Tiny Tuner

A compact guitar tuner built with an ESP32, a MEMS microphone, and an OLED display, with real-time pitch detection in the Arduino framework.

DISCIPLINE

Embedded systems

TOOLS

ESP32 / MEMS / OLED / Fusion 360

ROLE

Solo build

STATUS

Complete

The Tiny Tuner prototype wired on a breadboard

FIG 01 / Tiny Tuner

OVERVIEW

Tiny Tuner is a compact guitar tuner built using an ESP32 microcontroller, a MEMS microphone, and an OLED display. Pitch detection is implemented in the Arduino framework using the YIN algorithm and a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to maximize robustness.

I was motivated to start this project by frustrating experiences using “free” guitar tuner apps. These apps’ business models consist of heavy ads and paywalling key features. Not wanting to pay a monthly subscription to tune my guitar, I decided to make my own. Along the way, I learned about the challenges of detecting pitch in real time, especially on the time scales needed to tune an instrument.

FEATURES & BUILD NOTES

Fusion 360 render of the custom Tiny Tuner PCB with its OLED module and tactile buttons

FIG 02

Custom PCB

Designed a custom PCB in Fusion 360 and had it manufactured. Learned basic PCB design and used SMD soldering for the first time.

Fusion 360 section view of the 3D-printed PLA case

FIG 03

3D Printed Case

Designed and 3D printed a PLA case in Fusion 360, learning key aspects of designing for 3D printing and the importance of manufacturability.

The OLED display showing the tuner interface in standard EADGBE tuning

FIG 04

OLED Screen

UI display created with the Adafruit_SSD1306 and Adafruit_GFX libraries, inspired by the tuner UI on my amp.

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