Which song did you hear today? You would have gone to any of the music app and just tapped on your favorite music for free. Or would have listened to that over TV.

But, did you know it was not that easy for our great grand parents and specially our great great grand parents to listen to the music? They had to have a huge device occupying good amount of space and a dedicated table to host it. That was called Gramophone!

What is gramophone?

A gramophone was a music playing machine. Naa.. not as simple as we described here. It was a big box with a giant cone, and a pin which all-to-gether would play the music recorded on a big disc called gramophone record.

In this blog post, let’s mimic the gramophone and make an easy prototype of a gramophone using paper craft & Havi’s diy robotics kit for beginners..! Instead of songs it will generate rhythmic buzzer beeps.

Let’s start this easy STEAM project..!

Things you need

Elements:

• Power
• Light
• Motor
• LED
• Buzzer
• Extend

Accessories:

• Geared motor
• LED cable
• Power bank with USB cable

Craft material:

• Construction paper or cardboard
• Double Sided tape
• Paper straw(preferably 10 mm diameter)
• Scissor
• Paper
• Rubber band

The making

Step: 1
Snap the Havi Elements: Power + Extend + E1(Light + Buzzer) + E2(LED + Motor)

Step: 2
Stick the geared motor on power bank using double sided tape.

Step: 3
Wrap a paper around the LED cable. Pass the LED cable from a straw. Take a piece of paper straw, bend the LED cable as given in image & pass it from the piece of paper straw.

Step: 4
Connect LED cable with LED Element. Cover the LED cable slot with paper straw.

Step: 5
Connect the geared motor with Motor Element. Connect the power bank with Power Element using USB cable.

Step: 6
Cut a circular disc from card paper as given, cut & slit the gaps & make a hole in the center. Or you can download the provided template and use that. Keep the alternate gaps open.

DIY Gramophone disc templateStep: 7
Pass the disc from center on the shaft of the geared motor. For better grip, tie the rubber band around the shaft.

Step: 8
Keep the setup in such a way that the light of the LED cable should fall onto the LDR of Light Element. Your DIY Gramophone is ready. Turn the Power ON.

Do you hear the music bits? Now change the sequence of gaps as per your choice. For example keep only one sequence open, keep two adjacent sequences open, and likewise create your own combination. You will listen to a variety of music bits.

How does it work?

As soon as we turn ON the Power Element, the current passes to Extend Element. Extend Element passes current to Light Element & LED Element. Now, let’s understand both the variation.

LED + Motor: Both the Elements are directly connected to Power Element through Extend Element. Extend Element works as an extension board here and simply transfers the current it gets to the LED and Motor Element. With that, LED cable connected to LED Element & geared motor connected with Motor Element also starts. Hence, the disc starts rotating.

Light + Buzzer: The Buzzer Element here is under the control of Light Element. Light Element or LDR sensor is a sensor that detects light and sends YES signal to the next Element, here Buzzer Element. Know how light sensor works.

Some flaps of disc are folded and some are open. With the rotating disc, sometime the LDR gets LED light, and hence passes YES signal to Buzzer Element and it makes sound, within a fraction of second, closed portion comes and LDR passes No signal to Buzzer Element and it doen’t make sound. This process keeps repeating and we get music bits from our DIY Gramophone.

So why wait more? Buy Havi DIY Robotics Starter Kit now and make this gramophone and 93 other Robotics, STEM and STEAM Inventions.