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joshuadotdo · 8 years ago

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Project #3

1.Reflection

Brief Project Description

Here I made a simple box with multiple conductive everyday objectives we use and see. How it works is pretty simple, as you can play/touch around with each of the multiple conductive surfaces and objects on each side that is uniquely different from each other. Setting up is simple, put the pins onto the Arduino accordingly to the schematics, upload and make some noise! I had used a simple capacitive sensor, as you touch the conductive surfaces you will produce a sound. Making the objects was simple as I grabbed everyday things around my house: foil, pencil, spoon and tacs.

Inspiration

Sketches I had used and referred were class code examples provided such as “capacitive_keyboard”. I also had looked up “http://playground.arduino.cc//Main/CapacitiveSensor?from=Main.CapSense” to get a better sense of knowing the code and what code does what. Other source of inspiration was playing around with my baby cousin with her simple toys (example such as https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1.Ff_JVXXXXa8XFXXq6xXFXXXY/New-Colorful-Baby-Block-font-b-Toys-b-font-Plastic-Children-s-Educational-font-b-Toy.jpg ) to which most of my inspiration was derived from watching her toy around with it. So I came up with an identical theme of the box but with different conductive material on each side to play a sound while associating simply like things on the toy such as shapes.

Goals of the Project

I had made this project and hoped to achieve something more interactive and thought outside the box. I didn’t want to make a flat keyboard each key playing different tones of noise, instead I wanted to make some sort of “noise box” to explore multiple conductible material and everyday household items, in which I had made each material unique on its own of each side that is placed. I had hoped to achieve a better understanding of everyday objects and their original use to be extended beyond it and have a purpose of something else.

Theme

What drew my attention was: “to explore everyday materials to create interesting interactions.” How I approached the theme of proximity was to simply press something and make something happen. To which the thought process was very simple; think of everyday simple (conductible) objects that I had used around my house. Of course my inspiration greatly helped me tackle this theme in using a metaphor of a toddler's toy and translating it to a “noise box” with multiple simple interactions on each side to produce sound with correlation with the toy as it has unique sides while the child engages into it.

Affordances

The aesthetics I worked with was to be simple and along the lines of something familiar like a baby's toy. I do believe that it will spark a familiar interest for people seeing something so childish they would well interact with it, in hopes they would associate my project with something like a childhood toy. I hope it is not too simple where my audience misinterpret the noise box for something else than it is as only interaction will explain its function.

Interaction

The interactive aspect of this project is very integral to work with, as the user has many options to touch any of the sides with conductible material to produce a sound. Each material and sides is unique from the others which enables different touch in texture with the materials presented. Each object has its unique sound to differentiate from others so you won’t likely hear the same noise. Without any of these aspects the box would just be plain and have no purpose of being a “noise box” instead it would be a weird box placed with random things associating with nothing.

Audience

The audience I am targeting is mostly towards appealing to curious babies/children, as it is similar to a simple toy that an adolescent would easily pick up and start playing around with it. Same concept with this idea, as children would explore each side and play around with the appealing simple things that are familiar to them. I believe the adult audience would be slightly interested in this type of object as it would familiarize them at what they saw as they were babies. Although curious and intrigued children would most likely explore what the strange box is and engage in it enthused.

Process

On a Seperate post with picture documentation

2. Parts List/Used

1x Arduino Uno

7x 1 Megohm Resistor

1x Speaker

18x Wires

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ARDUINO CODE

/* References: http://playground.arduino.cc//Main/CapacitiveSensor?from=Main.CapSense http://www.instructables.com/id/Capacitive-Sensing-for-Dummies/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Capacitive-Touch-Arduino-Keyboard-Piano/ https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Tone https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/NoTone Code derived from Project #3 Folder using "capacitative_keyboard" modified to be simplier Also Miriam Ott had helped out in working with the code */

// Import the CapacitiveSensor Library. #include <CapacitiveSensor.h>

// Asking where the speaker is plugged #define speaker 11

// Set the Send Pin & Receive Pin. CapacitiveSensor cs_2_3 = CapacitiveSensor(2,3); // 1Megaohm resistor between pins 4 & 2, pin 2 is sensor pin, add a wire and or foil if desired CapacitiveSensor cs_2_4 = CapacitiveSensor(2,4); // 1Megaohm resistor between pins 4 & 6, pin 6 is sensor pin, add a wire and or foil CapacitiveSensor cs_2_5 = CapacitiveSensor(2,5); // 1Megaohm resistor between pins 4 & 8, pin 8 is sensor pin, add a wire and or foil CapacitiveSensor cs_2_6 = CapacitiveSensor(2,6); // 1Megaohm resistor between pins 4 & 8, pin 8 is sensor pin, add a wire and or foil CapacitiveSensor cs_2_7 = CapacitiveSensor(2,7); // 1Megaohm resistor between pins 4 & 8, pin 8 is sensor pin, add a wire and or foil CapacitiveSensor cs_2_8 = CapacitiveSensor(2,8); // 1Megaohm resistor between pins 4 & 8, pin 8 is sensor pin, add a wire and or foil CapacitiveSensor cs_2_9 = CapacitiveSensor(2,9); // 1Megaohm resistor between pins 4 & 8, pin 8 is sensor pin, add a wire and or foil

void setup() { cs_2_3.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(0xFFFFFFFF); // turns off autocalibrate on channel 1

// Arduino start communicate with computer. Serial.begin(9600); }

void loop() { // Set a timer. long start = millis();

// Set the sensitivity of the sensors. long absolute1 = cs_2_3.capacitiveSensor(30); long absolute2 = cs_2_4.capacitiveSensor(30); long absolute3 = cs_2_5.capacitiveSensor(30); long absolute4 = cs_2_6.capacitiveSensor(30); long absolute5 = cs_2_7.capacitiveSensor(30); long absolute6 = cs_2_8.capacitiveSensor(30); long absolute7 = cs_2_9.capacitiveSensor(30);

// When hand is touched the sensor, the speaker will produce a tone. // I set a threshold for it, so that the sensor won't be too sensitive. if (absolute1 > 150) tone(speaker,523); if (absolute2 > 150) tone(speaker,387); if (absolute3 > 150) tone(speaker,459); if (absolute4 > 150) tone(speaker,698); if (absolute5 > 150) tone(speaker,784); if (absolute6 > 150) tone(speaker,840); if (absolute7 > 150) tone(speaker,988);

// When hand didn't touch on it, no tone is produced. if (absolute1<=150 & absolute2<=150 & absolute3<=150 & absolute4<=150 & absolute5<=150 & absolute6<=150 & absolute7<=150) noTone(speaker);

delay(10); // arbitrary delay to limit data to serial port }

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