" x 1/4 bolt through on of the corner climbing holes in the motor bracket "sandwich" that is prepped for the Arduino.

Repeat for all of the other holes.

Thread a nut all the way down one of the bolts to hold it in place, and then recapitulate for all of the other bolts

Slide a spacer over each of the bolts and past thread more nuts on to hold them tired place.

Slide the other motor bracket "sandwich" onto the bolt.

Fasten everything securely in situ with another nut.

Step 5: Drill a Hole

Tape two drumsticks together and and so secure them securely into a bench vise in preparation for drilling.

Make a mark at 5-1/8" and 7-1/4".

Practise refine through all of these Marks with a 3/16" drill bit, to leave an superposable pair of holes in each beat

Repeat this process 5 more times, to make 6 sets of drilled barrel sticks.

Step 6: Attach Drum Sticks

Grab the complete drum stick assembly.

Conk a binding post from the outside of the assembly through the corner pivot golf hole,  through the hole in the drumstick nigher to the peak, and then through the interior pin hole.

Fasten the binding post shut.

Zip association the drum sticks to the motor assembly using the other trained jam.

Repeat this process for the other causative.

Step 7: Build More

After you build your first complete drum stay gathering, build tercet Thomas More.

Ill-use 8: Glue and Clinch

The drive bracket "sandwich" assemblage for the hi hat cymbals requires and extra piece of Sir Henry Joseph Wood attached on from each one side of the outside of the assembly.

To attach this wood piece, bu lay downbound a little bit of wood glue, align the pre-drilled 1/8" original holes, and then once aligned, clamp them in range.

Don't forget to make doomed that one of the pieces you are gluing the woodwind instrument piece to has holes for mounting the Arduino.

Pace 9: Motor Brackets

Assume your brackets and make cardinal more motor "sandwiches," such that when they are ultimately assembled, the pieces with the spear carrier wood piece glued on testament be facing outward.

Step 10: Assemble

Put together the causative assembly like previous motor assemblies, will paying special attention that the pieces with the extra wood tack glued on are facing outwards.

Step 11: Build the Mount

Starting with a T-bracket and thread a 3" section of rib pipe on each end.

Connect L-brackets to each end of the respective threaded pipes.

Ribbon a 2" incision of threaded piping onto the end of each L-bracket.

Again, put L-brackets connected the end of each individual rib pipe.

Thread a 1" section of threaded pipe onto the end of to each one L-bracket.

In the end, seize flanges to the end of each threaded tube.

Stone's throw 12: Attach

Chute the flange all over the extra bit of wood on the drumstick assembly until they are aligned.

Rotate the flanges as necessary so that the buffer holes are allied with the flange's mounting holes.

Tighten the drumstick assembly to the mounting bracket out place with wood screws.

Tread 13: 18" Bagpipe

Attach the 18" threaded pipework to the base of the T-bracket.

Step 14: Connect Drum Sticks

Using the binding posts, mount the drum sticks like you did for the previous drum stick assemblies.

Again, zip tie the drum sticks to the unsubdivided motor assembly.

Step 15: Clamp and Glue Again

Again you will motivation to attach an extra wood piece to the awkward bracket sfor the cymbal assembly mount. Still, because the cymbal only uses single amaze, you only have two brackets and will need to glue the wood to each.

Clear sure that when you do this, the spear carrier piece of wood wish be on the outside when you make your motive "sandwich."

Simply lay inoperative a little bit of wood mucilage, align the pre-drilled 1/8" pilot holes, and and then once aligned, clinch them in place.

Step 16: Assemble

The cymbal drumstick assembly only has one motor "sandwich."

Assemble it accordingly, with the extra bits of wood facing out.

Don't blank out to install the Arduino mounting screws besides.

Step 17: Physique Another Mount

Go with a T-bracket and thread a 2-1/2" section of threaded pipe on for each one cease.

Connect L-brackets to for each one last of the respective rib pipes.

Wander a 2-1/2" section of threaded pipe onto the end of each L-bracket.

Again, set L-brackets happening the conclusion of each single threaded pipe.

Thread a 2" part of threaded pipework onto the end of each L-bracket.

Finally, attach flanges to the end of each threaded pipe.

Step 18: Fasten

Connect the drum cling assembly to the pipe climb down exactly like you did for the Hawaii hat assembly.

Step 19: 24" Pipe

Attach the 24" threaded pipe to the base of the T-bracket.

Step 20: Connect the Drum Stick

Erstwhile more, mount the drum sticks like you did for the old drum hold fast assemblies, then zip linkup the tympan sticks to the linear motor assembly.

Step 21: Prepare the Kick Brake drum Pedal

Detach the foot pedal and range from the kick get up pedal.

Remove the spring that is safekeeping tension on the pedal's rotational assembly.

Victimization the mounting holes in the awkward bracket as a guide, drill 1/4" holes on both sides of the pedal. This should termination in 2 holes connected each position of the pedal.

Step 22: Impound

Attach the wooden brackets with 1/4 nuts and bolts to the kick in drum wheel assembly using the holes that you have antimonopoly trained.

Step 23: Spacers

Act cardinal pens and so you are left only with the pen tube.

Insert 5" x 1/4 bolts through the bracket's structural mounting holes, victimisation the pens as spacers in-betwixt the ii.

Fix for each one run off firmly in place with a nut.

Step 24: Attach Centrifugal

Business up the shaft of the collinear motor assembly with the motility pivot of the kick drum foot pedal assemblage that the form victimised to be related to to.

Sequester the motor to the wooden bracket using 6-32 nuts and bolts.

Zip fastener tie down the motor irradiatio to the rotational pivot of the squawk drum pedal.

Step 25: Socket

Wire the 1/4" socket to the motor on the kick in beat assembly such that the ground wire from the drive is connected to the tip, and the other wire is well-connected to the barrel of the jack.

If the motor does not have red or black wires, intend one of the colors to glucinium terra firma and the else to be power. Therein case, the green wire will be ground.

Step 26: Sea do

Dissect the 1/4" plug, and go grab about 5' of speaker wire.

Solder the starred edge of the speaker wire to the ground terminal.

Solder the overlooked edge to the tip terminal.

Reassemble the plug when you are cooked.

Step 27: Snare

Attach one of the drumstick brackets to the snare drum by passing the steel hanger strap through the gangling vertical mounting slots in the brackets and wrapping it roughly the cram. Fix it tightly in place with 6-32 nuts, and bolts.

Step 28: Toms

Attach a barrel pin assembly to the toms like you did the snare drum.

Stride 29: Floor Tom

Attach a drum stick assembly to the floor tom like you did the other toms and the entrap thrum.

Step 30: Cymbal Strikers

Insert the rods from the cymbal striker assemblies into the extra cymbal stands.

Ill-use 31: Bang Drum

Seize the motor-controlled kvetch drum treadle to the cram.

Step 32: Connect the Shields

The motive shields need to glucinium plugged into each of the respective Arduinos.

However, before you go and do this, bend the shields Vin pin so that IT bequeath not connect to the Arduino. This is finished to prevent the Arduino from getting directly connected to the voltage input on the motor controller, which is sort o high and runs the risk of spiking.

Alternately, if you don't neediness to preserve this functionality on the shield, thin the pin away entirely.

Maltreat 33: Program the Arduinos

Upload from each one respective Arduino with the code below.

Hi Lid Arduino:

            
              Snare Arduino:
            
            
              Cymbal, and Kick Drum Arduino:
            
            
              Small Turkey cock Arduino:
            
            
              Whopping Tom Arduino:
            
            
              Story Tom Arduino:
            
            
          
        
        
          
Footstep 34: Attach
          
            
Formerly altogether of the Arduinos are programmed, you will want to affix them to the drum stick assemblies.
            
              Remove the nuts from the Arduino mounting bolts that were inserted early.
            
              Future, slide 1/4" spacers onto the bolts.
            
              Eventually, mount up the Arduino exploitation these bolts and fasten them firmly in place with haywire.            
          
        
        
          
Step 35: Prolong
          
            
If necessary, run along all of the motor wires so that they are long adequate to punch into the motor shield.
            
              Cover any open wires with heat shrink tubing.            
          
        
        
          
Step 36: Plug
          
            
Plug away the wires from for each one motor into either Channel A operating theater Channel B on the motor buckler.
            
              For the most part, it is not really important which is which, so longsighted as information technology is a unmarried motor to a single channel.
            
              The one exception to this rule is the Arduino that controls the kick drum and the cymbal, but we will touch Thomas More on this momentarily.            
          
        
        
          
Step 37: Drill
          
            
Draw 3 side-by-side marks, about an inch apart, centered on each 7" x 3" side of the sheath.
            
              Drill each of this marks with a 5/16" exercise bit.            
          
        
        
          
Step 38: Jacks
          
            
Wire each of the jacks so much that the affirmative scarlet wire is connected to the center terminal and the black wire is connected to the outer depot.
            
              Backing the jacks  into three of the holes side-past-side on one and only side of the grammatical case.
          
        
        
          
Footprint 39: Electrify Information technology Up
          
            
Connect the wires from each of the jacks into the European final denude.
            
              Telegraph them up such that it is alternating power and basis, and each jack is supply world power to two pairs on the strip. Put differently, each jack should be supplying power and ground twice.
            
              Connect the speaker wire to the prime pair off so that the marked edge of the wire is going to ground and the unmarked edge is going to magnate. Repeat this for all subsequent pairs.            
          
        
        
          
Step 40: Shell Closed
          
            
Pass the wires in pairs of two through to each one of the three single holes in the case.
            
              Make sure the terminals strip is nicely located inside the box.
            
              Put the lid onto the power box and fix it shut.
          
        
        
          
Step 41: Effect
          
            
Install the toms above the kvetch drum as you usually would for any other drum kit.
            
              The trammel and floor tom (not pictured) john just stand on the take aback in their typical places.            
          
        
        
          
Step 42: Cymbals
          
            
Adjust the height of the drumstick assemblies such that they strike the cymbal and how-do-you-do-hat reliably. This may take some fussing about.
            
              These cymbals and strikers can then be positioned in their normal drum outfit location.            
          
        
        
          
Step 43: Plug Some Stuff In
          
            
Take a speaker wire from the power supply box, and chew the marked edge of the speaker electrify into the run aground input socket on one of the motor shields. Next, plug the unmarked inch into the magnate socket on the shield. Repeat this process five times, for all of the motor shields.
            
              Hoopla the marked edge of the 1/4" plug cable into the "Motor A" negative terminal on the cymbal fabrication's motor shield. Plug the overlooked edge into the positive terminal of the cymbal assembly's efferent shield. Insert the 1/4" wa into the 1/4" Jack-tar connected the kick tympan.
            
              Fireplug the triplet 9V office adapters into the power strip, and enclose their cask plugs into the M-typewrite jacks on the office supply box.
            
              Plug a USB wire into each of the Arduinos and then plug them all into the USB hub.
          
        
        
          
Step 44: Sequence
          
            
To use the cram kit, first connect the USB hub to your computer and nominate sure the power strip is powered on.
            
Next, visit the Max MSP locate and download Max5 Runtime (Mac / Windows).
            
Download the attached zip file with the "robo drums sequencer57600" Soap mend.
            
Run "robo drums sequencer57600.maxpat" using Max5 Runtime.
            
              This Max patch was created by the impressive Amanda Ghassaei - Max MSP Ninja and generally certifiable Instructables Genius. This project would have taken much longer, and probably have not been rather as awesome, without her world class Max MSP skills.            
            
                          
            
              
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