My dad could no longer operate a CD player or iPod. But he could use the music player that I designed and made for him. Because it operates like a familiar two-knob radio from his youth. The conventional wisdom is that for people with dementia, try to leverage memories that they made before the age of 21.

I was inspired to make this by the documentary Alive Inside which shows the profound joy felt by some people with dementia when listening to their favorite music. There are about 50 million people with dementia. Other people expressed interest in project, so I refined the design and wrote clear step-by-step instructions.

This project started with a laser cut case. Thanks to Trey Bagley for creating a 3D printable case. If you prefer to laser cut, there are included files for laser cutting in your choice of 5.2mm thick cherry, 5.7mm cherry, or 6.7mm bamboo.

For step-by-step instructions with photos, see the included PDF files. Or visit dqmusicbox.org.

This project was a finalist for the 2017 Hackaday Prize.

Is it hard to make?

It doesn’t require much technical skill. No soldering. It mostly requires following the instructions. Takes about 3 hours, not including printing time. Things you’ll be doing: ordering parts, applying glue, screwing things in, plugging in wires, downloading software. An eight year old made one, and a sixty year old made one. Also, it’s the kind of project that friends and family would be happy to help you with. You can do it!

How much do the parts cost?

I don’t sell anything – this is open source. The instructions have a list of parts e.g. Raspberry Pi. The parts usually cost about $60 in the US.

Heartwarming feedback

I recently assembled a dqmusicbox per your instructions – and it just . worked. Yesterday I turned over my incarnation of the box to my father. It has been a long time since I saw such an emotional reaction from him. I let him at it without explanations at all, and he made it work without instructions. … Some of his favorites triggered immediate responses – I should have filmed it. — Ketil

More assistive technology

If you enjoy making assistive technology projects like this, you might enjoy some of the maker projects at Makers Making Change. They “connect makers to people with disabilities who need assistive technology”. They have a nice library of helpful projects.

https://youtu.be/sSrsag63noE