Mini Keyboard

Thread Starter

Ario99

Joined Sep 29, 2020
6
I've decided I wanted to make a pocket sized keyboard as a starter project for getting into electronics. I do have some experience already with electronics from highschool courses but I'm getting back into it now. I'm kind of new to this scene so I suspect I'm not looking in the right places because I can't seem to find any keyboard electronic parts or 'modules' that could be implemented into the project. I'm considering using the design of dumb phone keyboards like the ones below.
1601401054452.png1601401043338.png





So I'm asking if you have any tips or maybe an online electronics store that I should look at? Thanks ahead of time for any responses.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
Most keyboards do not really have "parts" except for the keys. The switching portions are patterns on the circuit board. A simple DC power supply followed by a simple audio amplifier, is a much better way to get started.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
Now I am suspecting that what the TS is really describing is a keyboard musical device, not a keypad. Suddenly it makes a lot more sense if that is the case. Just a small case of not providing enough details with the request.
And so if the goal is a musical keyboard then the question becomes how many keys and how accurate the tones? The super-accurate keyboard instruments used a top octave generator and then binary dividers for all of the lower tones. The challenge with those was always filtering the square waves.
So possibly we will now learn that the TS was actually wanting a keyboard instrument. BUT of course that is just a guess.
 

BobaMosfet

Joined Jul 1, 2009
2,110
I've decided I wanted to make a pocket sized keyboard as a starter project for getting into electronics. I do have some experience already with electronics from highschool courses but I'm getting back into it now. I'm kind of new to this scene so I suspect I'm not looking in the right places because I can't seem to find any keyboard electronic parts or 'modules' that could be implemented into the project. I'm considering using the design of dumb phone keyboards like the ones below.
View attachment 218334View attachment 218333





So I'm asking if you have any tips or maybe an online electronics store that I should look at? Thanks ahead of time for any responses.
A starter project to get into electronics- Try controlling a single LED successfully. This will help you with whatever you wish to do:

Title: Understanding Basic Electronics, 1st Ed.
Publisher: The American Radio Relay League
ISBN: 0-87259-398-3
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
No response from the TS as to just exactly what is the intention. I am still guessing that it is a musical device, or at least a key-pad controlled musical sound maker.
 

Thread Starter

Ario99

Joined Sep 29, 2020
6
Sorry for the slow replies I was busy procrastinating my project.

Now I am suspecting that what the TS is really describing is a keyboard musical device, not a keypad. Suddenly it makes a lot more sense if that is the case. Just a small case of not providing enough details with the request.
And so if the goal is a musical keyboard then the question becomes how many keys and how accurate the tones? The super-accurate keyboard instruments used a top octave generator and then binary dividers for all of the lower tones. The challenge with those was always filtering the square waves.
So possibly we will now learn that the TS was actually wanting a keyboard instrument. BUT of course that is just a guess.
Not quite but I can see why you'd think that. A pocket (musical) keyboard would be dope.
A starter project to get into electronics- Try controlling a single LED successfully. This will help you with whatever you wish to do:

Title: Understanding Basic Electronics, 1st Ed.
Publisher: The American Radio Relay League
ISBN: 0-87259-398-3
That might be a bit too simplistic as I have made something like that in highschool. But I will probably do that while testing the microcontroller I am about to mention.

I found this site with a design while looking for designs for power supplies. I have no interest in the back up battery though so I think I'd like to attempt to try it without that. It contains a microcontroller and I do not have a programmer for it so I would like to use my raspberry pi for it. So I found this other site to do that. So I'll try to get this going because I think this will be a pretty useful thing to be able to do going forward. Does anyone have any suggestions to simplify this.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
First idea was "a keyboard" and then looking at designs for power supplies, and found one that uses a microcontroller. That is not a best choice for a starter project because if something is not right it could be circuit, code, or construction. And most power supplies do not use a microcontroller or a raspberry pi.

My project suggestion is to first decide what you would want the project to do. After having a target it is much simpler to aim.
 

Thread Starter

Ario99

Joined Sep 29, 2020
6
First idea was "a keyboard" and then looking at designs for power supplies, and found one that uses a microcontroller. That is not a best choice for a starter project because if something is not right it could be circuit, code, or construction. And most power supplies do not use a microcontroller or a raspberry pi.

My project suggestion is to first decide what you would want the project to do. After having a target it is much simpler to aim.
Ope sorry for the confusion, I decided I should do a power supply first since that seemed useful and was suggested. But I would like to have a power supply with a display so I know what voltage I'm using since ideally it would be a variable power supply. I found some panel meters. Is this a simpler way of having a display for it? https://www.futurlec.com/Panel_Meters.shtml
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
Panel meters can be a very simple way to provide accurate and reliable metering for a power supply, and are exactly what I would recommend.
And building a linear regulated power supply is a very good starter project.
 

Thread Starter

Ario99

Joined Sep 29, 2020
6
Panel meters can be a very simple way to provide accurate and reliable metering for a power supply, and are exactly what I would recommend.
And building a linear regulated power supply is a very good starter project.
Sweet thanks is there any safety precautions I should take and maybe add to the designs? I saw a fuse was good thing to make sure is in there but I don't know if there's anything else that should be in there.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
For safety, use an ohm meter to verify that the transformer that you use has adequate isolation between the line side and the output side. It should show an open circuit on your ohms scale. AND it needs to have a line power switch and a pilot indicator to tell you that the power is on. AND I recommend building it in a metal case, in case things go terribly wrong somehow. Certainly a line side fuse is a good idea, or a circuit breaker if you can get one cheap.
 
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