Empanada Becomes Impractical, Delicious Synth

Vegemite is an Australian staple – a rich, protein-filled sandwich spread with a strong salty flavor. It serves as a great way to add a little umami to any dish, which is the hottest open secret in Australian cuisine this decade. It also works as a servicable conductive paint, which [Alex] used to make this baked good into a musical device.

The basis of the device is a basic audio example sketch running on an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express. The code was tweaked to play a 7-note C major scale. The PCB was then attached to the empanada with toothpicks through each pad, with the baked good itself seemingly connected to the ground plane. The toothpicks through the pads were then coated with Vegemite, and another toothpick treated the same way and used as a stylus. By touching the toothpick to the empanada and one of the pads, the circuit is made, and a note is played.

It’s an impractical way to go about musical performance, sure. But it is an effective demonstration of foodstuffs used in electronics. Calvin Harris did much the same back in 2009, albeit with humans substituting for the delicious pastry. Video after the break.

20 thoughts on “Empanada Becomes Impractical, Delicious Synth

  1. There’s some, but not a lot of protein in vegemite. It’s a “yeast extract” made from the leavings of beer brewing. It’s delicious, but only in small quantities. It’s not jam or honey.

    You spread butter on your toast, then a thin film of vegemite over the top. We’re talking transparent, here.

      1. Promite? (searches…) Ooh, haven’t tried that one!

        Jokes aside, Vegemite is available here in the UK, and sells in far greater quantities than can be explained by Aussie ex-pats alone. Make of that what you will. :)

        1. lol
          some of my online “Murican” friends have tried it, from the sound of things they spread it like jam or nutella!

          I’ve tried to explain “less is more”

          smear it on, not trowel it on!

          1. It’s my icebreaker at European hacker camps, to go around with a plate of marmite and biscuits. And I have a jar of vegemite, should I encounter any aussies. Though amusingly the only aussie I met last year at cccamp was a yeast extract hater. :)

    1. Keep your yeast invection to yourself.

      Vegemite is the preferred spread of those who do not hang on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the social and economic differences in our society!

    1. Saludos desde Alemania. Aca no hay empanadas, pero en España si, seguramente son tan diferentes de las nuestras como los churros. Extraño los churros y las empanadas :(. Las mias no son tan malas…
      Si, unas buenas empanadas de carne, fritas.

      1. On our Christmas market there is always a booth that sells empanadas in different variants. But yeah, apart from that I haven’t seen any restaurant here in Germany that sells them. There is also a booth that sells churros.

        What I miss is manjar. It’s a pain to have to boil small cans of condensed milk while in Chile you can buy that stuff in huge glasses and pouches (500g? 1kg? I don’t remember) in every supermarket.

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