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Nano Arduino 
Piano

This project involves creating a simple piano using an Arduino Uno. It utilizes a set of push buttons to generate different tones corresponding to piano keys, showcasing how microcontrollers can simulate musical instruments through basic electronic components.

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How It Works:

  • When you press a button, the corresponding pin goes LOW (only with INPUT_PULLUP logic).

  • The Nano maps each button to a musical note (C, D, E, F, G, A, B).

  • The tone() function sends a square wave of the right frequency to the buzzer, making it vibrate and produce sound.

Materials Anchor

Materials

To build a simple NANO Arduino Piano project with an Arduino Uno, you'll need the following materials:

Components:

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1) Arduino Uno

  • The central control unit for the piano.

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2) Push Buttons x 7

  • Several push buttons act as piano keys.

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3) Active Piezo Buzzer

  • Generates sound when activated by button presses.​

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4) Breadboard and Jumper Wires

  • For creating the circuit without soldering.

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5) USB Cable (Type-A to Type-B)

  • To connect Arduino to a computer for programming and power.

Setup Anchor

Basic Setup

fritzing breadboard_GREY.png
fritzing schematic_GREY.png

1) Connect the Piezo Buzzer:

VCC (middle pin) → Connects to 5V line of breadboard
GND → Connects to GND line of breadboard.

S → Connects to Pin 9

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2) Setup the Push Buttons:

  • Connect one side of each push button to a separate digital pin on the Arduino (pins 2-8).

  • Connect the other side to GND (ground)

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3) Power the Arduino:

  • Connect the Arduino to your computer using the USB cable for power and programming capabilities.

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Software Setup

  1. to set up which note you would like to use in the code section, here are the corresponding notes and their numerical value for the tone() function in Arduino:

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#define NOTE_B0  31
#define NOTE_C1  33
#define NOTE_CS1 35
#define NOTE_D1  37
#define NOTE_DS1 39
#define NOTE_E1  41
#define NOTE_F1  44
#define NOTE_FS1 46
#define NOTE_G1  49
#define NOTE_GS1 52
#define NOTE_A1  55
#define NOTE_AS1 58
#define NOTE_B1  62
#define NOTE_C2  65
#define NOTE_CS2 69
#define NOTE_D2  73
#define NOTE_DS2 78
#define NOTE_E2  82
#define NOTE_F2  87
#define NOTE_FS2 93
#define NOTE_G2  98
#define NOTE_GS2 104
#define NOTE_A2  110
#define NOTE_AS2 117
#define NOTE_B2  123
#define NOTE_C3  131
#define NOTE_CS3 139
#define NOTE_D3  147
#define NOTE_DS3 156
#define NOTE_E3  165
#define NOTE_F3  175
#define NOTE_FS3 185
#define NOTE_G3  196
#define NOTE_GS3 208
#define NOTE_A3  220
#define NOTE_AS3 233
#define NOTE_B3  247
#define NOTE_C4  262
#define NOTE_CS4 277
#define NOTE_D4  294
#define NOTE_DS4 311
#define NOTE_E4  330
#define NOTE_F4  349

​#define NOTE_FS4 370

#define NOTE_G4  392

#define NOTE_GS4 415

#define NOTE_A4  440

#define NOTE_AS4 466

#define NOTE_B4  494

#define NOTE_C5  523

#define NOTE_CS5 554

#define NOTE_D5  587

#define NOTE_DS5 622

#define NOTE_E5  659

#define NOTE_F5  698

#define NOTE_FS5 740

#define NOTE_G5  784

#define NOTE_GS5 831

#define NOTE_A5  880

#define NOTE_AS5 932

#define NOTE_B5  988

#define NOTE_C6  1047

#define NOTE_CS6 1109

#define NOTE_D6  1175

#define NOTE_DS6 1245

#define NOTE_E6  1319

#define NOTE_F6  1397

#define NOTE_FS6 1480

#define NOTE_G6  1568

#define NOTE_GS6 1661

#define NOTE_A6  1760

#define NOTE_AS6 1865

#define NOTE_B6  1976

#define NOTE_C7  2093

#define NOTE_CS7 2217

#define NOTE_D7  2349

#define NOTE_DS7 2489

#define NOTE_E7  2637

#define NOTE_F7  2794

#define NOTE_FS7 2960

#define NOTE_G7  3136

#define NOTE_GS7 3322

#define NOTE_A7  3520

#define NOTE_AS7 3729

#define NOTE_B7  3951

#define NOTE_C8  4186

#define NOTE_CS8 4435

#define NOTE_D8  4699

#define NOTE_DS8 4978

Code

CODE

code 1.png
code 2.png

CODE BREAK-DOWN

Code Break Down

int buttons[] = {2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8};

  • This line sets up an array named buttons that includes the pin numbers connected to the push buttons on the Arduino.

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int buzzer = 9;

  • This assigns pin 9 to the variable buzzer, where the buzzer is connected on the Arduino.

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int buttonState = 0;

  • Initializes buttonState to zero, a variable used to store the state of the buttons.

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#define note1 523 // C5
#define note2 587 // D5
#define note3 659 // E5
#define note4 698 // F5
#define note5 784 // G5
#define note6 880 // A5
#define note7 988 // B5

  • Defines constants for musical note frequencies corresponding to the notes C5 through B5.

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int notes[] = {note1, note2, note3, note4, note5, note6, note7};

  • Creates an array notes that holds the frequencies of the musical notes defined above.

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void setup() {

  • Begins the setup function, configuring initial settings for the Arduino board.

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for (int i = 0; i < 7; i++) { pinMode(buttons[i], INPUT_PULLUP); }

  • A loop in the setup function that sets each button pin as an input with a pull-up resistor.

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pinMode(buzzer, OUTPUT);

  • Sets the buzzer pin as an output to control the buzzer.

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void loop() {

  • Starts the loop function, continuously checking the state of each button and controlling the buzzer accordingly.

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for (int i = 0; i < 7; i++) {

  • Begins a loop to check each button’s state.

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buttonState = digitalRead(buttons[i]);

  • Reads the state of the current button in the loop and stores it in buttonState.

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if (buttonState == LOW) {

  • Checks if the button is pressed (LOW because of the pull-up resistor).

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tone(buzzer, notes[i], 200);

  • Plays the note corresponding to the pressed button for 200 milliseconds if the button is pressed.

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delay(200);

  • Introduces a delay to ensure the note plays for the full duration.

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noTone(buzzer);

  • Stops any ongoing tone on the buzzer to prepare for the next note or button press.

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