The Visual Metronome was developed using parts from the Animation Kit (#910-28088) as part of a single-day internal Parallax Hackathon. As a new clarinet player, I’ve struggled keeping time with an audible metronome and decided to try using the highly-visible WS2812 (NeoPixels) through acrylic.
The Visual Metronome has the following features:
- Dial-set tempo in beats per minute (BPM) from 32 to 220
- OLED showing the current BPM and the Italian tempo marking (grave, andante, allegro, prestissimo, etc)
- NeoPixel light flashing denotes upbeat (you choose the colors!)
- PIR Sensor for automatic on-off control with human presence
- Speaker for audible feedback
- Code-configurable for other time signatures (2:4, 3:3, 6:8, etc)
Building and coding a Visual Metronome takes a day. The results of this project are worth the effort – you’ll have the most unique tool for whatever instrument you play and will have made an investment in artistic skills that improve one’s well-being.
Parts Required
The project is most easily done with the Propeller Activity Board because it has an A/D converter for the potentiometer tempo speed. If you prefer to use a FLiP Multicore Module, two pushbuttons could be used instead to increase or decrease the tempo. This project used the following electronic components:
- (1) Propeller Activity Board WX (#32912)
- (1) OLED (#28087)
- (1) Circuit Overlay Board (#32999)
- (1) 7.5V 1.5A Power Supply (#750-00009)
- (1) 10K Ohm potentiometer with knob (source nearly anywhere)
- Parallax Animation Kit (#910-28088), which includes the following:
- (2) NeoPixel Ring – 12 x 5050 RGB LED (#28088)
- (1) PIR Standard (#555-28027)
- (1) Pack of wires (#800-00016)
- (1) 200 mm Jumper Wires, MM 40-pc (#800-00066)
- (1) 200 mm Jumper Wires, FF 40-pc (800-00062)
- (1) Speaker (#900-00026)
- The following parts from the Animation Kit were not used:
- (2) Standard Servo (#900-00005)
- The following parts from the Animation Kit were not used:
