Week 12 Playtesting + Feedback

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1) Next Iteration:

Use the class documentation format.

Goal: 

Use single stepper motor to driver belt moving, and test out the durability of stepper motor.

Description:

This particular prototype, I used 5V stepper motor to test our if one motor is powerful enough to lead the belt moving, and also used a potentiometer to test the rate of speed control. Moving forward, I need to choose the materials of making the belt to in consideration of the right amount of friction.

  • How it works: The stepper motor controlled by knob drive the bar with wheels to rotate, which lead the belt attached to them to move.

Problem:

Plywood had lots of frictions which requires a much stronger power of motor to lead the movement.

Materials:

  1. Arduino UNO R3 x 1
  2. Breadboard x 1
  3. Stepper motor x 1
  4. Stepper motor driver x 1
  5. Potentiometer x 1
  6. Wires
  7. 18 x 24 inch Plywood for laser cut
  8. Wood bar
  9. Paper

Connection Diagram:

Code:

2) Your play-testing plan and desired feedback. 
The Major Major Exhibition will be where the playtest happen. I want feedbacks from users :

  1. Whether my core messages are successfully delivered?
  2. How was the user experience?
  3. What do they think I could have done more?
  4. Was the interaction effective in delivery desired information?
  5. Do they feel confused with the interaction with my piece?

I do not mind help each users out during the test, but the explanation shall as little as possible.

Based on user test, they think the final outcome of using fingerprints is very effective way of expressing human efforts inside the process. Also, the interaction and watching the little objects move along the belt by their interaction is very interesting and engaging. What could be improved was the form of interactions. For example, the level of difficulties of the interaction, and a more symbolic form of interaction will be more educational. Also, some users suggest I could also involve interactions on digital screen. For example, some interactions to trigger animation or video showing the sophistication of logistics system.

Week 10 + 11 Final Project Idealization & Prototype

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Project statement:

I want to explore the possibility of the alternative use of logistic methodology to create playful and informative experience for e-commerce customers. To tell them the logistic story with human efforts hidden behind each object they have

Interaction/systems diagram:

  

Timeline with milestones:

Mar 14 – Apr 1:

  • Decide type of data to collect
  • Decide medium of display
  • Technology Prototype/Test (data collection)
  • System design
  • Graphics design

Apr 5 – Apr 10:

1st protoype

Apr 10 – Apr 15:

2nd Prototype

Apr 16 – Apr 20:

3rd Prototype (optional) + design methodology and execution settled

Apr 25 – May 3:

Making

May 5: Major Major Exhibition

Materials list:

  1. LED UV light strip x 1
  2. warm white LED strips x 3
  3. Ultrasonic sensors x 1
  4. DC motors x 3, Stepper motors x 3
  5. Motor divers x 3
  6. Potentiometer x 3
  7. Trellis Keypad
  8. LEDs x n
  9. Buttons x 1
  10. 12V Adapter x 3
  11. 12V power supply
  12. Arduino UNO R3 x 3
  13. 9V Battery x 3
  14. Breadboard x 4
  15. Soldering kits
  16. Gluegun
  17. White and Black 24 x 18 in Acrylic sheets
  18. Acrylic tubes
  19. Plywoods

Precedents or references

  1. Nike CLC Installation: creates a series of low energy digital sculptures and light installation showcasing its operational efficiency, infrastructure system and live-feed data of the green energy consumption. 
  2. Ryan Gander’s Fieldwork: In this piece, a series of objects and assemblages that are by turns funny, macabre or banal revolving on a vast concealed conveyor belt. As they pass through an aperture in the gallery wall, the viewer is invited to speculate on the stories they tell, as well as their relationship to one another. 
  3. Multiverse, a long, conveyor-belt hall of the National Gallery of Art in D.C, gave me another example of how to create immersive visual experience along conveyor belt infrastructure.This piece used LED matrix on walls and ceiling to create an astonishing visual journey while people was riding on the moving walkway.

1st Prototype Iteration:

To test out work mechanism of conveyor belt, I laser cut plywood and paper, and build the very first simple prototype, which uses manual force as drivers to rotate the wheels that lead the belt to move.

Laser cut file

The success of this prototype allows me to move forward to test out technology feasibility of this mechanism, for example how much power of a motor or how many motors I need for moving how much weight of an object.

Week 8 Using Knob Control Stepper Motor

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1. The difference between DC motor, Stepper motor, and Servo.

DC motor have a high speed of rotation, and once it is power charged, it will spin until the power is removed. Stepper motor has much precise control which have multiple magnetics installed inside to push the torque spin at  a specific direction and speed. Servo is like a DC motor with potentiometer installed inside for a speed control. It can rotate either clockwise or anti-clockwise.

2. Make a circuit using any of the new things you learned today- H bridges/ controlling high current loads OR work with a motor you haven’t worked with before OR Try making a circuit using multiple motors. Document it on the blog per the usual format.

Goal:

Using potentiometer to control speed of stepper motor

Description:

The value of potentiometer determines the speed of stepper motor.

  • How it works: the value from potentiometer serves as a analog input and determines the speed of stepper motor as a analog output.

Problem: 

The range of speed does not spread too much making it almost like two stages: stop and rotate. Also, the maximum speed of stepper motor was not high enough for a more conspicuous presentation.

Materials:

  1. Arduino UNO R3 x 1
  2. Breadboard x 1
  3. Stepper motor x 1
  4. Stepper motor driver x 1
  5. Potentiometer x 1
  6. Wires

Connection Diagram:

Code:

 

Week 7 Wireless Using Bluetooth

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Goal:

I want to create wireless connection between Arduino and OpenFrameworks using Ada.

Description:

To connect two bluetooth module together, and send data between each other you have to have both module for master and module for slave. In this time, I only connect the module with my laptop, so I only need module for slave. (H05 can be both master and slave, H06 can only be a slave).

  • How it works: You push the button on H05 module to enter AT mode, and then reconnect VCC and upload the Arduino code. Then connect OpenFrameworks to Arduino using Serial connection.

Problem:

The connection was not stable enough, and the data sent to OpenFrameworks delayed too long.

Materials:

  1. Arduino UNO R3 x 1
  2. Breadboard x 1
  3. H05 module x 1
  4. 5V Battery x 1

Connection Diagram:

Code:

Arduino

Openframeworks

 

Week 5 Serial Connect with Processing

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Goal:

I want to create a use ultrasonic sensor and a photocell to send data and bytes to processing, that allows me create a sense of controlling nature force on digital screen.

Description:

The sum of sensor values from ultrasonic and photocell determines the opacity and position of particles inside the fog.

  • How it works: people use hands to move around the ultrasonic sensor and use finger to cover the amount of light through photocell to control the position and opacity of fog particles on screen

Problem:

The data sent from Arduino to Processing are within certain range which are hard to be calculated and mapped precisely into the Processing sketches. Also, the bytes are not stable. (Also, I forgot to write code for LED, but I think it does not matter that much)

Materials:

  1. Arduino UNO R3 x 1
  2. Breadboard x 1
  3. Ultrasonic sensor x 1
  4. Photocell x 1
  5. 220Ω Resistors x 1
  6. Wires

Connection Diagram:

Code:

Arduino

Processing:

WEEK7-IR LED detector

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The goal and description of this project:

instruction for wireless assignment is to choose one of the wireless topics covered in class and put it to practice for use in everyday life. I chose Infrared LED (IR) as the topic I want to explore. With the IR(Emitter) and Photodiode(Receiver), I can create a simple IR detector by change the amount of infrared light received by the photodiode with my hand or any barrier to light up the indicator led. This simple idea is widely used in our daily life, for example, alarm system to detect the intruder.

Components list:

  • arduino UNO x1
  • breadboardx1
  • photodiode x1
  • IR LED x1
  • LED x1
  • resistor 300ohm x2 (IR, LED)
  • resistor 10k x1 (photodiode)
  • wires

How it works:  

An IR sensor consists of two parts- the emitter circuit and the receiver circuit. This is collectively known as a photo-coupler or an optocoupler. The emitter is an IR LED and the detector is an IR photodiode. The IR photodiode is sensitive to the IR light emitted by an IR LED. The photodiodes resistance and output voltage change in proportion to the IR light received. This is the underlying working principle of the IR sensor.

The type of incidence can be direct incidence or indirect incidence. Indirect incidence, the IR LED is placed in front of a photodiode with no obstacle in between. In indirect incidence, both the diodes are placed side by side with an opaque object in front of the sensor. The light from the IR LED hits the opaque surface and reflects back to the photodiode. In this project, I found out the direct incidence is way more effective so I put emitter and receiver in front of each other.

circuit and code :

the code is very simple, using the boolean function to detect and light up detector LED

Troubleshooting:

note that photodiodes and emitter LED can look exactly the same (transparent led), don’t mess them up. Also, to get the best result, do put receiver and emitter as close as you can.

WEEK4-combination lock

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Description of the project:

The goal of this assignment is to build your own combination locker with led and buttons. For me, I want a combination locker which can use keypad numbers as input and can be controlled by my cell phone. So I choose to use 1Sheeld module and it’s application to build my own combination locker.

List of components:

  • 1sheeld– a wireless shield which can easily attach to Arduino, with the customized application, you can use your cell phone to control Arduino.
  • Arduino Uno x1
  • Breadboardx1
  • 200-ohm resistor x1
  • Red led x1
  • jumper wires

How it works:

first of all, attach the 1sheeld to Arduino, and then connect LEDs to the pin assigned. After uploading the code to Arduino and 1sheeld. You can open up Bluetooth to search 1sheeld and connect to it. Then open the keypad shield in the 1sheeld application, enter the password you set to open the lock. In this project, I used red led to indicate “the locker is not opened”, and it was set it to be lighted up as default. When the user enters the right password, the red light should be turned off.

In the code part, using flag function (in here I put “iterations” to represent it ) to set your password. I set the password to “1220”, and every time you press the right keypad the flag will plus one. After fulfilling the 4 iterations (0~3), the red led should turn off.

Because of the flag function, the four-digit password should be checked each time, the wrong input such as “4593”, “2340” will not let the red light go off. See the following code for the details:

Any problems you encountered and/or solved:

My original intention is to use two different led lights, a red one for wrong and a green one for right. But no matter how hard I tried, 1 sheeld seems to not able control two LEDs at all. What I tried to debug including change all the components including the breadboard, LEDs, wires, and different pin. In the end, I only use one led to represent the lock status.

 

Week 1 Assignment from Slack

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Video link: https://vimeo.com/128600307

Project description from the site:

A laser harp reimagined as a controller for an interactive audiovisual experience.

An installation that merges a futuristic musical instrument with a videogame.
Distract the beams and hit geometric objects to invoke hypnotizing chain reactions of light and sound, or just admire the experience of literally touching photons.
With “Klanglichter” you can now experience what you dreamt of in the 80s…

Made with Unity, Arduino and LOVE in the Cologne Game Lab by Tobias Kreter and Onat Hekimoglu
Shot on Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera with BMPCC Speedbooster and Contax Zeiss 28mm

How it works,

Using hands to interrupt the laser light from laser sensors, which triggers the visual and sound effects built in Unity.

Why I like it:

Because it explores the possibility of combining arduino with other source of platform, in this case Unity, which provides me much wider possibility and imagination in terms of the application of Arduino in projects. This also provides me with inspirations of how to build projects into a larger scales without wires and sensors heavily involved and displayed. Making a good or a smart use of one type of sensor, then you are good to go.