Week 4 Blog: Light at the end of the tunnel

This week, I think I’m finally getting close to a working prototype. I have managed to get one solenoid to extend and retract when a the correct input is given (shown in the video below) and I have begun mocking up a mounting mechanism for holding the solenoids inside the piano. I have had a few issues with both of these things, one of them being that the transistors that I bought to control the solenoid tend to overheat and fry themselves fairly quickly when in use. I plan to solve this by buying some more rugged transistors that can handle more current, but in the meantime i’ve gotten around this by not leaving the circuit plugged in for too long. The second main issue that i’ve encountered is that the frame of aluminum extrusion that I am using to hold the solenoids in the piano is not super sturdy and has some problems with solenoids moving out of alignment. So far, I’m still looking for a better solution for this and hopefuly I will have it by next weeks blog.

video

Showcasing the frame made out of aluminum extrusion