#i am COMPLETELY going overboard but i love crafting supplies

[youjustwaitsunshine]

bought some craft supplies from etsy for a ✨project✨

[goingknowherewastaken]

240?!!!???!?!?!!???

*insert that gif of Andy Dwyer getting really excited that tumblr is not allowing me to have here*

Oh my god, thank you!!! ♥

At the beginning of the month I mentioned that I wanted to reach 200 by the 20th, but boy did that get surpassed lol! This was never something that I ever thought would happen to me. I got into writing fanfiction on a whim and it took some time to really settle down and dedicate myself to the craft, but oh was I not prepared. I knew I’d find some people who would read my work now and then; I didn’t expect to find this wonderful little niche of fanfic writers and readers on here. In my four years on this site I’ve never found a niche quite like this one and I’m so proud and honored to be apart of it!

So I want to say thank you and my way of saying thank you is the following:

I’m going to be accepting some reader insert drabble requests. Not a lot, unfortunately. This is my first time accepting a lot of fic requests and with what I have planned, I want to keep it at a manageable number. So I will be taking on 10 requests.

And I thought I’d make this celebration a fun one and work around a theme

My favorite theme actually. Well, trope is a better description..

See I love AUs, but more importantly - I love Soulmate!AUs!

Yes, all of these will be Soulmate!AUs!!! :D 

And since today is the first official day of Summer, I’m calling this the Summer of Soulmates Follower Celebration! Or i guess the GoingKnowhere’s 200 Follower Celebration works as well, but let’s be honest - Summer of Soulmates sounds a lot better ;)

And you can find out more about what’s happening below vvvv

The Low-down:

I’m only taking on 10 reader insert drabbles. Since this is a follower celebration, I will not be taking requests from anons.

Pick from the characters I have listed. While at some point I would like to write for a wide variety of characters, these are the ones that currently have my interest. Then pick a Soulmate AU and finally you may add in some prompts. I have two prompt lists - a sentence one and a set-the-scene au one.. (please see the lists below the cut)

When you make your request, go to my ask box and send something along the lines of : “[greeting/congrats]! Can I request [character] with [desired prompts and soulmate au]...” Specifying any other details. Once I have 10 requests I will not be accepting anymore and won’t be answering any remaining ones in my ask box.

I am not writing smut for these. I don’t mind doing vague or implying, but I don’t do anything super detailed. 

I also have the right to deny a request or certain details of it if I am not comfortable with it or if an exact or near similar request has already been made. So make sure to keep an eye on what’s already been requested. I’ve listed a lot of prompts so there isn’t going to be that short of a supply of them lol

Requests take time and my time is split between many things. I will most likely complete and post them in the order they are accepted. I won’t be starting them right away, but I will be starting them soon. Please, be patient while I write! Thank you! 

Continue on to find the prompts :)

Characters:

Jim Kirk (AOS)

Bones (AOS)

Scotty (AOS)

Steve Trevor (DC)

Bernie Webber (The Finest Hours)

*I may have sort of went overboard in picking out things because I lack self control*

(most taken from perfectlyrose, also found here, here, here, here, here, and here)

Soulmate!AUs (Pick 1):

Reverse one where the clock starts at 00:00:00:00 from the moment you’re born and stops counting the moment you meet your soulmate, so it’s like a reminder that “It took me 19 years, 11 months, 20 hours, and 13 seconds to meet you, you fuck, and you do it by spilling coffee on me, thanks, now my laptop’s broken—what, you’re buying me a new one? Okay.” [the latter is their example]

The original clock one where your clock has a time and slowly counts down to 00:00:00:00 at which you will meet your soulmate

Where you actually have a compass instead of a clock, and it leads you to where your soulmate should be.

the one where you only see color once you meet your soulmate(s) || Optional : blind characters who can’t see if the world’s in color or black and white

the one where you only see certain colors up until you meet your soulmate(s) and then you see the whole range of colors

Where a tattoo isn’t set from the moment you’re born and whatever tattoos your soulmate gets, you get it too and it’s all cool because you kind of like the designs, [except you also feel the pain of getting a tattoo and that sucks because you’re kind of in the middle of an exam right now and it’s getting harder to concentrate on your work.]

Whatever mark you get on your skin your soulmate gets it too so one day, you just kind of just get a sharpie and start writing on your skin. You definitely didn’t expect to get a reply, but you did.

If you’re on separate time zones, when you sleep, you see the world in the eyes of your soulmate at present time. You see the world through your soulmate’s eyes, what they’re eating, who they’re talking to, the contents of the essay paper they’re trying to finish, but if they look into a mirror/reflective surface/picture, the image is blurred so you don’t really have a clue what they look like.

On some days, whatever your soulmate thinks of is something you can hear in your mind [ex: your soulmate is currently reading really hardcore smut fics and you’re trying so hard not to mess up this class presentation which shoulders half your mark for the semester] (close proximity would activate this)

the one where you don't know your soulmate(s) until you hear them speak, or hear them speak a certain word; your name, for example

the one where you have their name

the one where you have their first words spoken to you

the one where you get matching marks/symbols/tattoos

the one where you form a telepathic/empathetic link after you find them or have always had one

the one where in universes with magic meeting your soulmate(s) activates your powers/unlocks more powerful magic

Sentence Prompts (pick 1-3)(won’t necessarily be the soulmate tell):

“I’ve never seen that done before. There’s a reason for it. It’s a bad idea.”

“What’s with the box?”

“It’s your fault we’re in this mess.”

“What’s with all the running anyway?”

“I shouldn’t be in love with you!”

“Easy cheesy.”

“Shut up, it’s fine, just chill, we’re fine, I’m fine, everything is cool, everything is good! We’re chill, nothing is happening and I am not freaking out, not at all, we’re FINE.”

“Still breaking hearts?”

“Let’s not confuse healthy eating with a hot dog.”

“you’re the only one.”

“I’m gonna lay down and die for like half hour okay?”  

“Marry me.”

“I’m going to need you to put on some underwear before you say anything else."

“why do you always have to be such an asshole?

“You’re scared of that, aren’t you?”

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

“it’s complicated.”

“I think I know how to use a bed.”

“You know what I like most about people? Pets.”

“I’ve had a rough day and honestly all I want right now is a drink and someone to cuddle with…”

“Wild and disrespectful?”

“I love you. Of course I’m gonna defend you like that.”

“Well obviously nothing is going on here!”

“I just did some calculations, and I’ve been able to determine that you’re full of shit.”

“Don’t touch her/him/them!”

“So MacGyvering this out of my tuckus right now.”

“You’re beautiful, you know that?”

“is there any reason as to why you’re getting drunk on a Tuesday afternoon?

“You screw with me, I’ll screw with you.”

“i’m pretty good at providing distractions.”

“Why is there a picture of Steve Buscemi in your bathroom?!”

“These stars are nothing compared to the ones I’ve seen in your eyes.”

“Are you ready to dance with the devil?”

“it’s okay, i’m here.”

“just sit down and let me take care of you.”

“I may have mildly panicked…”

“Please put me down it’s just a sprained ankle"

“That’s sweet in a kind of nauseating kind of way.”

“I’m ok, thank you. Just please, stop talking to me.”

“There’s a thin line between brulee and Pompeii.”

“you don’t scare me.”

“i’m in love with you but i don’t want you to hurt me.”

“I’ll be honest with you – I was raised by wolves.”

“why do you even care?”

“He’s like the cockroach that will never die.”

“Obviously you can’t tell a woman you just met that you love her, but it sucks that you can’t.”

“I’m not really good with impulse control.”

“If you say another word about her/him, you’ll regret it.”

“It’s midnight, what do you want?”

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to touch your butt.”

“You cannot fathom the immensity of the fucks I don’t give.”

“you’re not alone. you never were.”

“Well, we’ll see about the delight.”

“Are you meeting someone here? Because.. I think I’m that person.”

“I don’t know what you’re gonna do without it! [evil laugh]”

“This isn’t a joke. I’m serious.”

“don’t call me ‘princess,’ asshole.”

“It’s cute that you tried to protect me and all, but you’re like a foot shorter than me, you know?”

“tell me this is a dream.”

“You look like an open autopsy.”

Set the Scene Prompts (Pick 1)

“Fuck I feel like I got hit by a car… Wait I did? And it was your car?”

We’re at a concert and I can’t see a thing let me sit on your shoulders, maybe?”

hey i just moved into the house next door and i just wanted to let you know that your dog keeps getting into my yard an - wait what? what do you mean that’s a cat????? that’s not a cat it’s fucking huge!!!! (turns out it is a cat, it’s just really big and fat)

“You take my parking spot every few days yes I know they’re not assigned but that one is mine” au

“I’m low on cash but I really need some food from this vending machine, could i trouble you for a dollar?” au

The postal worker delivered your package to my place accidentally and I was expecting something so I totally didn’t look before I opened it and… wow that is um… quite an interesting thing you bought and I’m here to return it

you’re a gardener with a nice ass that i can’t stop staring at and one day you caught me looking at you bent over and fuck that’s embarrassing but then suddenly you started wearing tighter pants dear holy lord // it’s a total coincidence that I happen to water my plants at the same time you jog past my house AU

our dogs are in love with each other and it’s making things awkward at the dog park AU

I injured myself doing something stupid at a holiday party and you’re the doctor at the emergency clinic AU

"This has been a very bad week and you just grabbed the last box of my favorite comfort food at the supermarket” AU

“i’m at a karaoke bar and i’m sober enough to realize that your voice singing my absolute favorite song is the most beautiful thing i’ve ever heard, and you caught me staring and winked at me oh shit” au

‘pls chill out it’s only p.e. it’s not the olympics it’s just p.e. chill’ au

I just moved into a new apartment and went to buy groceries, but I bought more than I could carry back. I’ve stopped to catch my breath when I hear someone asking if I need help and I look up and the sun is literally making you glow like a damn angel.

“you and your friends have been playing the penis game in the library for the last five minutes and none of you have gotten above a quiet yell and i’m really just trying to study over here so i’m gonna put an end to this by winning the game”

“i came up to your apartment to ask you to turn down your music and have quieter sex, but it turns out that you’ve just been jumping up and down on your bed in your underwear listening to music alone” au

❛❛ i just got bowled over by your huge-ass dog in the park && now you’re profusely apologizing while trying to hold your dog off ❜❜

❛❛ you’re infamous for being an asshole, && i had to sit next you in class. turns out you’re kinda nice one-on-one. ❜❜

“idk you but you were getting hit on in public and you look super uncomfortable so i walked over and pretended to be your bf/gf, but hey while we’re at it, do you wanna go get some food?” au

“You just caught me reading hardcore smut fan fiction during class and you’re wondering how I can read this with a blank face.”

where one person is actually famous and sets up a dating account with their real picture and the other sees it and is like, oh dude you are not fooling anyone with that picture and when they actually meet the other is pissed because DUDE YOU’RE THAT FAMOUS PERSON and the other is like, yeah, i mean, i thought you knew…

i have a soft spot for cats so i always feed the fat one that’s always hanging out in the hall with treats and now it started hanging around me fuck i’m so sorry i didn’t mean to accidentally steal your pet

it’s exam week and i run a coffee shop near the campus and you walked right into my glass door i’m laughing so hard oh my god

“I just threw away a winning lottery ticket in a park garbage can by accident FUCK HELP ME LOOK FOR IT I’LL GIVE YOU A PORTION OF THE WINNINGS” AU

“ur just a random stranger and i’ve been ranting to you for like 20 minutes about how much i hate this one band but now several groups of people came up to you asking for pics and autographs, and oh shit it turns out you’re in the band i’ve been going on about” au

Neighbour who’s way too enthusiastic about LOTR soundtracks au

you left your USB flash drive in the library computer and i had to go through your files to figure out who you are and i ended up reading the entirety of this book you’re working on and wow you’re actually really good????

both stuck in the dorm common room because their respective roommates needed “alone time”

waiter/waitress one: “You always come to this place and never talk much, but now these two assholes are harassing me and you step in and defend me” au

You’re a famous viner and I constantly witness you doing the weirdest things AU

“We’re sitting next to each other on this plane and and I was eating gummies, but I left all the red ones cause they’re absolute shit and now you’re asking if you can have them” AU

“I went to water my plants on the balcony and you’re on yours with a tinfoil hat what the hell are you doing” AU

“I went to see you live in concert and was front row and you went into the crowd and I grabbed your hand, but started freaking out so much that I was touching you that I couldn’t let go to the point where security had to physically tear me away from you and now you’ve invited me backstage literally what” AU

working in a museum au

'I was walking by the roller coasters and SOMEONE’S SHOE FLEW OFF AND HIT ME IN THE HEAD” AU

“this is totally awkward considering before this the only interactions we’ve ever had have been casual nods to each other in the hallway but there’s a huge fucking spider in my bath tub and you seem like the friendly neighbor type please help me” au

“i was eavesdropping on ur phone convo with ur friend who offered you tickets to my favorite band and you don’t even want them, do you wanna give me your friend’s number maybe?” au

“actor at a haunted house/person who punches the actor in the face” AU

'I heard you singing backstreet boys at 3am and decided to sing along oops’ AU [name the song(s)]

“we’re internet friends and follow each other on all social media but have never met but hey, i’m going on vacation where you live, let’s meet (and also date)” au

“you sat next to me at the movie theatre and i really hated your movie but i didn’t realize you were in it”

“i came to the gym to work out but holy god i can’t stop watching you do one armed push ups that’s so hot” au

“That asshole stole my song at karaoke night” au

Please stop picking flowers from my garden au

“We sat next to each other during a really sad film and now we’re sharing tissues silently whilst we cry at the cinema” AU

“You just watched me slip on the ice and wind up sitting in the snowbank beside the parking lot. You’re laughing and now it’s you slipping and your face in the snowbank across from me” au

[narobnika]

The Do-It-Yourself Drum Kit

 Aim:

The aim in this project was to construct a mock drum kit with percussion sensitive piezoelectric triggers attached to circular pads, each representing an element of a real drum kit, and to play the appropriate sounds through a PIC-controlled sound module when the drums are hit with sticks.

Circuit Behavior/ Explanation:

The circuit is centered around the DFR0299 sound module, which is a small MP3 module that can be used with a PIC sending it commands in serial mode via the TX and RX (transmitter and receiver) pins, and it can also be used with analogue triggering by programming the module. The module is essentially a PIC with an SD card slot and MP3 playing capabilities, however at very simple levels. On this project , the initial plan was to use a PIC with a code that would first analyse the signal coming to the analog terminals from piezo elements, which would send a short voltage impulse generally ranging between 0 to 1.5Vdc, varying with the intensity of the vibrations the piezos are subjected to. As a note, the codes are all included further down this report.  

 Used Hardware Elements, Devices and Programs:

DFR0299 Sound Module

Piezoelectric elements (and later relays)

Various resistors and pot combinations for variable triggering

ICM7555 Timer Chip used in a schmitt trigger

ATmega328p PIC

EasyEDA for planning of the circuit (diagrams and simulations)

5V 1A output makeshift voltage supply adapter crafted from old playstation portable charger

4 Small size relays, 3.3-5V operation on the coil side

 Choosing the Components

Playing drums is one of the most enjoyable things to do for me, so I decided that my final project should involve something I love, so that I would be able to work better and put my best effort into it. I decided to build a mock drum kit out of wood and trigger the drums with an electronic circuit that would play the sounds. For this, I first made drawings of the kit, which I wanted to build out of wood since I am quite familiar with woodworking and have the chance of working in a carpenter’s shop which belongs to a family friend. It took a lot of trial and error to find the right materials and shape for the kit, but after many, many enjoyable hours of trying and cutting and sanding and drilling, I managed to put together the kit. The circular drum pads were actually pizza plates I found in Migros, and I picked them up for their perfect size. I used a camping/yoga mat for the soft lining of the pads to reduce the noise of the sticks hitting them. Then came the electronic part of the kit, which was the real challenge.

 After many hours of reading and good amounts of research on piezoelectric theory and ways of triggering sounds with electric signals, I understood that a sound playing module of some sort was essential, unless I was to opt for simple analogous buzzers for each drum, which would have been quite unpleasant sonically. I researched the possible sound modules for this project and chose the DFR0299, which seemed the most reliable out of these small and hard to use PICs. However, there were still many difficulties and troubles with these components, but I decided to keep at it and try to do the best job possible within the scope of my abilities and circumstances, because electronic drums are an enjoyable and challenging project, and thought that this would teach me more things than a simple, proven project with mostly known instructions and parts. I was unable to find any similar project on the internet, so this further encouraged me to try this idea. I will further elaborate on the difficulties and problems I encountered and the design process.

 Circuit Diagram and Explanation

The diagram (first diagram with the sound module) shows the final, as-presented version of the circuit, with the inputs and outputs of the DFR0299 shown. I adjusted the plan and wrote a code for the sound chip to work in AD button control mode, which is a resistance-dependent means of activation. This code can trigger up to 14 different sound files with a single, momentary completion of the circuit going from either one of the ADKEY1 or ADKEY2 pins to ground with a predetermined resistor on the way to ground. For example, in this setup, activating switch K7 will complete the circuit through 9k Ohms, and a snare drum sound is played by the module as a result. This way, I was able to completely omit the PIC and simplify the circuit to at least a partially functioning state, the reasons for which will be explained later. The circuit is powered by a makeshift power supply that I crafted from a PSP(playstation portable) adapter, after problems with voltage regulator IC7805’s, even though the adapter brought its own share of problems. The DAC_R and DAC_L pins of the DFR0299 are the right and left channels of the stereo output of the sound module, and I soldered a standard 3.5mm headphone jack to them and grounded the jack to avoid static etc. humming.

The VCC and GND pins of the module are, obviously, connected to the power supply. I wanted the drum kit to be versatile, so instead of adding a basic, sub- 3 Watt speaker directly to the sound module DFR0299, I opted for the 3.5mm output, which enables the kit to even be connected to a full size amp and mixer system or a PA system in a venue. For now, the speaker used is a UE Boom 2 portable speaker with its integrated digital amplification circuit, and it seems to work quite well with the programmed module, with minimal buzzing and humming.

 Design Procedure, Further Explanations, Challenges and Solutions

●      One of the earliest problems I had was with the LM7805 IC voltage regulator, which was, for some reason, unable to sustain the circuit while using 9V batteries. Trying to do so resulted either in the extreme overheating of the 7805IC and/or the battery, and quickly drained the battery. The batteries I used were not regular alkaline 9V batteries however. I instead opted to use rechargeable Ni-Mh 9V (8.4V actually) batteries I had at hand for a bass guitar pre-amp, which are much more green. This could be a possible cause. However these rechargeable batteries are a drop in replacement for the regular 9V batteries we used throughout the year. I tried multiple 7805 IC’s, but got similar results so I quickly changed plans, fearing that the sound module would get damaged. Then I figured that since this is a drum kit, it would not be a concern if it used a power supply instead, so I went looking for one. However I was unable to find a suitable one, as the available adapters either had too high a voltage, (9V+ when 5V is needed), or they were 5V but had very low amp ratings, which wouldn’t suffice for the current draw of the circuit. By luck, I found an old playstation charger with 5Vdc, 1A output and went right at it, took it apart, made the necessary changes to the fuse and soldered a connector to power the breadboard and it worked flawlessly. However, there is a weakness in any type of system, and there was some humming introduced when I switched from battery power to the adapter. The problem is probably with the AC “60 cycle” hum, which seemed to affect the speaker output because it was difficult to ground them. I tried to shield the 3.5mm jack and the connector with aluminium foil to reduce the noise and soldered another wire to the jack itself that goes to ground from the grounding pin of the jack. The shielding aluminium was also connected to ground. This application helped a lot and there was very little humming left, which can be heard only when the drum kit is idle, and the amplification of the speaker is turned up to high levels.

 ●      An improvement would be to use midi triggering for faster operating speeds since the mp3 logic of the DFR0299 module does not allow polyphony. This was a key flaw of the system, and it was almost impossible to fix without going overboard with complicated chips and interfaces which would not be meaningful for our course. We are trying to do things ourselves as much as we can because this is for learning, problem solving and creativity. However, the available components and PIC’s do not allow MIDI usage, which means that the drum kit is actually operating as an MP3 player of some kind, that plays a different 1-second long song for every zone of the drum. The current sound cuts out as soon as another pad is hit, so the drum can only be played very slowly. The circuit can only manage 2-3 hits per second due to processor speed limitations (I also tried a 16Khz external crystal oscillator, but decided to go with the internal 8Khz operation of the module because of the unreliability of the external crystal), while a drummer can hit the drums more than 30 times per second!

 ●      At first, I had actually coded to trigger the sounds of the module via a PIC that received and analysed signals from the piezos. The piezo signal would be printed to the terminal of the PIC, ranging from 0 to 250 milivolts depending on the strength of the vibration of the hits. I set 3 thresholds for the four drums on the kit. Threshold one was at 50mV, two at 120mV, and three at 220mV. These threshold levels correspond to “SOFT”, “MEDIUM” and “HARD” in the code, and thus the PIC triggers the appropriate sound of, say the snare drum, according to the force of the hit. However, it did not work out so well. There were many errors and triggering would be random, and also would pick up parasitic vibration from movement within the room that the kit is housed it etc. The codes are all at the end, and there is also video footage of this system working on my desk, although not on the kit.

 ●      As a result of the problems with the piezo system, I opted to use small relays that operate with 3.3-5v for magnetic actuation. I stripped the casing and removed the protector housing around the thin metal terminal that would normally be attracted by the energized coil. I sanded, bent and adjusted the terminal so that it would momentarily complete the circuit when the relay receives vibrations. I made four identical copies of this modified relay device, but sadly it was not successful. It was perhaps a good effort as a last measure, but the kit would have been amazing if the piezo system was working properly.

 ●      For improving the accuracy of the piezo system, as an alternative to the PIC controlled sound module setup, it would have been possible to use a 555 IC timer operating as a schmitt trigger, (explained below) triggered by the current pulses from the piezoelectric elements to trigger the sounds. This would be an analog alternative to the PIC, and would be easier to set up. This would take advantage of the possibility of extremely high switching speeds when a solid state IC is operating as a single pole single throw or SPST solid state switch (similarly to a bipolar transistor used as a switch, being either OFF or FULLY ON, as we studied in our course). The completion of the circuit could then be used to trigger the sounds instead of the current, unreliable array of relays mounted under the pads. However, this setup would not allow multiple sound levels, as it would simply turn on and off when the piezo was hit hard enough.

About Schmitt Triggers, and using  555IC (diagram from source):

●      Short Explanation About Schmitt Triggers, and using 555IC

 The most important behaviour of any Schmitt Trigger is the hysteresis. In this case it’s 1/3 and 2/3 of the voltage supply going to pin 2 and 6, defined by the built in resistor voltage divider on the 555 that lies between these two pins. The built in comparators C1 and C2 compare the input voltage to the references provided by the voltage divider and use the comparison to trip the built in flip flop, which drives the output driver, another nice feature of the 555.

 The aforementioned “Comparators” are basically devices which measure the two input voltages and choose whether one is higher than the other. In a Schmitt Trigger, these comparators work by comparing the incoming voltage to two predetermined voltage points and give an output accordingly. This enables the Schmitt trigger to provide a Square or Rectangular wave output no matter what shape the input has. Schmitt triggers are useful for:

 ●      To convert slow edges (like in a triangular wave) into fast edges (like a square wave)

 ●      Convert sine wave to square wave

 The main, defining behaviour of the Schmitt trigger is Hysteresis. The Schmitt trigger’s output will be high if the incoming voltage is above the threshold value, and the trigger’s output will be low if the incoming voltage is below the threshold. However, the state, or the value of the output is retained when the incoming voltage is in the middle of the two threshold values. This presence of two threshold points creates the Hysteresis and lets the schmitt trigger function like a bistable multivibrator flip-flop. According to the thresholds which are ⅓ and ⅔ of input voltage, the system will set or reset the value of the output, determining its state, which will either be high or low.

 What have I learned?

 I have learned so many things about both theoretical and practical aspects of a whole design process. The theory included piezoelectricity, relay action, schmitt triggering, power requirements of circuits (voltage and current regulation). There was also coding involved so I had to learn C on top of some Java knowledge I had, since most of these small devices run on C. I learned about product design, since I had to build the wooden drum kit from scratch. I learned many factors in audio engineering that are important when setting up any kind of audio system, such as interference, noise, shielding, 60 cycle hum and so on. This work helped me better understand some of my weaknesses with organization, which I was often able to luckily solve by improvising from my parts bins at home, or from the messy cupboards of a friendly, local electrician to replace parts or add elements that I had foolishly forgotten to acquire beforehand, had damaged etc. I wish I had managed time better so that it would have been possible to get the more complex piezo and PIC system working, but the fundamental latency issue of the module remains. I cannot express how much I enjoyed working and learning about these topics because seeing how every field connects with one another was fascinating.

  ***As a post-scriptum side note, using an actual aftermarket electric drum "brain", which could directly process the signals from the piezoeletric elements with connections via 1/4 inch jacks, would be much easier to setup but would not be meaningful for learning at all. I’m happy that the more bare-bones path had many challenges. (*I might do this in the summer-get a drum brain and actually play the kit!)

    Code for the ATmega328p PIC:

Be wary that this was my planned setup, but it unfortunately did not function properly once installed on the kit. See video.

This is the code, which accomplished the triggering of sounds by sensing electric signals created by the piezoelectric elements responding to vibrations. The three threshold correspond to 50mV, 120mV and 220mV signals from the Piezo, which are the levels that I found through experimentation; by hitting the drums and observing the voltage values printed to the terminal, and connecting the PIC to my laptop and watching the values live from the console of the PIC’s programming kit.

******************************BEGINNING OF CODE*********************** 

#define DRUM1 0      

#define THRESHOLD1 50

#define THRESHOLD2 120

#define THRESHOLD3 220

 byte val = 0;    

 void setup()

{

 Serial.begin(9600);

}

 void loop()

{

 val = analogRead(DRUM1);

 Serial.println(val, DEC); \

   val = analogRead(DRUM1);

   if(val > THRESHOLD1) { Serial.println("SOFT"); }

 if(val > THRESHOLD2) { Serial.println("MEDIUM"); }

 if(val > THRESHOLD3) { Serial.println("HARD"); }

 else if(val > THRESHOLD1) { Serial.println("NOTREGISTERED"); }

}

 **************************END OF CODE***********************************

 Various Pictures of the Building Process  

Making the pads.                                          

In the carpenter’s workshop.

Building the kit piece by piece, measurements, mistakes and practical solutions.

Finished kit, brought it home.

 Rigging up the relays. (failed)

 Working on the circuitry and soldering

Work In Progress…

Finished kit.

 Works Cited:

"DFPlayer Mini SKU:DFR0299." DFPlayer Mini SKU:DFR0299 - DFRobot Electronic Product Wiki and Tutorial: Arduino and Robot Wiki-DFRobot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2017.

 Administrator, and Arvind Says. "555 Timer as Schmitt Trigger." Electronics Hub. N.p., 19 June 2015. Web. 30 May 2017.

 Woodford, Chris. "Piezoelectricity - How Does It Work? | What Is It Used For?" Explain That Stuff. N.p., 20 July 2016. Web. 30 May 2017.

 Tarun Agarwal. "A Brief Introduction to Piezoelectric Sensor Switch And Its Working Procedure." EdgeFX. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2017.

 Jacobi, Jon L. "How to Get Rid of Hum and Eliminate Other Noises from Your Audio and Video Systems." TechHive. TechHive, 16 May 2016. Web. 08 June 2017.

 "Electrical Relay." Electronics Tutorials. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2017.