In this UCCA MakerLAB, we will turn a common pencil into a musical instrument–the screaming pencil. By running a current through it, the pencil will produce different pitches when drawing different lines. In essence, it creates a very simple musical synthesizer that uses the conductive properties of pencil graphite to create different sounds. The result is a fun toy that turns any piece of paper into a musical instrument.

【Relevant Technology】

Electric current flows from the pen point, passes through the trace of the graphite and returns to the chip to form a loop. Different lengths of drawing will cause different resistivity as well as different charge and discharge time of the capacitance. As a result, different chip oscillation frequencies drive the piezoelectric ceramic to produce different sounds.

【Materials】

Pencil

Integrated chip

Wooden stand

Battery

Piezoelectric ceramic

Belting

Capacitance

Wire

Adhesive tape

Winding bar

Thumbtack

About UCCA MakerLAB

MakerLAB is a joint education program run by Beijing Makerspace and UCCA. A series of workshops that celebrate the idea of learning by doing, MakerLAB brings together technology, design, and art. Every workshop consists of a 30 minute introduction and a 3-5 hour “making” session. Projects can be done individually or in teams.

Reservations required.

From Tuesday to Friday 11:00-18:00 please call +86 10 5780 0200 to book. Please note that you can only book 1 seat at a time.

Beijing Makerspace encourages social innovation and the development of physical and online communities where people can learn, share and work on open-source projects for public use.