Tired Machines Orchestra
Recycled Object
The first step consisted of going to an electronic recycling center. We rummaged and looked through what appeared to be unused, disposed objects considered trash. The object of choice was a hair dryer, with its own cap to distribute air.
What needed to be done next was checking if the electronic components worked, by dissecting the hair dryer.
After lots of trying and in the end, using force to pry it open, we discover its components —a fan, a simple DC motor, and a heating system that surrounded everything. We didn't need any heat so we discarded the latter.
Tinkering and Construction
The building process of the instrument was achieved by trying and tinkering, without any clear vision of what the result could be.
The construction part consisted on soldering and securing cables, motor, and fan inside its case.
Then came the tinkering and programming part.
Attached to the board were: a stepper (to change polarity), a potentiometer, and the microcontroller of course. The stepper would change the direction of the fan and the potentiometer would control the current that went into the motor, changing the frequency at which it moved.
At first, I tried to make some kind of bagpipe, but the 9V motor wasn't strong enough to make it inflate/deflate properly.
As I had no previous experience or knowledge of Arduino programming, everything was learned through workshops in class and internet/YouTube video tutorials. The code used was:
The different types of noise/beeps can be heard in this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KrcsgGlKRj5VD3IedCf_0zpxEQgq_Bop?usp=drive_link
Final Instrument
The result was a rotating fan that turned in both directions, which made different noises. By changing the speed, the frequency changed as the friction did, altering the noise as well. The sound could also be changed by changing the time loop, making the beeps longer or shorter, making it resemble a synthesizer.
The final instrument was completed with a piezo microphone to amplify the subtle noise.
