Built
- USB MIDI capture from Roland
- Raspberry Pi Python service
- Real-time WebSocket communication
- Precise 88-key LED mapping
- MIDI search and playback
- Chromium kiosk interface
- Automatic startup with systemd
Functional system · Active development2026
PLUTO Piano Brain
Interactive MIDI learning and visualization system
My role
Product Design · Hardware · Firmware · Backend · UI
01
Project overview
I transformed a Roland digital piano into a networked learning and visualization instrument using a Raspberry Pi, ESP32, touch display and a calibrated LED system mapped to all 88 keys.
Live USB MIDI is processed by a Python service and distributed over WebSockets. Played notes illuminate immediately, while MIDI playback visualizes upcoming notes across the keyboard for a piano-roll-style learning experience.
The system runs independently without a laptop. A dedicated touch interface provides the MIDI library, search, playback controls and system status, while the wider RediON²⁶ platform can monitor and control it.
02
Real product screenshots
Only real product screenshots will be placed here—no mockups or stock imagery.
01
Screenshot
Only real product screenshots will be placed here—no mockups or stock imagery.
/projects/pluto-piano-brain/desktop-01.webp03
System architecture
Roland Digital Piano
USB MIDI source
Raspberry Pi
Python MIDI · Library · WebSocket API
ESP32 · 196 LEDs
Low-latency calibrated lighting
7-inch Touch UI · RediON²⁶
Control and visualization
04
Project status
In active development
- Interactive lesson scenes
- Improved sheet-music interface
- Home Assistant entities
- Expanded piano-library controls
Planned
- Piano learning games
- Adaptive AI lessons
- Wall-mounted EQ visualizer
- Family and multiplayer profiles
05
Engineering decisions
Why Raspberry Pi instead of only ESP32?
The Roland needs a real USB-MIDI host, ALSA support, persistent services, local storage and HDMI output—responsibilities better suited to Linux.
Why a separate LED controller?
The ESP32 provides predictable low-latency LED updates while the Pi remains focused on MIDI processing, library management and orchestration.
Why WebSockets?
One real-time event stream can drive the LED controller, touch interface, RediON²⁶ dashboard and future visualizers without duplicating protocols.
06
Challenges solved
- 01Keeping MIDI playback alive when the UI refreshes
- 02Physically calibrating LEDs to all 88 keys
- 03Powering the LED system separately and safely
- 04Starting all services reliably with systemd
- 05Keeping frontend builds away from the limited Raspberry Pi
- 06Using one real-time protocol across multiple consumers
07
Technology stack
Hardware
- Roland Piano
- Raspberry Pi
- ESP32
- 196 WS2812 LEDs
- 7-inch HDMI Touch Display
Firmware
- C++
- PlatformIO
- FastLED
- Arduino-ESP32
Backend & services
- Python
- ALSA MIDI
- python-rtmidi
- asyncio
- WebSockets
- systemd
Interface
- Next.js
- TypeScript
- Chromium Kiosk
08
What it demonstrates
PLUTO Piano Brain demonstrates my ability to engineer a complete embedded product across hardware, firmware, Linux services, networking, real-time protocols and user-interface development.
Need a similar system?
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