Everything is done and it works!
Photos that may have not been on the poster after the break
Photos that may have not been on the poster after the break
Justin Wong |
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Everything is done and it works!
Photos that may have not been on the poster after the break Quick update regarding our power supply. I found a 9V 210mA AC adapter. While we only 100mA, this would provide enough power for our device. While we may not have the time to implement this,
For now I'm working on the presentation things. We were making a finalized version of our proposal, perhaps more of a design. I have figured out how to use EAGLE and made a circuit diagram for our device. I found libraries for the Arduino shield, resistors and transistors. I used a barometer library instead of a Wii Nunchuck since it uses the same I2C serial connection. I also could not find solenoids, so I used mottor instead. Regarding the sketch up renderings, I am preparing X-ray views of our tactile display and box similar to the ones in our proposal and presentation. Links and stuff:EAGLE tutorial I used http://aaroneiche.com/2010/06/24/a-beginners-guide-to-making-an-arduino-shield-pcb/ This week I tried to use a perfboard for our other electronic parts, which is mainly the isolation circuit for our solenoids. My dad attempted to tell me that it would be impossible to solder due to its detail.
On Thursday, I decided that the Arduino shield would be better, as we could directly attach it to our Arduino board. I have finished soldering the components to attach it to the board, but need to add our isolation circuit. Unfortunately, I have trouble using my dad's soldering iron with our project. I may have to finish this in the last class. For now, I am trying to use a different program to make a schematics for our isolation circuit. Tiny cad does not work wtih mac, but I found an alternative called EAGLE (link below). Not sure if this is close enough to TinyCad, but it looks very profesional. Schedule before presentations: Before finals: Work on presentation board and paper Tuesday 17: Finish up soldering and assembly with Xavier Thursday 19: Presentation Links and stuff: EAGLE tutorial I used http://aaroneiche.com/2010/06/24/a-beginners-guide-to-making-an-arduino-shield-pcb/ Over the weekend, I was able to add a few extra features to the program, including an Intelligence Dampener and support for a Wii Nunchuck. Using Todbot's library, I was able to get reading from each potentiometer, and buttons.
I eventually got sick of the AI winning too often, so I added an Intelligence Dampening Constant (IDC). The AI would only make a possible smart move if a randomly generated number from 1 to 100 was greater the IDC (preset at 10). Otherwise, it would play randomly. It can be changed by tilting the Joystick and pressing a button (different from the one used for playing). Todbot's library has several functions. The ones that I used were: nunchuck_init(); -to initiate the nunchuck nunchuck_setpowerpins(); -to set up the pins (for use with a WiiChuck Adapter) nunchuck_get_data(); -to request, decode, and separate data from the controller. nunchuck_joyx(); nunchuck_joyy(); nunchuck_cbutton(); nunchuck_zbutton(); -to return data from the controller. While I would have to agree that I do not understand some of the code, I would prefer to go through this more complicated process, than to disassemble the controller and wire it directly to the Arduino. I'm not even sure if I can even find the right screwdriver. Possibilities for a controller (in order of preference and other comments): 1) Nunchuck with WiiChuck adapter and Todbot's library (Cool method) 2) A non invasive method of rewiring Nunchuck to Arduino (not sure if it can be done) 3) Making our own controller (unsure about design) 4) A invasive method of rewiring Nunchuck to Arduino (destructive) Sources: WiiChuck: http://todbot.com/blog/2008/02/18/wiichuck-wii-nunchuck-adapter-available/ Over the course of this week, we attempted to solve the power problem. Apparently the battery I was using was depleted, as we were able to power our hardware with one of the power supplies. If we were to use 9 volts, we would need a current of 0.1 amps facilitate the oscillation of all nine solenoids. We could continue using batteries with our power hunger device, but I think the best solution is to use a transformer. According to ANSI specifications, a typical alkaline 9V battery can only power all 9 solenoids for about 5-6 hours.
For now, our project seems complete once Xavier finishes building a case for the display and hardware. I can't think of a good way to make a controller using the joystick; the "Nintendo Wii Nunchuck" seems to be the best design for use with one hand. While my family is willing to lend one for the project, I'd have to make an adapter in addition to learning how it works. For now, I am attempting to implement an Nunchuck based on Tod E. Kurt's "WiichuckDemo." This guy made an easy to use library for the Nunchuck. In the future, I really hope that I would be able to use the Nunchuck and possibly program other things besides Tactile Tic Tac Toe. The Nunchuck is extremely versatile; not only does it have a joystick and two buttons, but also an accelerometer! Only now am I able to see the possibilities! Simon says? Wack-a-mole? Sources: Battery background info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-volt_battery Battery datasheet: http://www.batteryholders.org/9v-alkaline.pdf "Wiichuck": http://todbot.com/blog/2008/02/18/wiichuck-wii-nunchuck-adapter-available/ A fire breathing pony operated by nunchuck I found that I just had to post: http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Fire-Breathing-Animetronic-Pony-from-FurRea/step16/Connecting-a-wii-nunchuck-into-the-system/ Believe me, this has nothing to do with my little pony addiction (see what I did there?). Anyways, Hasbro and FurReal are completely different; I'm interested in Hasbro's colorful ponies. I completely accept the destruction of that pony. It was just cool. There was a problem that I discovered with some last minute tests for the board. It appears that the battery that I was using could only power one solenoid at a time. This confirms the fact that we would need more power. I have been considering the following possible solutions.
-Using a bigger battery (easiest solution) -Using an AC adapter and an electrical outlet (not sure if this would be allowed) -Using capacitors to power each solenoid instead of directly from the battery (not sure how bid of a capacitor woe would need) |
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January 2014
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