chimes

Hardware

musical instrument

SHOW HN2020

chimes

Mantel-top computerized musical chimes with MicroPython on an ESP-32

github.com

#esp32#micropython#solenoid#musical chimes#electromagnet

44points
17comments
#1,150of 3,028 in 2020
Top 38%of 2020 by points

How HN took it

MixedNo clear lean

3 positive, 3 neutral or asking, 0 mixed, 1 critical, out of 7 comments about the project. Thread score +0.18.

Design: 2 for, 0 againstIdea: 1 for, 0 againstExecution: 0 for, 1 against

The thread, comment by comment

Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.

positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker

What HN said

What people liked

  • Looks and sounds beautiful

    From 2 comments
    • Looks and sounds beautiful! I've been fascinated by the concept of automated musical instruments ever since I saw the self-playing piano at the Valley Fair mall in San Jose. I…
      bigyikes on HN
    • Beautiful project! I love how it turned out and I'm impressed by the homemade solenoids. I don't quite understand how the strikers work. Is there something magnetic attached to…
      seryoiupfurds on HN

Objections

  • Gravity return of strikers is not reliable

    From 1 comment
    • On the dowel there are 5 steel nuts which are pulled towards the electromagnet. Gravity makes them return, but TBH it's not reliable enough. I'm working on a new version with…
      keredson on HN
  • Ninth note sounds off-pitch

    From 1 comment
    • Nice hack. Two tangential complaints. First, it sounds to me like the ninth note is off - it's lower than it should be. Second, that page ate a huge chunk of my monthly mobile…
      coolgeek on HN
  • Page loads heavy media and used a lot of mobile data

    From 1 comment
    • Nice hack. Two tangential complaints. First, it sounds to me like the ninth note is off - it's lower than it should be. Second, that page ate a huge chunk of my monthly mobile…
      coolgeek on HN

Requests

  • Use servos instead of electromagnets

    From 2 comments
    • Did you consider using servos vs electromagnets? Curious if small servos couldn’t accomplish the same goal.
      jsjohnst on HN
    • That is a good idea. Those 9g mini servos are only $2 each, so that is much more affordable than the ‘retail’ solenoids.
      daniellarusso on HN

Questions

  • How do the strikers work

    From 2 comments
    • Beautiful project! I love how it turned out and I'm impressed by the homemade solenoids. I don't quite understand how the strikers work. Is there something magnetic attached to…
      seryoiupfurds on HN
    • The electromagnets are used as a solenoid, it seems. So, the electromagnet ‘pulls’ the piece of steel into its inner cavity. The wooden stick and bead seems to be arranged and…
      daniellarusso on HN

Alternatives named

  • Commercial retail solenoids

    From 2 comments
    • Really impressive work! I am really interested in what you are able to come up with. I remember taking apart old telephones with bell ringing mechanisms. That might be a source…
      daniellarusso on HN
    • Hah, yeah, I think I saw them on Amazon for like $20. That seemed nuts; why I decided to roll my own.
      keredson on HN

Category, keywords, summaries and labels on this page were made by AI (Thread Reader v2) and not checked by hand. Each point links to the comments it came from.

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