Regular ding-dong doorbells are fun and all, but it can be nice to put something a little more special by your front door. To that end, [Arpan Mondal] built this neat little piano doorbell to make visiting his home just a touch more fun.
The heart of the build is an ESP32 microcontroller. It’s responsible for reading the state of five 3D printed piano keys: three white, two black. It’s nowhere near a full octave, but for a doorbell, it’s enough. When a key is pressed, the ESP32 plays a short audio sample embedded within the program code itself. This is done with the help of a PAM8403 audio amplifier module, which jacks up the output to drive the doorbell speaker loud enough to be heard throughout the home. It’s not exactly studio quality audio, but for a doorbell, it sounds pretty solid.
If you’re looking for a fun and easy build to make your home just a little bit more whimsical, it’s hard to beat something like this. Your musical friends will love it—they might even develop an intro riff of their very own. We’ve featured some other fun doorbell builds before, too—the best of which are the Halloween projects.
I can’t play Funky Town on it! So i have to stick with my number pad. :(
Would be nice to make one tho. My childhood dream (to be like Pee Wee) will continue to be a dream for a bit more.
I suppose you could just mod a kids keyboard from the goodwill?
It would be even better if it had a full octave+1, you could then give your guests a theme tune to announce their arrival :-D
So the next level would be a tune which unlocks your door :)
It’s the theme from “Close Encounters”, but don’t tell anyone.
The one with Candy Suxxx?
Better hope your neighbor can’t figure out how to play a tune by ear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZci4tZ-Wfk
Logical sequence to the 2000s meme “The doorbell is missing, please shake the bottle of rocks” and its better twin “Musical School doorbell – shake maracas to enter”.
Good idea for cohousing. We used to have 1 doorbell for 3 “apartments”. 1 ring – Apt 1. 2 rings – Apt 2…
If you want to get in play Stairway to Heaven so I know it’s you.
Love this idea!
Never did I hear more than 3 actual notes of the 5 whilst similar musical notes played in the soundtrack. Pianos don’t double strike and those 5 keys are not in any sense of musical order not even numerical! Fixed identical resistors for a tuned instrument unless voltage linear synth is not a musical sound either. Could have used a 555 for sure. With all the high tech, sample the correct notes of the real thing and play them back.
Definitely just did a spit-take when he finally demonstrated the sound… And the tone one half step up from the first key came out lower… That and the fact that it seems to ding twice on a single press. Yikes.
But the idea that is almost there (if not in the actual execution) would be pretty neat: a PI midi synth and a few keys next to the door as a doorbell. Obviously a few more keys would be needed to make it worthwhile – maybe from the first key up to it’s 5th so major and minor triads are available.
At least we know “Golden Hour” can’t be played on this piano.
best horrible idea ever……could only work at “the do drop inn” rooming house, crash pad, where having fun while bieng irritated is a way if life, the inevitable signature tune giving a moment for those wanting to hide, to do so……need an indoor pad to.sound the all clear though