Jeremy Cook is an electronic designer and creator who sells a number of neat electronic things in his Tindie store. In this video, he goes over the entire process of making a MIDI Tongue Drum Using Arduino Opta, sharing the print and CAD files too. Here is an arcade MIDI controller he made in one day, which operates the drum:

 

The project uses one of his devices, the Arduino Opta I2C and Serial Aux Breakout Adapter, which is detailed below..

 

What is it?
Behind the Arduino Opta's AUX tab there are pads for interfacing with I2C and serial. These are not easily accessible, so this kit includes board + edge connector to break them out.

Why did you make it?
I was considering using a MIDI interface with the Arduino Opta. I still may as since I can now access UART, MIDI is also possible and has worked well as an input in preliminary testing.

What makes it special?
It's a simple breakout, but it's a unique device. It's good for experimentation, but certainly not appropriate for any sort of critical or harsh environment that you'd traditionally use a PLC for. Use at your own risk.

Of course, if you've seen some of the cabinets out there, a lot more kludgy stuff goes on than should be the case. Use responsibly. Also, it would seem the chip is a 3V3 device, so I highly suggest using that voltage level for interfacing, not 5V.

 

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