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On October 16, 2018, Hackaday named 20 projects as winners of its Musical Instrument Challenge, the final themed round of that year’s Hackaday Prize. Each received a $1,000 challenge award and advanced to the overall final round. They were challenge winners—not the eventual overall Hackaday Prize winners: that grand prize went to Dexter, an open-source robotic arm.
The list is a snapshot of how broadly “musical instrument” can be understood: alongside synthesizers and sequencers are wind and foot controllers, a VST host, a wearable instrument, robotic performance and experimental sound art. Hackaday reported that the selected projects came from more than 100 entries. Read the original announcement and the official 2018 contest brief.
What the challenge asked for
The 2018 Hackaday Prize ran five themed challenges, each contributing 20 projects to a 100-project overall final. The Musical Instrument Challenge accepted a complete instrument, a module or a new musical interface. Entrants also had to demonstrate the project by making at least one song, however abstract. That brief explains why the finalists include devices that make sound themselves as well as controllers and systems that shape a performance through other hardware or software.
The $1,000 award applied to each challenge-winning project. The later overall awards were separate: first place was $50,000, followed by $20,000, $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000. Winning this challenge did not mean winning one of those overall prizes.
#1 Best Overall
- 【Professional 9 Pads Electric Drum Pad】Sboet electronic drum set includes 3 TOMS, 2 CRASHES, 1 HI-HAT, 1 RIDE, 1 SNARE, 1 BASS and 2 Pedals, offers 7 Timbres, 10 DEMO Songs and 9 Rhythms, it contains all the drums you need to get started, perfect for kids beginners or professional drummers
- 【Stereo Speakers and AUX Jack】Sboet digital drum pad has high-quality stereo speakers that bring you astonishing bass effects. 10 levels of sound volume can be adjusted , the foot pedals can bring you a more realistic drumming experience. With audio output jack, you can connect drum sets with your phone to play more games
- 【Recording & HEADPHONE JACK】Supports 3.5mm headphone output, immerse yourself in drumming, wherever you are, no restrictions or disruptions. Customize your playing style with 10 adjustable volume levels and 9 adjustable tempo levels. Capture your unique compositions by using the recording button, 180-second ultra -long performance recording function Let you savor your creation!
- 【Portable-Drumming On The Way】Our kids drum set is built-in rechargeable battery,powered by 5V 2A adaptor (not included), lasting up to 10 hours playing per charge, Perfect for long practice.This roll-up silicone electronic drums pad lets you can be able to take it with you anytime and anywhere even play outside for a long time.
- [Great Music Enlightenment Toy Gift- For Kids] You can send this electric drum set for your kids, families, and friends as gifts- for Birthdays or Christmas. The 9-pad electric drum fit the musical interests of children ages 3+, one-year protection ensures your peace of mind.
The 20 challenge winners
Hackaday presented the finalists in no particular order. The groupings below are an editorial guide to their approaches, not official judging categories. Project pages preserve the entries and, where supplied, link to code or design materials. A surviving page or repository is not proof that a project is currently maintained, easy to reproduce, or still available as a product.
Synths, sequencers and modular sound-makers
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FATCAT: Altoids Tin Mod Tracker is a pocket-size 8-bit wavetable synthesizer, drum machine, sequencer and arpeggiator built around an ATtiny84. Its project page includes source code, schematics, firmware and printable mechanical parts, making it one of the more directly documented builds in the group. The creator later said development had stopped for the time being; posted version 0.8 resources remain a historical starting point, not a promise of ongoing support.
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Teensy Beats Shield is a portable synthesizer and sequencer built around Teensy hardware. Its page links firmware, hardware files, a bill of materials and an interactive BOM, with a PCB availability reference. Those resources can help a builder assess the project, but the page does not establish current board stock or compatibility with today’s toolchains.
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Pentasynth combines Arduino-oriented electronics with 3D-printed parts and computer-aided fabrication. It represents the instrument as a physical object as well as an electronic circuit.
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PolyMod: modular digital synthesizer uses Teensy-based digital signal processing in a modular, polyphonic synthesizer design. Its project page links a GitHub repository, useful for examining the implementation before attempting a build.
Rank #2
Sale
Build Your Own Musical Instrument Portable Music Synthesizer, with 8 Key Touchpad, Novelty Toys for Beginner Musicians Kids & Teens & Adults, Fun Gifts for Teen Boys & Girls & Friends- DIY Musical Educational Instrument: Whether you're a music lover or a STEM learner looking to create your own musical instrument, this kit provides fun new ways to be creative.It takes about 10 minutes to assemble, including the speaker, battery box, wooden shell and circuit board. NO welding or glue required
- Easy to Play: This sound toy is operated by touching the surface of the circuit board with your fingers. Each area on the surface corresponds to a different musical note.It includes 8 key touchpad, optional vibrato switch and volume control button. You can play music or make loud noises to play pranks, or play it to relieve stress.It’s easy to play, perfect for beginners and experienced musicians
- Portable & Battery-Powered: At less than 14cm wide, this set will fit right in your coat pocket. It runs on 2 x AA batteries (not included). You can take it anywhere,party,travel,camping, and play music anywhere to relax yourself and bring happy to friends and family
- A very special gift: If you want to give a special and creative gift for your friends,kids,family, think about this sound toy, it won't let you down.And it's good for Christmas birthday present as well
- Combining STEM Learning with Music: We design electronics that make learning fun and approachable. This diy toy enables both musical and scientific exploration
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Fluxamasynth Modules explores modular electronic-music hardware, with design files and software libraries for Arduino and Raspberry Pi ecosystems linked from its page. The project is as relevant to people adapting modules and software as to those looking for a single finished instrument.
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Cello-like, mostly analog synth is a four-voice, mostly analog synthesizer designed to behave in a cello-like way. Its creator described it as playable even though development was close to the challenge deadline—a reminder that the entries ranged from polished concepts to ambitious prototypes.
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Noise Nugget is a compact open-hardware music project. Its page points to a repository, schematic and Gerber files; builders should still check the files and parts themselves rather than assume a turnkey kit.
Controllers and instruments shaped around performance
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Pedalino™ is a wireless MIDI foot controller for guitarists and other performers. Its described ecosystem includes Wi-Fi, OSC, AppleMIDI/RTP-MIDI and mobile-platform connections. It is a control surface rather than a standalone sound generator, and the project page links further resources. The entry was also associated with another 2018 challenge; that overlap does not by itself mean it won both rounds.
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Turnado Hardware MIDI Controller gives tactile control over Sugar Bytes’ Turnado effects software. The 2018 announcement describes nine independent joysticks, encoders, buttons, a display and Teensy control electronics; the project page links a GitHub repository. Its dedicated layout offers a different feel from mouse-based control, but its particular software target also makes it less general-purpose than a standard MIDI controller.
Rank #3
Sale
Donner DED-80 Electronic Drum Set with 4 Quiet Mesh Pads, 180+ Sounds, 2 Pedals, Throne, Headphones, Sticks, and Melodics Lessons- 【The total Electric Drum Set】The Donner DED-80 drum set features a double-layered mesh high-density structure for a realistic drumming experience. It comes with 4x 6.5" mesh drum pads, 3x 10" cymbals with a full strike zone, a tough metal frame, drum module, drum throne, drumsticks, headphones, and all cables needed. The Donner electric drum kit can help you practice to become an excellent drummer
- 【Industry Standard Mesh Heads】The DED-80 electric drum set comes with double-layered, high-density mesh drumheads that provide a long-lasting and realistic playing experience
- 【Powerful Educational Function】This beginner drum kit is loaded with powerful educational features, including a drum coach, 30 accompaniment tracks, and fun exercises that help beginners improve their playing skills and enjoy every note! Also supports Donner Play APP.
- 【All the Sounds You Need】The Donner DED-80 electronic drum set uses intelligent dynamic clarity technology to provide realistic sounds and fun playability. It features 180 sound options, 15 drum kits, and 30 demo songs, covering a wide range of music genres. 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐩: DED drum sets requires a power amplifier for sound output.
- 【Great for Apartment Living】Donner has developed a more stable drum stand with a size suitable for Youth (Expanded Size: 42.52x18.11x39.37 inches), making it an excellent choice for apartment living. It is portable and foldable for easy storage and practice at home. The DED-80 drum kit can be connected to DAW software via the USB MIDI interface, allowing it to be used as a music creation tool. Use our headphones for silent practice without disturbing anyone in the apartment
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Multiwind applies wind-instrument and breath-controller ideas to Teensy/Arduino-oriented hardware and MIDI control. It puts breath and wind-style interaction at the center rather than relying on keys or pads alone.
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The Open Woodwind Project is an open wind-synth controller with MIDI, wireless, Arduino and audio-related elements. It expands the challenge’s idea of an instrument to include a physical interface that can direct electronic sound.
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emonica – MIDI Harmonica brings a harmonica-like playing approach to a MIDI-oriented electronic instrument built around Teensy hardware. Its page links open-source resources and the creator’s homepage; check those linked materials for the details needed to reproduce it.
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Kord Kontroller takes a chord-centered approach, drawing on piano and guitar concepts, MIDI, Arduino and a Trellis-style interface. Its premise addresses a different musical task from note-by-note keyboard playing: making harmonic choices accessible through a dedicated control layout.
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VSTiBox is a hardware-and-software project focused on hosting or controlling VST instruments. A GitHub repository is linked from its page. It is best understood as a way to interact with software instruments, not as a conventional standalone synthesizer.
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Stylophone The Original Pocket Electronic Synthesizer | Synth Musical Instrument | Synthesizer Keyboard | Stylophone Instrument Synth- THE ORIGINAL POCKET SYNTHESIZER - Used by everyone from David Bowie to The White Stripes, this musical instrument is a great addition to your collection. A great gift for experienced musicians and beginners alike!
- ICONIC SOUND - The Stylophone original pocket operator features the same iconic, analog sound as the original, first released in 1968. The Stylophone is an iconic mini synth, known for its super-fun stylus, compact design, and unique retro sound with 3 Octaves and optional vibrato effect,
- EASY TO PLAY - This electronic keyboard operated synthesizer is played by tapping and sliding the connected stylus along the touch-sensitive metal surface. Each segment on the surface plays a different note. It’s easy to play, perfect for beginners and experienced musicians!
- PORTABLE & BATTERY-POWERED - At less than 12cm wide, the Stylophone synthesizer will fit right in your coat pocket. It runs on 3 x AA batteries, and features a built-in speaker and headphone socket – so you can play it everywhere you go.
- CONNECTIVITY - Connect the Stylophone to your computer and other gear to enhance your sound & music possibilities! Use a 3.5mm Stereo cable to connect into the line input on your PC, and use your preferred software to record and manipulate your Stylophone sounds.
Wearables and unconventional interfaces
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Stylish! is a wearable belt-buckle synthesizer using a stylus interface, STM32 hardware, Arduino-related tooling and addressable LEDs. Its form factor turns clothing and gestures into part of the performance idea; the historical entry does not establish current commercial availability.
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Moon Germs is an unconventional synthesizer/instrument using infrared sensing, a Teensy shield and experimental interaction. Rather than simply miniaturizing familiar controls, it explores a different way to engage with sound.
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GePS is an experimental musical interaction-design project. Its page links current and legacy repositories as well as research documentation, so it may interest readers investigating the design process as much as a build.
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ElektroCaster is a guitar/synthesizer hybrid with design files and a GitHub repository linked from its project page. It connects a familiar string-instrument format to electronic sound-making.
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Robots, nature and sound art
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Making Techno with Music Robots combines robotics and electronic-music performance around the idea of mechanical techno. The entry links to Sonic Robots and a GitHub repository, extending the challenge beyond human-operated controllers.
Best Value
13 Pcs Wooden Musical Instruments for Adults & Kids, with Storage Bag- Durable Hand Percussion Instruments for Adults and Kids: Crafted from quality wood, this percussion kit ensures long-lasting use with a smooth finish & an aesthetically pleasing, minimalist design
- Everything in One Set: This 13-piece music set includes a tambourine, hand drum, maracas, recorder flute, guiro, castanet, hand bells, wood block & chime bar to explore rhythm, pitch and melody together
- Portable & Convenient Storage: Our rhythm instruments for adults and kids come with a sturdy, spacious storage bag for easy transport. Ideal for home, travel, or outings, keeping instruments organized
- Develop Rhythm & Coordination: This percussion instrument set helps enhance rhythm, motor skills, & coordination, making it fun musical instruments for improving auditory senses
- Great Gift for Music Lovers: The quality wooden materials & elegant design make this music instruments for adults and kids a good gift for birthdays, holidays, or a thoughtful present for music lovers
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Hacking Nature’s Musicians is experimental sound art built around natural sounds and biological subjects such as insects and frogs, using piezoelectric and analog circuitry. It treats listening to and working with biological sound as part of the instrument concept.
Which entries are useful starting points for makers?
For a builder, the most important distinction is not which project won but what documentation survived and what kind of build it demands. FATCAT has source, schematic and mechanical resources; Teensy Beats Shield links firmware, hardware files and a BOM; Fluxamasynth Modules links design files and software libraries. Pedalino, Turnado, emonica, GePS, VSTiBox, PolyMod and ElektroCaster each link repositories or other project resources, but the scope and completeness of those materials differ.
Before choosing one, establish whether it is a complete instrument, a controller that needs a computer or synthesizer, or an experimental prototype. Then inspect the repository for a license, board files, parts list, firmware instructions and recent-enough dependencies. A GitHub link alone does not show that code still builds. Older Arduino and Teensy libraries, specific components, PCB fabrication, enclosure tolerances, power design and MIDI/USB/Wi-Fi compatibility can all become real obstacles. A posted Gerber file can help you order a board, but it does not supply components, assembly, testing or support.
The projects also illustrate enduring design trade-offs. FATCAT’s tiny enclosure makes a compact instrument possible but necessarily limits controls. The Turnado controller offers hands-on performance control at the cost of being designed around particular software. A wind controller or foot controller can make a performance more expressive while relying on a separate sound engine. These are not shortcomings in the context of the challenge: its rules explicitly welcomed modules and interfaces as well as complete instruments.
What happened after the challenge?
The 20 projects became part of the 100 overall finalists—20 from each of the five themed challenges. In November 2018, Dexter, an open-source robotic arm, won the overall Hackaday Prize. The Musical Instrument Challenge winners did not collectively take the grand prize; their $1,000 awards were for the earlier challenge round. See the contest details for the overall competition context.
As of 2026, these entries are best approached as a historical maker-project gallery, not a directory of supported products. Their pages preserve useful ideas and, in many cases, links to files; their maintenance and reproducibility vary. The broader lesson is the range of things an instrument can be: not just a sound engine, but a new physical interface, a bridge to software, a robot that performs, or a way to make music with sounds beyond conventional instruments.
Quick Recap
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