You might not lay your hands on Commodore 64, the all-powerful computer keyboard of the yesteryears. Nevertheless, for seeing one in action, what you can do right now is head over to this year’s Maker Faire Bay Area or better, watch the video after the jump. Avid DIYer Jeri Ellsworth has converted the old computer into a musical instrument to satiate her creative creed. You can see her skating around with her seemingly weird instrument in the video. Though the computer has lost its actual functionality, it still produces the sweetest melodies to keep one engaged.
For creating her DIY masterpiece, Jeri attached C64’s body to a bass guitar. The Commodore 64 Bass “keytar” allows Jerry to control the sounds through the on-board Sound Interface Device (SID) 6581 chip. Certain piezo pickups capture the slightest pulsations in strings. Later, the vibrations are sent to the SID after amplification and filtration. The power hungry contraption utilizes 18 AA batteries for keeping one entertained for eight hours only.
Effective and impressive to say the least!
