Music Tech Monday: A 3D-printed box that plays your tune

Image via Music Drop

Did you ever have an 18th century styled wind-up music box when you were a child? I certainly did. Mine was a jewelry box that wound up and played Fur Elise. Music Drop takes that vintage idea and adds a tech twist to create a 21st century box that plays the tune of your choosing.

Created by Left Field Labs, the 3D-printed Music Drop allows users click notes on a grid to create a 16-note melody through a coded website. As seen on the online grid, each row correlates to different notes in a music scale. The tune is written as a .stl file and converted into a 3D-printed file by the service WebGL.

Image via Music Drop

The technology used by the Labs mimics the technology of a classic phonograph. The clicks are 3D-printed by a Makerbot 3D printer as plastic nubs that are spun by a system of gears. These nubs are placed into a 3D-printed raindrop-shaped ampule. A handle is attached to the box, that when cranked, the song will play. HTML5 audio is installed within each box for optimal music projection and authentic tonality. An RGB Cathode LED is in the box, emitting red, green, and blue lights to indicate when the device is working. The interior color of the box can be customized.

The design company, Left Field Labs, created “Left-a-Sketch” prior to its music box creation. “Left-a-Sketch” is computer app that allows users to create, share, and upload drawings via their computers, smart devices, or tablets. For this project, Left Field Labs used an Arduino UNO R3 microcontroller board. The Labs attached a 1,024-step digital rotary encoder for a smooth performance. 

Once notes and components are printed, the device is ready to ship. Music Drop is currently offering free shipping.

Story via Music Drop