Floppy drives have made a musical return from the pages of history with the help of a Polish hobbyist and some open-source gadgetry in this super-dork rendition of Darth Vader's Imperial March.
Polish gadget hobbyist “Silent” has created what is quite possibly the nerdiest thing we’ve every encountered: the “Imperial March” – a.k.a. Darth Vader’s theme song – played by two floppy drives. That’s right, this obsolete technology has now returned as a musical instrument.
Now, some of you are probably asking, “What the heck is a floppy drive?” A floppy drive is what us geezers used back in olden times before CDs, DVDs, flash drives and the Internet became the standard technology for storing data externally. (Granted, CDs and DVDs are quickly on their way to obsolescence as well.) They only store 1.44 MB – yes, megabytes – of data, which now isn’t even enough to hold a single high-resolution photograph, let alone anything else. And, as you can see from the video below, the were extremely noisy.
Well, with the help of an open-source ATMega microcontroller board, Silent has managed to program two floppy drives to clatter away at the exact pitches necessary to send fear into the hearts of a Jedi. But how, exactly, does it work? Silent explains on his blog:
The sound comes from a magnetic head moved by stepper motor. To make a specific sound, head must be moved with appropriate frequency…
To move the head you need to activate the drive by pulling the DRVSB0 or 1 (depends on the cable you have and the connector – notice the crossover on the FDD ribbon cable) pin low and then falling edge on STEP pin makes the head move one step in direction dependent on DIR pin state.
An ATMega microcontroller is generating those frequencies and it makes the drives play music.
In plain English, that means the microcontroller is sending electrical frequencies to the drives in a specific pattern to make them recreated the desired tone.
However it works, this is awesome. Watch and listen below:
There’s no doubt that Star Wars has the best movie soundtracks of all time. There’s really no debating that actually. But if you were to burn a Star Wars “mix tape” CD to listen to in your car, what are the ten tracks that absolutely should go on it? Below we’ve collected the ten pieces of Star Wars music that are an absolute must on such a CD.
Star Wars Main Title
Um, duh? Does this really need an explanation? The only real decision is which track version of it to use as on the soundtracks each movie has a different ending to the main theme as it transitions into the first scene. Personally, I always use the one from A New Hope, but the decision on this one is up to you.
The Imperial March (The Empire Strikes Back)
No Star Wars CD would be complete without what has become Vader’s theme. It’s one of the best things to come out of the amazing Empire Strikes Back soundtrack, and with it Williams gave the Star Wars saga yet another classic theme that will last for all eternity.
The Throne Room (A New Hope)
When I die, this is one of the pieces that will be played at my funeral. The finale to A New Hope is an amazingly powerful piece and another one of the themes that Williams crafted for the saga that will be immortal. As with the Main Title and the Imperial March, this is one of those themes that you see popping up in unexpected places; such as NFL highlight reels.
Clash of Lightsabers/Escape from Cloud City (The Empire Strikes Back)
The entire finale to Empire is epic, and is probably the best of all six movies; the Endor battle included. There are two tracks on the soundtracks that are specifically good. The first is this one which covers the Luke/Vader battle and the escape by Lando, Leia, Chewie, and the Droids. The second one is…
Rebel Fleet/End Title (The Empire Strikes Back)
Anyone who played Star Wars Galaxies at beta and launch will have this track burned into their head as the first part is what is used on the character select screen of that game. This is the finale of Empire with Luke & Leia on the medical frigate, and then the end credits. The Empire credits are great as they give you the major themes of the movie from Vader’s to Leia’s and Yoda’s.
The Forest Battle (Concert Suite)
This one isn’t actually in Return of the Jedi. It’s a concert version of the Endor forest battle that was done just for the soundtrack, but it’s by far the best version of it. Lucasfilm likes to use pieces of this a lot in trailers, specifically the last bit of it, and it was used in trailers and commercials for Episode II.
Leia’s News/Light of the Force (Return of the Jedi)
This is the part where Leia tells Han that she is really Luke’s sister, thus Han’s confused look as to why they were sucking face on Hoth. The awesome part of this track is actually the Vader funeral pyre. The bit from the movie is there, but the official soundtrack actually has an extended version of it where the Force theme flares up to full.
A New Hope & End Credits (Revenge of the Sith)
While the track above is just a fraction of it; the full version of this on the soundtrack CD is an epic 13-minute goodbye to Star Wars that was seriously cut down in the actual film’s end credits. Yes, Williams revisits the Throne Room here, but that’s his way of saying goodbye to Star Wars. This track is also the only time in the prequels where we heard Princess Leia’s theme, but the epic Throne Room finale (with the Force theme in there) is what makes it amazing.
Anakin’s Betrayal (Revenge of the Sith)
The only Prequel track on this list, and while some may have wanted me to include Duel of the Fates or Battle of the Heroes, if I had to pick only one Prequel track; this would be it. The Order 66 scene in Revenge of the Sith is where that movie set itself apart from the Prequels that people thought were somewhat childish as the Jedi Purge began.
Yoda’s Theme (The Empire Strikes Back)
Finally, I had to include Yoda’s theme on the list. After the Imperial March, it’s one of the more memorable themes in the entire saga and it also came from Empire. Williams made Yoda’s theme the perfect fit for an aging Jedi Master who saw the time generations ago when the Jedi were at their prime. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.
The spot features a pint-sized Darth Vader who uses the Force when he discovers the all-new 2012 Passat in the driveway. It leverages humor and the unforgettable Star Wars™ score to create an emotional commercial.
Besides being one of the most popular and successful Sagas in movie History, Star Wars has also provided some of the most memorable music themes, an infamous one being the Imperial March. Here we gathered 17 various Imperial March remakes that include Tesla Coils, Musical Instruments, Hand Farts and many more. I am sure Star Wars geeks would appreciate every last one of the following, and it is highly recommended to check them all out…you will be amazed!
Tesla Coils
We already know how cool Tesla Coils are, so here are two separate examples of Imperial March Themes remakes with Tesla Coils that would makes Geeks cry.
I was afraid at first when I noticed there is an Imperial March remake using Hand Farts, but this version ended up being of the funniest things I have ever seen. Why? because it is actually really good
8 Bit
Old school Star Wars geeks would appreciate the 8 Bit version like any other, for it is retro and plays Star Wars.
Scanner
A cool remake that shows what Geeks end up doing on their spare time.
The original Imperial March theme was composed by John Williams, so it is actually not surprising to see it remade by a different orchestra just as good.
Metallica
The one and only Metallica has also provided tribute to the famous Star Wars theme with a heavy but awesome result.
Buckingham Palace
Here we see a shift change in Buckingham Palace with a great entertaining factor for Geeks.
Guitar
There were many variations of the Imperial March on guitars, but this one seemed to lead to the Dark Side.
Drums
In this remake, the drums are accompanying the theme, and the result is highly successful.
Trumpet
Another cool example that proves no matter what instrument you play, the Imperial March will always sound good.
Keyboard
Simple, elegant and definitely respectful of Star Wars.
iPhone Ocarina
In this example you can see the iPhone Ocarina being played using the fan’s nose, and it still ends up delivering the Imperial March well.
Guys, it's May 4th, AKA Star Wars Day! (Get it? "May the 4th be with you." Do you get it? You get it. Let us know if you don't get it.) So, we decided to celebrate with a compilation of birds singing 'The Imperial March' from Star Wars... wait, WHAT?!
Yeah, I had thought that birds mostly just sat around cheeping and being cute and and eating seeds and what-not. But, the more I looked into it, the more I realized that birds LOVE to sing Darth Vader's 'The Imperial March' from Star Wars. I'm sure a lot of you already knew that, but not everyone can be so educated on the intricacies of bird life.
After the break, check out a sweet video compilation of birds singing their favorite tune.
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All you art collectors out there. Here is a chance to get a Giclee copy of some of Ian M Sherwin work. Ian is planning on doing a whole series of Marblehead, Massachusetts paintings. His work is amazing.
Andrew Couts 
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