Presented at
30C3 (2013),
Dec. 29, 2013, 2:30 p.m.
(30 minutes).
The <a href="http://www.arduguitar.org">ArduGuitar</a> is an electric guitar with <i>no physical controls,</i> i.e. no buttons or knobs to adjust volume, tone or to select the pickups. All of these functions are performed remotely via a bluetooth device such as an Android phone, or via a dedicated Arduino powered blutetooth footpedal. The musician still plucks the strings, of course! This talk will give an overview of the technology and particularly the voyage that took me from nearly no knowledge about anything electronic to enough know-how to make it all work.I will explain what I learned by collaborating on forums, with Hackerspaces and with component providers: "How to ask the right questions." The guitar with its Arduino powered circuit and an Android tablet will be available for demo; the code is all available on the github <a href="https://github.com/gratefulfrog/ArduGuitar">arduguitar repo</a> with the associated <a href="https://github.com/gratefulfrog/lib">Arduino footpedal libraries</a>.
Presenters:
-
gratefulfrog
I started hacking, while a child, on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDP-8">DEC PDP-8</a>. My first hack was a directory listing program that was more efficient than the one provided with the system. I then spent a lot of time trying to make music with the 128 character "line-printer" and spinning the big mag-tape drives with the hope that they would fly off. At the same time, I played with solid fuel rockets and gas-engine planes. Having somehow survived that and building and flying a bamboo and plastic hang-glider (with no metal parts), then called a "<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Miller.jpeg">Bat-Glider</a>" when I was 12, I went on to live through many things.
One day I learned <a href="http://www.gnu.org/fun/jokes/eternal-flame.ogg">LISP</a> and nothing was ever the same. For those who understand Lisp, no explanation is needed; for those who don't, no amount of explanation would be enough.
Then GNU and Open Source came along and life got really interesting & fun, especially for those of us living on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail">long tail</a>. I guess Internet helped, too.
Now I mainly spend my time helping <a href="http://www.seashepherdglobal.org/">Sea Shepherd</a>, hacking, off-piste skiing and trying to play the guitar without much success.
Marcel Pagnol summarized my approach to life: “Il n'est pas besoin d'espérer pour entreprendre ni de réussir pour persévérer.” (see <a href="http://www.giyf.com/">giyf.com</a> for help with the French).
Please don't take any of this too seriously.
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