Makey Makey
How to Makey Makey a Banana Piano
Makey Makey

MaKey MaKey is an invention kit for the 21st century. Turn everyday objects
into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It's a simple Invention Kit
for Beginners and Experts doing art, engineering, and everything inbetween

The Makey Makey name comes from the idea of making anything a key

The board connects via USB and is recognised asa USB mouse or keyboard

The board will work on any PC, Mac, and most tablets and smart phones
What can Makey Makey do?

The Makey Makey board comes with a number of premapped keys
representing mouse or keyboard clicks

You have Up, Down, Left, Right, Space and Click

On the back you have additional outlets for the letter keys W, A, S, D, F, G

In order to register a key strike they must be connected to the earth along
the bottom
How does it work?

Alligator Clip and wires can be used to connect the board

Connections can be made via a large range of conductive materials

When a connection is made the computer registers a key strike

No additional software is required to make the board work

As such the Makey Makey works with any program or website that accepts
keyboard and mouse inputs
Basic Setup

Requires 4 leads to the Up, Down, Left, Right and 1 to the Earth

Now connect the Makey Makey to your computer using the USB cable

The device will be detected as if it is a USB keyboard or mouse

Connect crocodile clips to Earth and the 4 keys

Touch the earth wire and one of the Key wires to register the input
Test it out

To test open up notepad

Test that the cursor can be moved by the keys

Alternatively try out one the one button games:

http://flabbyphysics.com/ (Uses the space key)

http://www.adamatomic.com/canabalt/ (Uses the space key)
Using the back of the board

Disconnect the leads

Turn the Makey Makey over

On the left side there are a set of inputs labelled WASDFG

These represent the letter keys on the keyboard

make some PayDoh letters

Cut some wires and strip the ends

Connect the wires to each letter

Also connect a wire to a seperate piece of PayDoh representing the earth
Connecting to Objects

Again connect to a computer

This time in Notepad test the PlayDoh letters

They only work when a connection is made to earth

The voltages involved are less than 5V

Try linking hands

Test other input objects
Suitable Conductors

Pieces of Fruit

Lines of graphite drawn on paper

Liquids

Plants with the wire in the soil and touching a leaf

Foil and other metal objects

People

Use your own imagination
What the board is capable of

There is the possibility of 18 input channels

The predefined ones are Space, Click, Left, Right Up, Down, Left Click, Right
Click, W, A, S, D, F, G

The board is an Arduino board and can be customised, look this up on Google

This would allow you to spin motors, turn on LEDs, or anything else that an
Arduino can do
Banana Piano

Scratch Piano for use with Makey Makey

http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/3197818/

Additonal musical applications:

http://ronwinter.tv/drums.html

http://makeymakey.com/bongos/

http://soundplant.org/

Use your own imagination!
Some existing projects

Cat Photo Booth

Jar Jar Keys

Magnetic Maze

Sketch It Play It

Scratch Operation Game

Musical Room

Musical Weave

Video Gallery
Programs to use your Makey Makey with

Connected Objects

A list of scratch programs designed for Makey Makey

Flash Flash Revolution

Pacman

Tetris
Additional Links

Official Makey Makey site

http://www.makeymakey.com/

Jay Silver on TED

http://www.ted.com/talks/jay_silver_hack_a_banana_make_a_keyboard.html

Similar Projects:

Squishy Circuits

http://www.ted.com/talks/annmarie_thomas_squishy_circuits.html

Singing Fingers

http://www.singingfingers.com

Drawdio

http://web.media.mit.edu/~silver/drawdio/