Nien's ITP Blog » PComp

Final Project Idea – The Weather Stick

Nien — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:37:43 +0000

For my project I’m creating a device that tells you the weather forecast. Using sound, and possibly visuals, I plan to create a wireless device which will get the latest weather report. Based on the report, it will translate this into sounds. For example, if it is sunny out it will play sounds of the beach, or if it is cold it would play the sounds of wind blowing. My idea and interface is based on the rainsticks that come from Chile or Peru. These sticks are normally made from cactus filled with pebbles. When flipped over, the pebbles bouncing to the bottom generate what sounds like rain. Instead of cactus I will be using bamboo, which is easier to find and work with then cactus, and embed it with speakers to create sounds of different types of weather. An accelerometer inside the stick will detect the motion and play the tracks when the stick is flipped over. I may also add a visual element using fiber optic cables that change colors/brightness in correspondence with the weather/temperature. The general goal of my project is to create something that tells you the weather in a more interesting and visceral way.

Media Controller – Double Agent

Nien — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:30:23 +0000

For our media controller, Patrick Hebron, Don Miller and I built a video game using Processing and the Arduino micro-controller. The game allows up to six players. Players work together to control a tank’s x-movement, y-movement, turret rotation, firing rate and force-field. We designed the game to work as a platform. Any media controller that sends out 2 digital bits (00, 01, 10) can plug in and control one of the tanks attributes. The game is called Double Agent cause when a tank is struck by a projectile, one of the players from the side which got hit will swap to the other side giving that side an increased advantage. When a side has no players, the game is over.

The controller hub and controllers.

Download the Processing/Arduino Code

Motor with H-Bridge Lab

Nien — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:46:28 +0000

Using an H-bridge you can control a DC motor’s direction. Here I’m using the Texas Instruments L293NE. Setup and code can be found here.

Transistor Lab

Nien — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:40:07 +0000

Using a TIP120 transistor, we can control high-current DC loads. Here I’m using potentiometer to change the brightness of a incandescent light bulb that is powered by a 9V power supply. Setup and code can be found here.

Serial Duplex Lab

Nien — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:13:29 +0000

Using 2 potentiometers and a switch, I’m sending 3 sensor values over to Processing to control the display of a circle on a black background. The 2 potentiometers control the x/y position while the switch controls the circle visibility. Setup and code can be found here. I had to change the value mapping to account for using potentiometers vs the accelerometer used in the example.

Serial Out Lab using Arduino and Processing

Nien — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:34:54 +0000

Using a potentiometer with Arduino, we can send serial data to Processing. The readings are graphed over time. Setup and code can be found here.

Stupid Pet Trick (Revisited) – Photo Sensor Tone Generator the Digital Way

Nien — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:22:29 +0000

After trying to calibrate the analog sensor to play a tune, I was unsuccessful in getting particular shades to consistently play the tones I want. I instead tried to use the photocell to detect white or black, representing 0 or 1. Using 4 photocells, I can create 16 combinations which is enough for a 2 octave scale. Below is the printed chart I used to map the tones and a clip playing the 2 octave scale .

Arduino Code (DigitalSensorToneGen)

Stupid Pet Trick – Photo Sensor Tone Generator

Nien — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:08:58 +0000

Using a photocell, I can play 2 octaves of the C major scale. The next objective is to try to play a tune.

Arduino Code (PhotoSensorToneGen)

Servo Motor Lab

Nien — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:01:49 +0000

Using a potentiometer and the Arduino servo library to control a servo motor.

Analoging the Arduino

Nien — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:18:22 +0000

For this lab I used 2 sensors to light up 2 sets of LEDs. The force sensor controls the green LEDs and the flex sensor controls the red LEDs. The number of LEDs that light up is dependent on how much force or how much bend you apply to the relevant sensor.

Arduino Code (2Sensors2LedArrays)