The accordion is presumably essentially the most nerdy instrument on the planet, till somebody figures out a solution to function a digeridoo with a Guitar Hero controller. But for now, the crown definitely goes to Swedish musician and electronics engineer Linus Åkesson. He’s been combining his passions for music and classic electronics for years, however his newest challenge is definitely his masterpiece. The “Commodordion” is a working accordion created from two Commodore 64 computer systems.

The instrument’s {hardware} is 2 genuine C64s from the Eighties, related with a bellows (the foldy factor within the center) created from dozens of floppy disks taped collectively. It’s totally purposeful as an ordinary accordion, with the proper hand taking part in melody on the pc keyboard and the left hand taking part in chords by means of the Commodore 64’s sound processor, output through an ordinary audio cable. The result’s an 8-bit chiptune symphony, first noticed by Ars Technica.

The bellows on an ordinary accordion emit the sound throughout metal reeds, and the velocity at which the participant compresses or expands the instrument controls the amount. Åkesson’s invention emulates this motion digitally: a microphone measures the air being expelled by the bellows and adjusts the amount of the sound output to match. The entire contraption is powered by a custom-soldered inside battery (for each computer systems), working software program written by Åkesson loaded onto every classic PC.

But what’s the purpose of taking part in with two computer systems when you’re solely going to copy common music? In addition to taking part in the Commodordion conventionally, Åkesson can program {custom} beats and loops on the left half of the machine, making it work one thing like a rhythm field or MIDI keyboard.

Not content material to merely exhibit his musical skill, ingenuity, programming, and {hardware} modification expertise, Åkesson minimize collectively his demo as a love letter to Scott Joplin and the 1973 Oscar-winner The Sting. The entire video is value a watch to see his work designing and assembling the machine, programming it, and naturally, taking part in it. You can discover extra technical particulars on the construct at Åkesson’s website.