PM‑S — Showcase
A metronome as an object: the silhouette of a classic pyramid wind‑up unit, but the swinging pendulum is pure RGB light — a glowing bob easing to the beat just like the mechanical original — with rows of light beneath it showing every lane's subdivisions, accents and mutes.
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Designed for
The shelf, the studio, the shop window — a beautiful, glanceable tempo reference that's a pleasure to watch. The RGB pendulum swings in perfect time (decelerating to each extreme exactly as a weighted rod would), and the segment rows turn your polymeter pattern into a light show: accents glow amber, normal steps cyan, ghosts soft violet, mutes stay dark, and the playhead sweeps each lane. It runs the same grooves as everything else (load any program string), plays the click through a small speaker, and is powered over USB‑C with a second "thru" port to daisy‑chain. No instrument I/O — it's a showpiece, not a signal‑chain tool.
Bill of materials
Rough parts list — a USB‑C‑powered RP2040 display piece driving addressable RGB light. Ballpark one‑off prices (USD); cheaper at volume.
| Part | Qty | ~$ |
|---|---|---|
| Brain | ||
| RP2040 board, USB‑C — e.g. Waveshare RP2040‑Zero | 1 | 4 |
| RGB light | ||
| Addressable RGB LEDs (WS2812B) — pendulum rod + lane segment rows, ~50 px | 1 | 5 |
| Frosted acrylic diffuser / light‑guide — the glowing "pendulum" face | 1 | 3 |
| Audio | ||
| MAX98357A I²S amp + small speaker — the click | 1 | 4 |
| Power & build | ||
| 2× USB‑C (data+power & power‑thru) + PWR LED — daisy‑chain | 1 | 3 |
| Custom PCB (or perfboard) | 1 | 4 |
| Passives, wire | — | 2 |
| Pyramid enclosure — cast/CNC aluminium or hardwood, frosted front panel | 1 | 14 |
| Total (one‑off) | ≈ $39 | |