This PC orchestra, built from 512 floppy disk drives, is wondrous to hear and behold

One of the regular attractions at local fairs was a huge steam-powered organ that played classical music. I don't know if steam organs are still a thing, but if they've been retired, I have the perfect replacement: the Floppotron, a mammoth "PC hardware orchestra" that plays music using only electric motor.

The Floppotron is unwieldy, massive, musically unsubtle, and a joy to behold. It is the work of a Polish engineer who has been building various versions of the instrument for years. Floppotron 3.0 has a full orchestra of PC peripherals, including 512 floppy disk drives, 16 hard drives, and four flatbed scanning machines. It's huge.

The Floppotron is based on the idea that electric motor noise. You can make notes by tuning how fast and hard the motor is. You can combine enough notes to make music.

Image: Paweł Zadrożniak

The system has become incredibly complex according to a detailed post by Zadroniak. The floppy disk drive wall is divided into columns, each of which handles a single note at a time, with the number of drives changing the sound envelope. The low tones are handled by the floppy disk drives, while the higher pitches are provided by the scanning section. The percussion section is rounded out by a group of hard disk drives.

The Floppotron is a work of art and I hope Zadroniak continues with his work. It is possible that one of Floppotron's heirs will entertain children at a fair in 50 years.