I thought about some obvious places where the switches could be. Since the shoes were to be identical I started by making and testing one shoe. It's always best to start with a prototype when building something interactive. Locking connectors for 4 conductors or male/female headers (the headers may not stay together well while dancing) You can make the box larger to accommodate a battery with more capacity. USB cable A/MicroB to connect Feather to Computer If you can't get neoprene, the idea is to get a material that is firm, thick, and that will not wear down over time. Because it is a little thinner I got enough to cover the bottom of each shoe 2 times.

I couldn't find neoprene so I ended up buying a generic foam-type performance fabric that is about 1/8' thick. I bought a piece of hide from my local leather store for $40 that would cover several pairs.Įnough to cover the bottom of each shoe 1 time plus a little extra. Get enough to cover the bottom of the sneakers with a 3' border all around plus a little extra. It also has the Arduino sketches needed and lots of sound files for you to play with. This file contains the design files for the board holder and sole switches. Connect a bluetooth speaker to the computer to get louder and better sound!ĭownload the attached. The shoes wirelessly connect through bluetooth and each time you tap a toe or click a heel a sound file will play from the computer.

These keystrokes are mapped to sound files using a piece of free software called Soundplant. For example, when a switch closes it's the same as the 'n' key getting hit on the computer's keyboard. The board is programmed to be recognized as a bluetooth keyboard so whenever a switch is closed it's read as a keystroke. How do they work? There are three soft switches made of conductive fabric on the bottom of each shoe that are connected to an Adafruit Feather Bluefruit 32u4 board. I combined this with my love of making musical interfaces to create a fun and easy project to share. It's also a great beginner level project that uses Arduino, bluetooth, and soft conductive fabric switches.Ī few months back I came across an easy way to trigger sound files while being able to choose and change the sounds on a whim. This project is a fun way to create beats while hitting the dance floor.

Boogie shoes midi file