OpenPipe’s MIDI-USB Shield connects an Arduino to an iPhone bagpipe app. I just love the breakout board which is long and studded with capacitive touch sensors. It can be used to create a pipe-like player for the setup for a more authentic feel. [via Hacked Gadgets]











My sound card died so forgive me if this was adressed in the video. I’m looking to add breath control to some of my projects. Can you direct me to a component that converts wind speed or air pressure into a variable resistance? As always the cheapest solution is probably the best and any ideas re: recycling or repurposing said component would be awesome.
I build analog stuff so Arduino based solutions won’t work.
Chuck, you could use a Freescale MPXV4006GP – available from Mouser for about $13 (http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Freescale-Semiconductor/MPXV4006GP/?qs=%2fha2pyFadujQ12PNU2Hbe1ZcDacrC%2fGsaykvyfNsgvpYcRBHeuFTxchvaor%2frlHo). It actually outputs a voltage proportional to the pressure, rather than resistance, but maybe that would work for you. It has a max pressure of about 10 kilopascals, which is about right for human lungs.
May I suggest a hot-wire sensor? It’s not a low-power solution, but it’s analog! If you can arrange to pass a constant current through a fine wire, so that it heats up, you can then blow on it and it’ll cool down. More breath, more cooling. Now, the resistance of a wire (nichrome or something similar) will vary with temperature. Given a constant current flow, the voltage across the wire will vary as the resistance changes. So, by monitoring the voltage, you can make a breath sensor. This principle is used in air mass-flow sensor for IC engine management systems. I’ve done it with small filament light bulbs, with the glass removed (they burn up fast, though).
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