November 6, 2012 AT 9:00 am
The Maker Mom: The Drawdio
Check out this great Drawdio project video and documentation from The Maker Mom.
We happened upon the Drawdio, the pencil-based device that turns anything that can conduct electricity into a theramin (you know that odd instrument from the Beach Boys’ song Good Vibrations?) after learning about Makey-Makey. You can buy the Drawdio pre-assembled or in kit form.
We opted for the kit from AdaFruit, which The Maker Teen then assembled, not without a few moments of frustration. Still, he saw the project through from start to finish on his own in one sitting. (What? Like I would have been able to help him?)
Drawdio Kit v1.1
Drawdio is an electronic pencil that lets you make music while you draw! It’s great project for beginners: An easy soldering kit with instant gratification. Essentially, its a very simple musical synthesizer that uses the conductive properties of pencil graphite to create different sounds. The result is a fun toy that lets you draw musical instruments on any piece of paper.
- Runs on a single AAA battery for many hours (even ‘nearly dead’ batteries will work)
- Use any pencil – mechanical or plain. The kit comes with a 2B pencil, the softer the lead the better
- Ridiculously fun for all ages
The electronic kit comes unassembled with all electronic components, PCB, hardware and pencil. AAA battery and tools necessary for assembly are not included. Please check the kit contents list to see what is included. Assembly is very easy and takes less than an hour, even if you’ve never soldered before!
There’s lots more information at the Drawdio kit website Including a bunch of inspirational videos here
The Drawdio kit was designed in collaboration with Jay Silver based on his original design.
Get your Drawdio kit here!
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Thanks for the shout-out! I am doing a “holiday tech gifts for kids segment” for a Chicago news show (TV) and would like to show off a few of Adafruit’s plushie circuit components. Please get in touch if you’d like them featured.