2026-03-13 (F) Weekly Summary

I revised the layout so I could fit everything onto three wooden slats. The whole piano was larger than I could cut in my laser engraver. After dividing it, I designed supports to fasten the thirds and use some new holes I added along the seams. I also designed a control center that fits above the piano's center.

Layout for the laser engraver

I set up the laser engraver and cut plywood for all three octaves, the support pieces, and the top control panel. It was a moist day, but I had to use the laser on the porch, and I had to be careful, or the wood would warp uncontrollably.

Three octaves, and a circular control panel

I bought a stain-and-finish mixture to coat my pale wood. I chose "Espresso" because it seemed dark enough, had a glossy surface, and I liked the implication of coffee. When I tested on the circular control piece, it came out marvelously, so I did the same for all three pie-shaped pieces and let them dry overnight.

Stained piano face pieces

I attached all the plastic keys to my stained wood. Each bolt was longer than necessary because I had so many spares left over from a different project. The nut tightening took a long time, but I used a fast electric screwdriver to speed it up. The operators on the circular piece required an adjustable wrench to tighten the nuts without interfering with the operator shafts.

Three octaves stacked up

I wired the microcontroller board with 10KΩ pull-up resistors and outfitted the control facing with the GND and 5V jumpers. Next time, I can connect the signals and power, then get to work on the keys.

Microcontroller board and control face underside

In Laurie Calcaterra's comic, Path of the Pale Rider, death stops working, much like the movie Death Becomes Her. The comic does not have the sexism, so we liked that. We liked the movie for the top-notch actors, special effects, and a special necklace.

Critical Affection: Death Becomes Her (1:36)

The rest of the summary posts have been arranged by date.
First time here?

Completed projects from year 1
Completed projects from year 2
Completed projects from year 3
Completed projects from year 4
Completed projects from year 5
Completed projects from year 6
Completed projects from year 7
Completed projects from year 8
Completed projects from year 9
Completed projects from year 10
Completed projects from year 11
Completed projects from year 12

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