PG02 Progress Blog
Kat Lee Hornstein // Ravensbourne // MA Interactive Digital Media
What is This?
CYCLE 2
✪ Independent Making & Small Scale Innovation ✪
October 25 – December 6 2017
Week Summary:
Research, regarding sensory instruments, namely the Theremin, branching out to other Arduino music/sensor projects for inspiration.
https://www.cs.nmsu.edu/~rth/EMTheremin.pdf
“Anarchestra” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c__xzSfQA5g
“Giant theremin” Melbourne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_SuSc3OlM
Beach Boys “Theremin Intro”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CelV7EbuV-A
NPR: Beach Boy’s Theremin https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2013/02/07/171385175/no-it-wasn-t-a-theremin-on-good-vibrations-remembering-paul-tanner
Top 10 best Arduino music projects https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39YUvCqxPSs
Basically we’d like to each invest a lot of time into developing and understanding
one arduino sensor in order to produce it on a giant, wearable scale. Then the four of us together will produce sensory audio output (let’s not get hasty and call it music...I expect noise) via our particular actions, each determined by the sensor involved.
MY SENSOR IS THE FLEX SENSOR
So this week I have been trying to build my own.
I’ve had to take a lot of time to understand exactly how flex sensors work and why they work. Had so, so much failure but also KIND OF A SUCCESS?? (see the last bit) Confident enough anyways to think it really is possible I can pull this off??
Meanwhile KP has got “Button boots”
Richard the Tilt Sensor.
Yifei, wind sensor or anemometer
(take a gander)![]()
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Everyone chose their own. I’m happy to have the flex because I can see how understanding it could help me in my studies of gesture later on.
Anyhow this is the basic diagram I’ve been using to remind myself how to set this up every time I test it. Funnily enough I’m finally able to do it now without looking and it’s because I actually understand where the wires are supposed to go, I’m not JUST following a diagram. That’s a good feeling.
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BEHOLD! “Failure Stick #1”
Learning! how does it work:
https://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Sensors/Flex/FlexSensor.pdf
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Here are all the materials laid out, aesthetically pleasing somehow, all lined up?
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the next day, second attempt, variation in materials. So this week I have been trying to build my own.
I’ve had to take a lot of time to understand exactly how flex sensors work and why they work. Had so, so much failure but also KIND OF A SUCCESS?? (see the last bit) Confident enough anyways to think it really is possible I can pull this off??
Meanwhile KP has got “Button boots”
Richard the Tilt Sensor.
Yifei, wind sensor or anemometer
(take a gander)
Everyone chose their own. I’m happy to have the flex because I can see how understanding it could help me in my studies of gesture later on.
Anyhow this is the basic diagram I’ve been using to remind myself how to set this up every time I test it. Funnily enough I’m finally able to do it now without looking and it’s because I actually understand where the wires are supposed to go, I’m not JUST following a diagram. That’s a good feeling.
BEHOLD! “Failure Stick #1”
Learning! how does it work:
https://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Sensors/Flex/FlexSensor.pdf
thar she blows ![]()
Behold!
Failure stick #2
Ok so this one worked...for like 20 seconds.
I swear the last one did as well.
But I’ve used paper and card for the outer portion of the last two, and I think that material is not “springy” enough to allow the sensor to work properly. Seems like once it’s bent at all the structural integrity is totally shot and you can forget anything consistant happening between the conductive surfaces...
Behold: (mostly) Failure Stick #3
you are certainly the most successful so far and I think I’ve figured something out.
1) Springy material definitely works better. The duct tape vs that card.
(incase IG doesn’t load, see it here too)
2) The video shown in the post proves this is actually working and working well. but only NEAR THE BASE right where the wires are connected.
I have to wonder is this the key? I think I need to build a sensor in a new way if it’s going to be this big.
Switching from aluminum to copper too. Aluminum is AWFUL to solder and I think that’s effecting the connectivity. the wires aren’t even staying down (and I can’t see if they are or not bc it’s totally enclosed in that tape.
But again when I pull it up and down near the base as seen in the video, THIS IS WORKING.
So I THINK if I am better at securing the wires,
change the location of their soldering (to the center near where it will flex) that will really help.
More interesting stuff read this week:
More from Wired, I kind of can’t get enough and they have so many copies at my fav coffee place.
The “Transhuman” article caught my eye this week.
image 1![]()
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