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PIPER COMPUTER

Everything you need to teach STEAM effectivly using the Piper Computer Kit.

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Teach fundamental STEM skills while providing a bridge to career connected learning.

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ALL MAKE GUIDES


  1. Security Zone
  2. Ultrasonic Drum
  3. Resistor Piano
  4. Walker Race
  5. Walker Dance
  6. Walker Detect
  7. Runaway Rover
  8. Rover Sensor Steering

  1. Lighthouse
  2. Frog Frenzy
  3. Game Controller
  4. Minecraft Controller
  5. Retro Racer

  1. Security Zone
  2. Ultrasonic Drum
  3. Resistor Piano
  4. Ther-Mood-Stat
  5. Color Coded
  6. Pulse

  1. Beam Break
  2. Car Race
  3. Motion Ball

  1. Solar House
  2. Soil Sensor
  3. Air Guitar

  1. Light Show
  2. Light Show Animation

Make-A-Thon

PIPER MAKE

EDUCATOR GUIDES


YOU ARE HERE

Base expedition

Bonus Project 3 of 4

Base expedition: Mission 3 of 14

Resistor Piano


Intermediate

1 hour

Grades 3 - 8

MISSION OBJECTIVE

Learn to create a piano using resistors.

Take our musical talents to the next level as Piperbot and Pip jam out with their new Adult Zomar buddy on a piano made of resistors. Ask students: “What is your code measuring to know when and what sound to play? How is this different from your ultrasonic drum?”

View student interface at make.playpiper.com
MISSION CHARACTERS

Piperbot

Pip

Adult Zomar
MISSION MATERIALS

Computer with USB port and Chrome or Edge browser
Piper Make Base Station or Starter Kit

MISSION RESOURCES

Learning Goals

  1. Students will create a panel of resistors and use a jumper wire to “play notes” and craft musical creations.
  2. Students will understand how to use lists and mapping in code to map a voltage to a sound.
  3. Students will understand how voltage drops are associated with the number of resistors set up in series, as shown in the circuitry.

Career Connections

Robotics Engineer: Salary $104,600/yr
Automotive Engineer: Salary $95,300/yr
Civil Engineer: Salary $88,050/yr
Electro-Mechanical and Mechtronics Technicians: Salary $60,570/yr

Hardware Diagram




Code Diagram




Tutorial Steps

Resistor Piano

Blueprint

DOWNLOAD BLUEPRINT

Have an different version? Look for more information on the Support Page.

Troubleshooting Tips

  • Are some notes failing to play when you touch the jumper wire to the resistors?
    • Make sure you touch the jumper wire to the metal part of the resistor instead of the plastic.
    • Ensure that you have set up the resistors correctly with the metal leads lined up along the rails so they complete the circuit. Check the wiring diagram if you’re not sure.
  • Why do you have to be careful with the top portion of the Pico?
    • Touching the green wire to the areas marked with the yellow triangles ⚠️ will cause a short circuit and could damage your Pico module. Be careful!

Our customer support specialists are on hand to ensure your implementation of Piper runs seamlessly.
View Support Docs or Contact Support
EXPANDED RESOURCES

Term Glossary


Circuit A conductive path for the flow of current or electricity.

Power The current or flow of electric charge and voltage.

Microcontroller An integrated circuit containing a microprocessor with memory and associated circuits.

Variables A value that can change depending on conditions or information passed to the program. A storage location with a symbolic name used to keep track of a value that can change while a program is running (similar concept to using X and Y in an algebraic equation). Variables are not only numbers; they can also hold text, including whole sentences (strings) or logical values (true or false).

Input Device A hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing interaction and control.

Output Device A piece of hardware that converts information into a form humans can sense and understand.

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Standards Alignment