[HELP] MIDI Keyboard from a toy keyboard

[deniz]

Hey merry Christmas for those who celebrate and a happy new year to everyone else!

So I just came to my parents house for Xmas break and found an old toy keyboard that I fried when trying to circuitbend it… Decided I might do a lil vacation project and turn it into a little midi keyboard with the Arduino nano I found in my room but apparently it has 22 ribbon cables for 37 keys??? Is this usual? Honestly I was expecting something like 8.

I was inspired by phase space’s video on YouTube where she explains and demonstrates everything very nicely. But since I suck at electronics I am literally incapable of completing a project unless the breadboard layout is served on a golden plate. So maybe (hopefully) you can help me understand how this works. I would like to make the drum buttons play some samples also but they only have 4 cables so I assume 3 of them are for the buttons and one of them is ground.

Here are pics of the keyboard and the layout that got me inspired. I really recommend phase space’s video if you are interested in a project like this!

[BartlomiejFalenta]

I think I have the same keyboard, so I’d gladly help with reverse engineering it.

EDIT: I saw that phase space’s tutorial on DIY midi control too.

[craigyb]

It looks to me like the front panel electronics and the keyboard are combined on those ribbon cables, so I guess you have to determine which are going to the keyboard and which elsewhere. A multimeter would be a great help in probing the connections.

[BartlomiejFalenta]

I was wondering if that’s the case, too. But probably yes.