Ben Holmen built a 37-note, interactive chime instrument called Halfmoon Chimes that was played and recorded at the Eaux Claires festival. The build uses tuned aluminum pipes, solenoids, a Raspberry Pi 4 running Python, and a receipt printer that turns performances into scannable replays.
MIDI velocity maps to solenoid pulse width (10 ms for soft to 40 ms for hard), and every performance printed a stretched barcode receipt that can be scanned to replay the piece.
During the two-day festival the instrument recorded 447 performances, printed 716 feet of paper, and played over 400,000 notes.
# Chimes is
Halfmoon Chimes is a playable, automated chime instrument Ben Holmen built for the Eaux Claires festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The instrument is named after nearby Halfmoon Lake and places the performer in front of a semicircle of tuned metal pipes.
# Physical design and tuning
Each pipe hangs on copper wire supported at two points inside a hand-shaped walnut holder. Those two support points are chosen so the tube can be held without damping its vibration, preserving sustain and tone.
# How notes are struck
Each chime is struck by a 12V solenoid fitted with a cork pad. The cork provides a softer attack than bare metal and protects the chime while producing an audible strike.
# Electronics and software
A Raspberry Pi 4 runs a multithreaded Python script that receives MIDI inputs and controls the solenoids. The solenoids are driven through chained breakout boards so the Pi can address many actuators in a compact setup.
# Performance interaction and replay
Every time the instrument was played it also printed a receipt with a stretched barcode representing the performance. Audience members could scan the barcode to replay the recorded performance. This creates a simple, physical take-away that links live performance to immediate replayability.
Over two days at the festival Halfmoon Chimes recorded 447 performances. The printer produced 716 feet of paper in receipts while the instrument played more than 400,000 notes.
# Where to see more
A video and additional project details are available on benholmen.com. The writeup was reported by Anne Barela on Adafruit's blog.
# Why this is useful to makers and performers
The project demonstrates a compact approach to building a large, chromatic percussive instrument: simple materials (aluminum pipe, copper wire, walnut holders), low-voltage solenoids, and a Raspberry Pi running Python can produce a robust interactive piece. The barcode-printing replay system is a straightforward way to give audience members a physical link to a recorded performance without requiring app downloads or accounts.
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