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Second prototype for the theremin style instrument. It is more of a sequencer now with 4 POT’s for changing frequencies in a looped melody and a sensor changing the tempo.

This is the first implementation prototype of an instrument inspired by a theremin. The POT changes the frequency and the sensor adds another frequency to the mix. The idea is to create a theremin and an analog sequencer hybrid. I want to add 4 potentiometers to generate a looping melody and using the sensor to alter or add to it.

The IR sensor fades the LED’s in and out and changes the frequency sent to the speaker.

The POT fades the blue LED in and out, increases/decreases the blinking speed of the green LED and changes the speed and frequency of the sound on the speaker.

I tested the Tweetlite on 2 potential users. They both thought the product was marketable, would appeal to the Twitter community and gave me some great feedback.

Tweetlite is a visual commentary on our relationship with online social networks. It is an ambient light that represents a pixel – the smallest unit of visual digital information.

This is represented in the form of a minimalist, 4″ white, plexiglass, cube that reads messages from a Twitter feed and displays them in Morse code.

Each message is displayed in a different color and makes for a great mood light. It has USB and power connectivity and comes with a program that is used to enter Twitter credentials to enable the data feed visualization. It needs to be connected to a computer with an Internet connection, via USB. The patterns and colors can be customized. Needless to say, it can be of great use to someone who can read, interpret or even want to learn Morse code.

It is powered by Arduino and Python. The code is based off of example found here. If anyone is interested in building one I can post a tutorial, let me know.

Sales sheet – long

Sales sheet – short

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This was part of a student lecture in the computation class. We discussed PWM and applying it to multiple LED’s and tri-color LED’s. Here’s pcitures and code for the 2 circuits I built and presented in class.

Multiple LED’s with PWM

Code:

int value = 0; // variable to keep the actual value<br /> int pins[] = {9, 10, 11}; // light connected to digital pin 9<br /> int numPins = 3;</p> <p>void setup()<br /> {<br /> // nothing for setup<br /> }</p> <p>void loop()<br /> {<br /> int i;</p> <p>for (i=0; i < numPins; i++)<br /> {<br /> for(value = 0 ; value <= 255; value+=5) // fade in (from min to max)<br /> {<br /> analogWrite(pins[i], value); // sets the value (range from 0 to 255)<br /> delay(30); // waits for 30 milli seconds to see the dimming effect<br /> }<br /> }<br /> int j;<br /> for (j=numPins-1; j >= 0; j–)<br /> {<br /> for(value = 255; value >=0; value-=5) // fade out (from max to min)<br /> {<br /> analogWrite(pins[j], value);<br /> delay(30);<br /> }<br /> }<br /> }</p> <p>

Tri-Color LED

Code:

// light connected to digital pin 9, 10, 11<br /> int pins[] = {9, 10, 11};</p> <p>void setup()<br /> {<br /> // nothing for setup<br /> }</p> <p>void loop()<br /> {<br /> // variable to keep the actual value<br /> int value = 0;</p> <p>//variables to check if fade in for a color is complete<br /> int fadedIn1 = 0;<br /> int fadedIn2 = 0;<br /> int fadedIn3 = 0;</p> <p>//variables to check if fade out for a color is complete<br /> int fadedOut1 = 0;<br /> int fadedOut2 = 0;<br /> int fadedOut3 = 0;</p> <p>//fade in blue<br /> if (fadedIn1 != 1){<br /> for(value = 255; value >=0; value-=5)<br /> {<br /> analogWrite(pins[1], value);<br /> delay(60);<br /> fadedIn1 = 1;<br /> }<br /> }</p> <p>//fade in green<br /> if (fadedIn2 != 1){<br /> for(value = 255; value >=0; value-=5)<br /> {<br /> analogWrite(pins[0], value);<br /> delay(60);<br /> fadedIn2 = 1;<br /> }<br /> }</p> <p>//fade in red<br /> if (fadedIn3 != 1){<br /> for(value = 255; value >=0; value-=5)<br /> {<br /> analogWrite(pins[2], value);<br /> delay(60);<br /> fadedIn3 = 1;<br /> }<br /> }</p> <p>//fade out red<br /> if (fadedOut1 != 1){<br /> for(value = 0; value <=255; value+=5)<br /> {<br /> analogWrite(pins[2], value);<br /> delay(60);<br /> fadedOut1 = 1;<br /> }<br /> }</p> <p>//fade out green<br /> if (fadedOut2 != 1){<br /> for(value = 0; value <=255; value+=5)<br /> {<br /> analogWrite(pins[0], value);<br /> delay(60);<br /> fadedOut2 = 1;<br /> }<br /> }</p> <p>//fade out blue<br /> if (fadedOut3 != 1){<br /> for(value = 0; value <=255; value+=5)<br /> {<br /> analogWrite(pins[1], value);<br /> delay(60);<br /> fadedOut3 = 1;<br /> }<br /> }</p> <p>}</p> <p>

I added switches to the fourth iteration of the passage of time. 1 rocker switch for on/off, 1 toggle switch which switches between 2 patterns, 1 momentary pushbutton switch that changes the pattern when the toggle switch is up. The switches are mounted on a separate short box with holes drilled using the dremel tool and attached to the bottom of the taller box. All the switches are hooked up to the Arduino using a breadboard.

Passage of time with switches from Bruce Drummond on Vimeo.

My second iteration of the LED time piece. This prototype is a much higher fidelity and uses a tallish container I got from the container store. I’m using the container upside down with a hole cut at the bottom end for the USB cable and the Arduino stuck on the lid of the container. The LED’s are mounted around a tall cardboard structure, in 3 rows, which sits tight once stuck inside the container. The LED’s light up one row at a time and the light appears to move up and down the container. Row 1 and 3 are blue LED’s while row 2 is green LED’s. Kitchen towels doubled and nicely tucked into the container are used to diffuse the light.

We were handed out Arduino’s and a bunch of other hardware in class today. It was pretty fun and easy setting it up. Later, I did a tiny experiment with a bunch of green and blue LED’s with the example blinking script, nothing fancy. I like the way it looks like a wiry mess. Looking forward to using this piece of hardware to build some fun, interactive physical stuff.