For my I/O Analog Arduino project, I wanted to create a simple pitch-slider instrument by using a potentiometer to sweep a continuous tone up and down in frequency, like a basic theremin-style controller.

Hardware:

• Arduino Nano (on breadboard)

• 10kΩ potentiometer (B10K)

• Small speaker

• Pushbutton (green)

• Breadboard, jumper wires, resistors

How it works:

• analogRead(A0) reads the pot's position (0–1023)

• map() converts that into an audible frequency range (currently 100–1000 Hz)

• tone(8, freq) outputs that frequency to the speaker on pin 8

• Optional Serial.println(freq) lets you watch the mapped values live for tuning

Troubleshooting

The pushbutton on the board doesn't start or stop the pitch. I couldn't quite figure out exactly where I was going wrong with this, but a natural next step would be using it to trigger notes on/off (rather than a continuously sounding tone). I'm more than positive that I don't think I coded the button into the sketch correctly—or at all. I could also see adding more buttons could enable me to switch between scales. I will continue to work through how to get this part added to the overall project.