computationalcraft

[computationalcraft]

Week 16 - Sleep Orb

This is a step by step process to create an artefact (calendar) that depicts the phases of the moon. The proposal details are here.

MATERIALS

8-9 5mm LEDs 3V coin cell battery  Coin cell battery holder - sewable Conductive tape  Conductive thread Soldering iron & solder.

180-200 gsm ivory paper Cotton thread, needle Scissors, glue, fabric glue, paper cutter 1/8 inch wood Laser cutter

PROCESS

Here is a sketch of the basic structure of this orb.

1. Cut the ivory paper into a square. This is 8 inch by 8-inch square. Mark 8 circle (1.5-inch diameter) on it. Cut these circles using a paper-knife. This is the top layer of the structure.

2. Cut another piece of paper into an 8 inch square. This is the bottom layer of the structure. This is where we will mark the circuit. Begin by drawing the 8 circles as you had drawn them on the top layer. Glue a sewable coin cell battery. Put copper tape from the positive and negative ends of the holder. We will be soldering these ends later to secure the connections.

3. Draw the basic circuit as shown in this diagram. This is a parallel circuit for 8 LEDs- except its circular in nature instead of a rectangle. Add one LED and complete its circuit. Pay attention to the ends of the LED. For each LED circuit, there is a gap LED’s positive end and battery positive end. This will later act as a switch. Check if it is working by connecting the gap.

The longer leg is the positive side of the LED, called the “anode” and the shorter leg is the negative side, called the “cathode.” Here is a diagram of an LED.

4. Complete the rest of the circuit by adding LEDs and copper tape. 

5. Use a conductive thread and put it through the copper tape. Check the connection with the battery. Do this for all 8 LEDs. Solder the ends. The bottom layer is now complete.

6. Go back to the top layer. Using a white cotton thread - embroider the phases of the moon on the 8 circles. 

7. Take another piece of paper (8inch square). This will the middle layer. Using a needle, piece it at random places. This is to allow the light to come through for a ‘starry night’ effect.

8. This part is a little tricky. This is where we have to layer the three sheets of the paper bottom layer with the circuit, middle layer with the holes and top layer with the embroidery. Use a conductive thread - piece it through the copper tape of the bottom layer (near the LED anode) - pull it through the middle layer and then the top layer. Remember to keep aligning the layers to form a perfect square.

9. Use foam board or any thick material. Add it on to the edge of all layers. This will create the depth between the layers.

10. Use 1/8inch wood/ MDF/ hard material. Make a box which is an 8.5-inch square. Here is an illustrator file for the same. I made the inner square of the frame with rounded corners and added 5 holes for the threads. Slowly and carefully, fit the paper structure into the box. Leave the side and the top loose - in case you need to fix anything.

11. Take 8 sewing pins and wrap each thread around one. Make a knot and cut the extra piece. Solder this onto the pin. The thread at the center - which comes from the positive side of the battery - will be embroidered in form of a coil at the centre. When you take a sewing pin ad put it in the centre - it completes the bottom circuit (the gap we had mentioned) and the LED lights up.

12.  Attach the remaining sides of the box. Use the corner holes as holders for the sewing pins.

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Week 15 - Flip Dots

PROMPT

Making Flip dots - moving hematite beads.

Diagram from Liza’s presentation

MATERIALS

Enamel wire, 30 gaugE ( 6.5 arms length) Hematite bead Embroidery thread or yarn Thread Fabric or paper Solder + soldering iron 9V Battery / LiPo Battery

PROCESS I created a coil by wrapping it 50 times. I wrapped the end piece around the loop to secure the wire in a circle. Next, I put the coil on paper using scotch tape. Next, the enamel on the ends was burned off. I tested the continuity of the piece

On a piece of fabric, two small pieces of copper fabric (heat and bond adhesive) were added.

The ends of the wire were soldered onto the copper fabric. However, it was really hard to solder this end. Perhaps I had not burned the enamel entirely.

Finally, the loop was covered by embroidering over it. This ensure the coil gets a smooth surface for the bead to flip.

Initially, it did not work with the large hematite bead. Perhaps it was stitched in a little tight as well. After playing with a smaller bead and the play in its stitch - it worked!

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Week 14 - Sleep Orb

FINAL PROPOSAL

I stumbled across this article about how a full man can affect your sleep. Scientists from Basel University in Switzerland found evidence of a "lunar influence" when they carried out a study on volunteers sleeping in laboratory conditions.

What if your sleep patterns were naturally attuned to the phases of the moon? Would one pay more attention to what the moon looks like in the night? How would our schedules, bed-time rituals change? This project would be a part of my Thesis class. FORM

My artefact would be a small tabletop object. I want to play with square and circle to create it. The phases of the moon would be mapped against the hours of sleep one would get. I will embroider a soft switch to turn on the phase of the moon.  I am still conflicted about whether I should have many moons or one moon with changing number of lights.

MOODBOARD I want to create a monochromatic artefact. I also want it to feel delicate and fragile. I want to keep the circuit path a part of the aesthetics.

MATERIAL

Wood, fabric, paper, thread, press buttons/hooks/ metal beads LEDs, conductive thread, battery

REACTION

I would be asking the following questions to people and gather response about the same - 

Where would you keep this calendar? Why? How would you use it? On nights where you sleep less, what would you do? On nights when you sleep longer, what activities would you miss doing? How would you describe it to other people? If this indeed shaped your sleep pattern, how would it affect your other interactions? What kind of people would like to own this? Do you imagine living with this calendar for a long duration? Would you like to give it to someone else? Why? What are the emotive qualities of this calendar?

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Week 13 - SMA

PROMPT

Use trained or untrained flexinol to add motion to paper or fabric.

MATERIAL

Shape memory alloys are metals that change shape when they are heated to a certain temp. They behave like regular metals when cold. They create motion by returning to their preset shape when heated.

In class, we worked with with Flexinol made by Dynalloy and available at RobotShop. 

Flexinol can be trained or untrained. Untrained flexinol will contract by 10% of its length when the heat is applied. Trained flexinol will return to the shape you trained it to.

CONNECTORS

Since it's not possible to solder directly onto Flexionl( it has a layer of oxidation) we used crimp beads to secure the end and then soldered those.

PROCESS

I tested with a piece of paper and the high load circuit - it worked. 

Next, I made an origami bird and attached the flexinol wire to its wings. I wanted to create a flapping effect. However, this did not work for two reasons (I think) - 1. The paper I had used was too heavy and the overall structure of the bird made its wings droop down. The crocodile clips added to the wait. So the wire had to work against gravity to pick up those wings. It probably needs a stronger wire or a very very light paper or a different origami structure. 2. After playing with the wire for an hour, it was clear that construction was very important. I may need to explore how the wire is sewn into the wings to make it work.

I changed the construction of the structure and added wings on the side of the paper enclosure. I used one of my earlier soft switches to start the process.

Link to code.

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Week 11 - Embedded Time

PROMPT Construct a mini-project that reveals an embedded message, pattern, or behaviour using thermochromic ink.

This process has two important aspects -  THERMOCHROMIC INK The ink that turns clear when you apply heat to it. CONTROLLING HEAT Heating traced requires a lot of power. Arduino cannot provide as much current since we can’t draw more than 40mA from a pin. Hence we use an external power source with a  MOSFET N-Channel (FQP30N06L). Compared to a transistor, this is better at switching, requires a small amount of voltage to switch,  is very sensitive to static electricity and can handle more amperage + voltage.

MATERIALS 

SPARKFUN Thermochromic ink Turns clear at about 92F/33C (*Don't go over 200 deg C) Can be mixed with paint, glue, resin, Polymorph, Sugru, etc

EMBEDDED TIME

How might we show the time embedded in making an artefact? Asking the question - 'how is this made?' over 'what is made’. 

Instead of creating a painting, I simply made a frame. This was a cheeky way to show the amount of time and efforts put into creating this seemingly empty frame.

I first created a trace using silver thread. (2.5 hours were spent until this point in making this object). I tested it and it did not work. I re-calculated the resistance, checked the battery and my high load circuit - but it still did not work. After debugging with Liza I realised -that the silver thread provides negligible resistance. Since we need this to heat up - we need to use a more resistive thread like the steel thread.

VARIABLES Pigment - How much you include Binder, Paint, Base, etc - Can be mixed with paint, glue, resin, Polymorph, Sugru, etc Substrate - Paper (weight), fabric, etc Application- Brush, silkscreen, etc Ambient Temperature  -What is the temp in the room? Conductive material-How much resistance does it have? Goldilocks Rule

Using a steel thread worked. 

Final traces made using steel thread. Both the number 2 & 5 are connected!

This worked. However, it only worked for one letter. 

QUESTIONS The resistance for the entire length of  ‘2.5′ was double the resistance for the length of ‘2′. Perhaps I need something that can supply more current for this purpose. Or I may need to reduce the resistance in my high load circuit

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Week 10 - Soft Speakers

PROMPT

Make, test, and document 3 speakers using at least two different materials (e.g. copper tape, conductive thread, conductive fabric, conductive ink, etc) and two different processes (e.g. taping, cutting, fusing, embroidering, screenprinting, etc

HIGH-LOAD CIRCUIT

Speakers need a lot more current than Arduino to work. We need to add a separate power source just for the speaker. Additionally, we also need to use a transistor TIP120 or MOSFET (IRF510 or IRF520). ‘A transistor acts as a switch and a current amplifier. It is a semiconductor which means sometimes it conducts and sometimes not, depending on the power you give the base. it can’t have too much current - protect it with a resistor.’ - Liza’s notes

SPEAKERS

I made four speakers 1. Copper tape on wood 2. Copper tape in a maze on cardstock 3. Copper tape on cardstock 4. Silver thread on plain muslin

The hole at the centre of the wood piece allowed for a cleaner construction (I could avoid using the tape). However, this speaker did not work as it was too large compared to the magnet size.

This did not work either.

Both of these worked very well.

VARIABLES

Variables that affect the speakers are - Coil Tightness Material Magnet Size Magnet placement

[computationalcraft]

Week 9

[computationalcraft]

Knot Lamp

PROMPT

The prompt for the midterm was to make a lamp without wires.  I wanted to make a fabric lamp where the act of tying a knot/ braiding performs the on or off the interaction. I also wanted to use the circuit as a part of the lamp aesthetic.

1.  How might the material of the lamp inform the interaction?  2. Can the material slow down the pace of interaction? 3. Can I add friction in the interaction? 

MATERIAL

1. Regular Fabric, Fabric glue 2. Conductive thread 3. Surface Mount LEDs 4. Coin cell battery holder 5. Embroidery hoop

PROCESS

I made a simple rectangular circuit to test the LEDs. They worked.

Next, I distorted the circuit to help me visualize the wavy lines

I drew the lines of the paper and then onto the fabric.

Embroidered using a conductive thread (chain stitch)

It did not work at first. Eventually, I realised that I had connected the positive and ground. I undid the stitch at the top and the LED lit up.

Next, I added the surface mount LEDs to the fabric and soldered them.

I used the same fabric (muslin) to make flowers and added them on top of the LEDs to diffuse the light.

I kept testing in between to ensure that there are no loose connections.

I added the coin cell battery holder to the back. To finish the hoop, I put a thread in a circle and pulled it. This hold the fabric in a neat circle in the back.

Finished piece

When it is switched on

NEXT STEPS

1. I would like to add a small scroll of rituals with this lamp. How might the slow act of braiding the lamp support reflection? 2. The act of braiding secures the connection a lot better than just tying a knot. Would like to explore different forms of braiding 3. Want to add metal beads at the bottom to finish the look.

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Arduino _ATtiny

Using the steps outlined here - I made two ATtiny circuits. However, none worked. I may have to try with another ATtiny.

I tried using an ATtiny for the third time. I tested the ATtiny before soldering it to a new circuit. It still did not work.

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Arduino

PROMPT

This week’s agenda was to connect one of a soft switch to an Arduino to control an LED. The next task was to build a circuit with one constructed sensor (variable resistor), Arduino, and 3  LEDs. The LEDs should turn on and off in a sequence based on a control structure (if, if/else, while()). For example, when the sensor goes above a threshold, the LED turns one colour; when it goes above another threshold, it changes to a second colour, etc).

ON/OFF SWITCH - PROCESS

I used one of my earlier switches (press button) for this part

FABRIC PRESSURE SENSOR I used Liza’s documentation to guide my process.

MATERIALS USED 1. Conductive Fabric 2. Resistive Fabric (Eontex) 3. Regular Fabric 4. Arduino 5. Connectors, LEDs

I used Heat & Bond to attach the conductive fabric to the swatch. However, this did not work. The serial number spit out random numbers. I suspect that in the code - my sensor values need to change.

FABRIC LINEAR POTENTIOMETER SENSOR

Using the same materials - I decided to make a Linear Potentiometer. 

1. The press-button is connected to power using conductive fabric (attached in the back) 2. The bottom line has Eontex (resistive fabric) connected to ground using a conductive fabric patch. 3. Link to code

This code does not have the smoothing function. I think I will need add smoothing, constrain, and mapping to make the behaviour smoother.

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Tools & Connectors

PROMPT

This week was all about tools. The goal was to build two “nodes”, one for a battery and the other for LEDs using different materials, to build connector tools using the zine Liza made, to imagine and design a tool I would like to have.

MATERIAL USED

1. Conductive thread 2. Canvas 3. Heat shrink 4. 5mm LEDs 5. Cord 6. Battery 3V

CONTINUITY TESTER TOOL 

PROCESS

I was attracted to Irene Posch's travel tester. It is a small tool for continuity testing. I could imagine myself carrying this when I go scavenging for new conductive materials. Here is a link - http://www.ireneposch.net/tooling/

The first step was sketching to understand the construction of the tool.

I wanted to make a snug pouch that can hold the battery. I started with a tiny piece of canvas. The two flaps of the pouch would serve as positive and negative.

I integrated an LED outside the pouch (pierces the fabric with its two legs). If the material is conductive - the circuit would be complete and the LED will light up. Sewing this close to the pouch without the positive/ negative threads touching each other was a little challenging.

Next, I added a pair of connectors. (Unfortunately, I forgot to document the process). But I removed the threads from the cord, inserted 4 conductive threads through it. I soldered the ends to the little pouch.

I added two needles at the other end of the connectors for easy probing of new materials. The needles were soldered to the conductive thread. I used Heat shrink (yellow- black material) to secure and insulate the joint.

Finally, I sewed the pouch leaving a little gap for the coin cell battery to be inserted. 

And it works. Though I want to try and make a nicer looking tool.

CONNECTOR TOOL

Here are my other connectors. Two of them have a paperclip on one end and a needle on the other end.

One of them has a safety pin at one end and a hook at the other end. 

NODES - LED

For the node with LEDs, I decided to use a simple stitch instead of a chain stitch. To make the swatch neater, I pierced the LED legs through the fabric and folded them - instead of making loops.

I realised that this wasn’t the best way to secure the LEDs. 

The three LEDs were connected in a parallel circuit. Yet the blue one never lit up (unless the connectors were linked to knot that secured it to fabric). The green light was really dim. I tested various parts of the circuits and they seemed to work. 

NODE - BATTERY

I wanted to use soft materials and make a battery pouch. After a few trials, I managed to make the pouch snug enough so that the battery would touch the conductive fabric.

TOOL I WANT - SOLDERING PEN

Soldering small parts is extremely challenging, especially when you need to do three things - i.e place the part, hold the iron and feed the soldering wire. A soldering pen that can squeeze molten solder directly onto the surface would be so much easier. It can have different nozzles according to the amount of solder. The pen’s cap can have cleaning material for the tip.

[computationalcraft]

Swatch Exchange

PROMPT This week’s assignment was 'swatch exchange'. We were all asked to make 4 copies of the swatch to share physical work sampled with each other. Here is a link to a collection - http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/about/

MATERIAL USED

1. Conductive thread 2. Muslin and an old scarf 3. Press buttons 4. 5mm LEDs 5. Alligator clips 6. Battery 3V

PROCESS I wanted to create a simple swatch that can be easily incorporated in clothing. I was particularly attracted to using press-button as a switch because the buttons offer such satisfactory feedback on pressing.

I started by making a simple circuit using copper tape to test my idea. Initially, I wanted to make a postcard that glows when closed, as if it is keeping a secret. However, the object ended up looking like an envelope. So I decided to change the structure.

Next, I cut two pieces of fabric -muslin and an old scarf. I hand sewed the edges by hand leaving a small gap. Then I turned it inside out and fixed the small gap.

I drew the circuit and marked the placement of my buttons - switch

I used a simple chain stitch to complete the circuit using the conductive thread. Working with conductive thread proved slightly difficult - especially making the end knot. I turned the LED legs into small loops for a neater look. On pressing the buttons, the circuit is complete and the LED lights up!

Since my old scarf had birds for motifs, I wanted to add a fabric flower to the LED. However, I will be doing that next week.

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Chandrayaan

PROMPT This week's assignment was to pick a quote, sentence or a narrative and illustrate the same using LEDs and copper tape. The goal of the exercise was to craft a path (circuit) using conductive material as an active part of the illustration rather than a passive hidden one. NARRATIVE Chandrayaan-2 (moon-craft) is the second lunar exploration mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was launched on 22 July 2019. The expedition centred around the lunar South Pole - an intriguing region to map the water ice that exists deep within eternally shadowed craters near the poles. The recent news article about the quest reminded me of the quote - 

Our passionate preoccupation with the sky, the stars, and a God somewhere in outer space is a homing impulse. We are drawn back to where we came from. - Eric Hoffer

MATERIAL USED 1. Copper Tape with conductive adhesive 2. 4 5mm white LEDs 3. Paper and papercraft supplies

PROCESS I wanted to create an illustration that depicts our fascination for the celestial bodies. I decided to use the circuit path as a part of the imaginary outline or pattern of a constellation.

I started by making the basic visual composition while trying to incorporate the circuit. 

The next step involved making the circuit using the copper tape. Handling (esp folding the corners) copper tape was not as easy as it had seemed initially. It was easier to imagine the parallel circuits in a typical rectangular form. Distorting it according to the illustration left me pretty confused.

I sketched the basic circuit on the final paper. I cut the copper tape into half (along its length) to make the lines more intricate. I tested the circuits and fixed some of the loose connections by soldering along the joints.

I wanted to have a moving part in this illustration. The idea was - when you move the rocket to the centre, it would complete the circuit and the LEDs would light up. Hence I had left the two parallel lines (near the centre) disconnected. But the circuit was complete and hence the LEDs continued to glow. Next, broke the tape line at the top hoping to break the connection. But the circuit was still complete as the battery was connected to both arms.

I made many moons, rocket and the cloud surrounding the rocket. I layered them to create depth in the illustration. Last I added a small piece of tape on the side that could be pressed to connect the circuit to the battery so that the LEDs would light up every time you press the tape.

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Ebb - Laura Devendorf

“Ebb is an exploration of dynamic textiles created by Laura Devendorf in partnership with  Project Jacquard. Laura and her collaborators at UC Berkley coated conductive threads with thermochromic pigments and explored how they could leverage the geometries of weaving and crochet to create unique aesthetic effects and power efficiencies.”

I was particularly attracted to the ‘slowness’ associated with the process. In Laura’s words - “The thermochromic pigments change colours in slow, subtle, and even ghostly ways, and when we weave them into fabrics, they create calming “animations” that move across fabrics. The name “Ebb” reflects this slowness, as it conjures images of the ebb and flow of the tides rather than the rapid-fire changes we typically associate with light-emitting information displays.”

As part of my thesis, I am exploring how slow technology when applied to objects can produce meaningful experiences that can then build emotional durability into the object. An important principle of emotional durability is 'evolvability’- the ability of an artefact to evolve with the user. The paper “I don’t want to wear a screen”: Probing Perceptions of and Possibilities for Dynamic Displays on Clothing points towards the nuanced and subtle way of displaying information. This can potentially unlock various speeds of engagement (as opposed to fast technology). Perhaps that is why the participants of the study found it to be non-distracting. It offers an inclusive experience that blends physical and digital which have otherwise been mutually exclusive. I would be curious to use this process in the context of emotional durability.

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Kalyani’s computational craft project documentation blog