Solar Xylophone

Rory Nugent’s wonderful Solar Xylophone uses the sun to make music outdoors. It uses eight different chime tubes that are struck with electrically-actuated mallets that are charged by solar panels. The tune is randomized, similar to wind chimes, because each mallet charges up at a slightly different rate, dependent on the amount of sun playing across each solar panel. Rory and I were classmates in graduate school, so I got to see his design develop in person, back in the day.

Rory writes:

I wanted to create a different kind of autonomous musical instrument that would, like wind chimes, generate tones from a natural resource. So I made this solar xylophone, which gives voice to the silent sun and takes the project (and ourselves) outside, where we belong.

The design and full build instructions are documented in Make Magazine’s Volume 12, so anyone can create their own way of listening to the sun.

Effects

When the solar xylophone is placed outside, it begins slowly playing notes in an unpredictable manner based on how much sun is hitting each of the eight solar panels. The result is a peaceful release of musical notes that’s always different, written by the sun and edited by the dappling of that sunlight through the trees. The listener is calmed by the sounds and visually entertained by the movements of its kinetic mechanism.

Elements

The Solar Xylophone displays several characteristics of wabi-sabi electronics. It is deeply connected to nature—taking both its power and musicality from sunlight, as modified by weather and the foliage above it. Its melody changes constantly, flowing of its own accord and vanishing when the sun is blocked or has set. It offers a simple mechanical design and this simplicity is mirrored in its straightforward analog electronics. There’s no fancy enclosure or attempt to hide the mechanism, so its appearance is plain and unadorned. The music it plays encourages the listener’s attention to the moment. It would enhance a peaceful meditation session.

Opportunities

Every wabi-sabi electronics project offers opportunities to take the aesthetic even further. (This doesn’t mean the project is lacking anything, they are simply ideas to consider expanding on if you build your own version.)

1. Consider replacing the straight edges and right angles with more curving, organic and asymmetrical features to further evoke and blend with the natural setting. Antonio Gaudí is quoted as saying “There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature” and his Barcelona architectural masterpieces bear this out.
2. Allow the wood to weather and darken as a celebration of constant change. Objects that age in this way share their history and experience, becoming more beautiful by gracefully marking the passage of time. Wabi-sabi asks us to appreciate the delicate beauty of such imperfections in both our objects and ourselves.
3. Adjust the circuit to support additional periods of silence and stillness. Silences are components of nearly all music and often mark the most poignant moments. In the case of the solar xylophone, the periods between notes are when wind, birds and water can become part of the music. In the added stillness one can appreciate everything about the present moment without distraction.

Building your own

Rory Nugent and Make Magazine offer complete instructions for building your own Solar Xylophone. You can even purchase most of the supplies as a kit from Solarbotics. The project is of medium complexity, will require some basic woodworking and soldering, and will benefit from patience when adjusting the mechanism. But the results should bring you closer to nature and help you remember that we live in a world of constant and beautiful changes that can be enjoyed in very simple ways.