Module 3 Activity Research

Weekly Activity Template

Callan Yates

Project 3

Module 3

This final module focuses on the final stages of development for or art / design project. In this case, I spent this module ordering new parts, wiring, coding, and building the final prototype.

Activity 1: My Research

Photo of the first time the neoPixel is initialized. Here, I am plugging in the neoPixel lights and using check to see how it works. On seeing it turn on, I was filled with satisfaction as I found this a daunting task. The more I used them however, the more acustomed to the environment I got

A photo of the APDS 9960 sensor connected via wires with a neoPixel light. Initially I was concerned as I thought I had to solder the sensor. Thankfully, folding over wires made a fine alternative. Making the two work together took some finiking, but eventually I was able to get it sorted. Next steps had me connecting a second neoPixel

Photo of the neoPixel and APDS 9960 sensor connected to the Arduino Uno via crimped wires. By crimping the wires, I could better position the rings and sensor for when I go about building the object. It was important to be carful however, as using too much force can leave the wires brittle

GIF of me testing the gesture for LEFT and RIGHT, raising and decreasing the brightness. With the sensor infront of the the lamp, It was very challenging to wave at it properly, so when crimping the wires, I made the consious decision to move it up top. Having spent adequate time in Arduino Uno testing the sensor and lights, I got a good hang of how things should be coded. The only occasional struggle was making sure the lights updated properly

GIF of me testing the DOWN and UP gesture to alter from a cool temperature to warm temperature selection, and enable the proximity sensor to change the temperature with this new selection. Initially I had up and down change cool and warm, but sometimes when swiping left and right, if you accidently triggered the down gesture, you would have to wait for the proximity selection to end. Since up was very uncomon to accidently imput, I kept that as the proximity selector while changing down to simply adjust the option

Activity 2: My Research

Photo of the 1st iteration of models to act as diffusers. When sliced in Cura, I realized they were larger than anticipated. Reworking them, I added notches at the base for the method of connection to cardboard / wood, preventing glow or tape

Photo of the final prints for the prototype. These prints are made of opaque fillament instead of the off white to diffuse the light a bit better

4 photos of the steps taken to create a means of encorperating the diffusers and neoPixels in the wall of the lamp. What ended up working well was cutting slits for the notches in the base of the diffusers, and lines for the wires of the neoPixel lights to wrap around to keep it in place

Photo of the diffusers and neoPixels assembled and plugged into the Arduino Uno. Testing them, they turned on and worked farily well without hickups

Photo of the main frame being built. Once the walls with the diffusers were built, tape, cut carfully and applied delicatly was used to prevent mess that glue guns can create. It also makes the prototype easier to deconstruct if ever required

Additional Research or Workshops

A screenshot of the hookup guide for the APDS-9960 as featured on sparkfun. This website acted as the gateway for this sensor, and is the reason why I went off to pick it up. The tutorials and step by steps are exceptionally usefull <a href='https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/apds-9960-rgb-and-gesture-sensor-hookup-guide/all' target='_blank'><p>Link to website</p></a>

2 screenshots of two different tutorials. The top left tutorial is centered on the APDS 9960 whereras the bottom right tutorial is centered on the neoPixel lights. These two tutorials helped in sorting out how to connect these components to the Arduino Uno. <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An7JA5Z2EuQ' target='_blank'><p>APDS 9960 video</p></a> <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIzneMc43AY&t=35s' target='_blank'><p>neoPixel video</p></a>

2 photos of 2 new conceptual drawings in preperation of creating the final prototype. After the cardboard prototype, I knew what I wanted to encorperate into the next prototype, so created a few sketches keeping in mind how cardboard / wood can be flexed and shaped <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An7JA5Z2EuQ' target='_blank'><p>APDS 9960 video</p></a>

Screenshots from a website & video about a small lamp box that uses an lightbulb. I found it really interesting watching him create the lamp out of many many small pieces. It was inspiring when moving forward with the laser cut <a href='https://3axis.co/laser-cut-edison-lamp-with-dimmer/91jkdypo/' target='_blank'><p>Link to website</p></a>

A few screenshots of the a website featuring a tutorial introduction to the neoPixel lights. This tutorial with example code was useful in the very early inital check to see if the neoPixels were working when I plugged them in. It also served as an introduction to how they are coded <a href='' target='_blank'><p>APDS 9960 video</p></a>

Project 3

Project 3 Final Prototype - Gesture Lamp

This is the final prototype for the gesture lamp. The lamp has 4 ways you can interact with it;

Gesturing LEFT + RIGHT - Adjusts the brightness
Gesturing DOWN - Switch between temperature options
Gesturing UP - Enables the proximity sensor to select what colour you’d like the lamp to be
Gesturing NEAR (bringing the hand down to the sensor, pause, then pull away) Turns the pixels off & on, disabling all functionality until turned back on.

This lamp aims to be a fun and interesting way to provide ambience to a space while limiting any and all necessairy physical interaction.

The final prototype of the gesture lamp for module 3. This lamp can be controlled without any physical touch, providing a variety of different controls through simple gestures.