When Is A Synth A Woodwind? When It’s A Pneumatone

July 7, 2025 by Tyler August 18 Comments

Ever have one of those ideas that’s just so silly, you just need to run with it? [Chris] from Sound Workshop ran into that when he had the idea that became the Pneumatone: a woodwind instrument that plays like a synth.

In its 3D printed case, it looks like a giant polyphonic analog synth, but under the plastic lies a pneumatic heart: the sound is actually being made by slide whistles. We always thought of the slide whistle as a bit of a gag instrument, but this might change our minds. The sliders on the synth-box obviously couple to the sliders in the whistles. The ‘volume knobs’ are actually speed controllers for computer fans that feed air into the whistles. The air path is possibly not ideal– there’s a bit of warbling in the whistles at some pitches– but the idea is certainly a fun one. Notes are played by not blocking the air path out the whistle, as you can see in the video embedded below.

Since the fans are always on, this is an example of a drone instrument, like bagpipes or the old hacker’s favourite, the hurdy gurdy. [Chris] actually says in his tip– for which we are very thankful– that this project takes inspiration not from those projects but from Indian instruments like the Shruthi Box and Tanpura. We haven’t seen those on Hackaday yet, but if you know of any hacks involving them, please leave a tip.

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Shop Exhaust Fan Salvaged From Broken Microwave

May 20, 2021 by Tom Nardi 7 Comments

You don’t have to look hard to find a broken microwave. These ubiquitous kitchen appliances are so cheap that getting them repaired doesn’t make economical sense for most consumers, making them a common sight on trash day. But is it worth picking one of them up?

The [DuctTape Mechanic] certainly thinks so. In his latest video, he shows how the exhaust fan from a dead microwave can easily and cheaply be adapted to blow smoke and fumes out of your workshop. While it’s obviously not going to move as much air as some of the massive shop fans we’ve covered over the years, if you’re working in a small space like he is, it’s certainly enough to keep the nasty stuff moving in the right direction. Plus as an added bonus, it’s relatively quiet.

Now as you might expect the exact internal components of microwave ovens vary wildly, so there’s no guarantee your curbside score is going to have the same fan as this one. But the [DuctTape Mechanic] tries to give a relatively high-level overview of how to liberate the fan, interpret the circuit diagram on the label, and wire it up so you can plug it into the wall and control it with a simple switch. Similarly, how you actually mount the fan in your shop is probably going to be different, though we did particularly like how he attached his to the window using a pair of alligator clips cut from a frayed jumper cable.

Got a donor microwave but not in the market for a impromptu shop fan? No worries. We recently saw a dud microwave reborn as a professional looking UV curing chamber that would be the perfect partner for your resin 3D printer. Or perhaps you’d rather turn it into a desktop furnace capable of melting aluminum, copper, or bronze.

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Self-Playing Whistle While You Work From Home

March 27, 2020 by Kristina Panos 7 Comments

In ridiculous times, it can help to play ridiculous instruments such as the slide whistle to keep your bristles in check. But since spittle is more than a little bit dangerous these days, it pays to come up with alternative ways to play away the days during lockdown life.

Thanks to some clever Arduino-driven automation, [Gurpreet] can maintain a safe distance from his slide whistle while interacting with it. Slide whistles need two things — air coming in from the top, and actuation at the business end. The blowing force now comes from a focused fan like the ones that cool your printed plastic as soon as the hot end extrudes it. A stepper motor moves the slide up and down using a printed rack and pinion.

Here’s a smooth touch — [Gurpreet] added a micro servo to block and unblock the sound hole with a cardboard flap to make the notes more distinct. Check out the build video after the break, which includes a music video for “My Heart Will Go On”, aka the theme from Titanic. It’s almost like the ship herself is playing it on the steam whistles from the great beyond.

Speaking of, did you hear about the effort to raise and restore the remains of her radio room?

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