Genie Pic Chip C20 proj board - Curcuit Design Problems

[Cross By Nature]

Hi,

I am currently undertaking an electronics module with which I am having a great many problems. My lecturer has not got a clue so is unable to help. I am trying to build a circuit using a Genie 20 pin project board. The design is to assist budding guitar players with the correct finger placement on the fret board for specific chords.

I have assembled 24 micro switches inside a guitar fret board. The switches have been placed between the frets (6 switches per fret) in the positions were the guitarists fingers would be when playing chords. When the switches which match the finger positions of a specific chord are pressed I want the pic chip to play that particular chord, C for instance. As this is a prototype project I am only going to choose 4 or 5 chords to demonstrate the principal, Chords C,D,E,F,G,A. As the C20 board only has 5 outputs I have bought 2 boards.

I would think the difficulty will be in using some of the switches twice, possibly 3 times as they are used to play more than 1 chord. I have tried to design a program with Circuit Wizard but my sanity is now becoming endangered such is the difficulty I am facing. Please help with your suggestions, advice, circuit diagrams etc.

Very many thanks in anticipation

Regards Steve x x

 

[Brevor]

Hi Steve,
Many years ago I worked for a company that manufactured electronic organs and synthisizers. Some of our instruments would rapidly scan the keyboard looking for a pressed key. I think you could use the same method, I am not a guitar player but it seems to me you could assign a specific frequency (pitch) to each button and as the processor detected a button was pressed it would assign a tone generator to output the proper frequency.
The three (or more) notes are then mixed together to form a chord and filtered to produce the proper timbre. That is the way we did it, Most of the work was done in software.

 

[Cross By Nature]

Thanks for the reply

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. It was very interesting the approach your company took to the problem. Im very much a novice with electronics and really havn't got a clue what Im doing however its fun trying to learn.

Thanks once again.

Regards Steve