Random Tech-Savvy Musician Fashions Accordion Out Of C64s And Floppy Disks

Over the weekend, the musician and inventor Iftkryo posted their latest creation to YouTube, and it's a good one: an accordion constructed out of two Commodore 64s. In the video, they dubbed the strange instrument "a Commodordion" and detailed a little more about how they got this fascinating invention to work.

Similar to a real accordion, one of the device's keyboards controls the melody on the right hand, while another can be used to play chords on the left. The bellows for the instrument also determine the volume and are constructed out of floppy disks and a microphone held together with tape.

The two C64s are connected to three additional circuit boards, which are hidden behind an acrylic sheet. One of these circuit boards is an emulated dataset tape storage unit to load the software, while the other two are a power hub to determine where the voltage goes and a mixer to combine the sound from the two computers.

Interestingly, as Iftkryo notes, the two Commodore devices don't use the standard power connectors on the side of the machines. Instead, a connection is soldered directly onto the motherboards to avoid an unwieldy connector digging into the performer's legs while sitting down. The audio output is also picked up directly from the motherboard for similar reasons, ensuring the device isn't just functional but fun to play.

It's a brilliantly offbeat creation, but entirely in keeping with the previous videos found on Iftkryo's channel. Just one month ago, the inventor also made a theremin out of an old microcomputer using a spoon and some other components. We totally recommend giving their channel a follow to keep up to date with whatever brilliant invention they come up with next!

Would you want your own Commodordion? Comment and let us know!