Turning old hardware into musical instruments is a time-honored tradition among nostalgic, tech savvy children of the ‘80s. But few have taken the idea as far as James Willis, whose floppy drive orchestra is so cleverly arranged I wouldn’t be surprised to see people DJing with these soon.
Sixteen drives, synchronized by a myRIO and wirelessly controlled with an iPad. For his five-song demo, Willis went the extra mile and hooked up a monitor loaded with visuals — because of course, the Imperial March wouldn’t be complete without footage of Red Leader peering into his 8-bit targeting computer to bust up the Death Star, now, would it?
But if 2D visuals aren’t your thing — if, say, the occasion calls for a Daft Punk power helmet — just rig up a second miRIO and go for it. Willis has all the details you need to start building your own floppy orchestra right here.
[YouTube]
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