Creating this type of circuit was not so difficult because we used what we learned in the last two lectures. On Tuesday we learned how to make a LED light fade and on Thursday we learned how we can use sensors. Then during this recitation, we mixed both lessons and we create a circuit that when an object comes close to our Infrared Distance Sensor the LED light fades. Throughout building this circuit I learned that not only the distance sensor detects when an object comes close, but it also measures the distance between the sensor and the object in cm.
In terms of the coding, although we only had to copy previous codes to build our circuit, we encounter some issues in regards to how looping works in the code. For example: Because the loop runs constantly it automatically re-starts it tricks our eyes that is continues, but actually when it re-starts it causes the LED light to flicker (for milliseconds). Therefore, due to those minor flickers on the LED light, we thought that the fading mode wasn’t actually working.
Question 1:
During recitation 3 we use the Infrared Distance Sensor for our circuit. This type of sensor works by detecting objects that come close to the sensor. The way this sensor detects an object is through receiving infrared radiation. It can also measure the distance between the object and the sensor. In our circuit, we choose this type of sensor because we intended to build a LED light that fades as an object approaches the sensor. This type of sensor apart from being really interesting and fun, it can also have the purpose to protect peoples’ home. For example, this sensor could activate an alarm in case it detects an object approaching (the same way the LED lights turns on when an object comes close to the sensor).
Question 2:
I do believe that code can be compared to a recipe or tutorial, but I rather say code that code is the main ingredient when it comes to cooking. It is clear that the code in a way helps you to understand how the circuit run, (but I think that sometimes reading code is not very easy,), therefore I believe that for me is not like a recipe. But I do know the circuit is a key ingredient to build the circuit. For example, in our experiment, without the code, it would not have been possible to command the LED light and the sensor.
Question 3:
I believe that computers serve as a mirror of human behavior. A computer has enough information to reflect the behavior of its user. What I mean is that computers not only have the purpose of increasing productivity, but they also become a tool of the owner’s personal life. Here humans can share, understand and manipulate their own personal life, making computers confidants of our behavior. Therefore, I believe that humans can sometimes create dual identities, one in the virtual world, and one in the real one.
We connected all the wires and it works. That one is pretty easy.
II. Infrared Distance Sensor:
Components:
1.Arduino Board
2.Infrared Distance Sensor
3.Wires
Process:
This circuit is similar to last one and we just simply changed the code and the component. But actually it didn’t work and we could not figure out the reason of it. So we turned to the fellow. He told us that the sensor was broken. Hence we changed another one and made it.
III.Vibration Sensor:
Components:
1.Breadboard
2.Arduino Board
3.1 Megohm Resistor
4.LED Light
5.Wires
Process:
This is the first circuit that we built in last recitation actually. It was more complicated that the two above. We took some time to learn the circuit and decided to use breadboard because there was no more analog-in pins for us connect the sensor and resistor. But luckily, the process was quite smooth, we didn’t encounter any difficulties and problems.
Question1:
I chose to build the circuits of vibration sensor, distance sensor and moistrue sensor. I want to assemble all the real things in the real world and the program, digital technologies. For example, I want to assemble the moistrue with program so that I can transefer the air condition to number to be stored in computer so that we can use those data for other practice in different fields. For vibration sensors combination, many residences in differen community will use it for a new form of reminder which is similar to what we use for door bell. When someone knock the door, LED will be lighted up so people can see. For moistrue sensor, I think many agricultural companies will use it for detecting plants. For distance sensor, it can be used in many different way. For instance, automatic door and sensor faucet.
Question2:
This question is very interesting. Actually for me, code is a kind of guidance. Because from code, I can know which pin I need to connect and how can I connect the whole circuit. Sometimes I can also get to know the aim of the circuit so that I can directly know how to connect the circuit or even come up with a better way to connect the circuits. These above are the reasons why I think code is often compared to following a recipe or tutorial.
Question3:
I think computers change human behaviour almost in all the way. First, conputers change our way to work. In the past, we wrote and talked with others to communicate, to work. But with the development of computer, we finish almost all the work through computer. Second, computers change the way we entertain. We can watch video on Youtube or Netflix. We can listen music online and also we can also play video games on computer. That is totally different from what human had before. Besides, it changes how we exchange and how we purchase things. There are many different aspects changed by computers.
My partner and I intended to assemble a circuit that used moisture as the trigger to light up a LED. We made it so that the LED would only light up after there was a certain amount of moisture present. That threshold of moisture was adjustable in our code. Our creation is pragmatic for example in buildings that are prone to flooding. When the sensors detect water they could automatically light up emergency lights to aid vision, or even power other objects like maybe a speaker.
The reason why code is often compared to following a tutorial is because you must follow the order. In functional code, you must go through the steps to get to the end product. For example, you must first declare your variables first before you use them, and same with your methods. Writing coding follows a timeline of steps.
The computer has definitively influenced our behaviors. Humans are creatures of mistakes, while computers are creatures of logic and perfection. Humans make mistakes, computers do not. When a computer makes a mistake it can always be traced back to humans. This idea of the computer has changed the behaviors of humans because now we depend on them. For example, with the invention of the computer it completely invalidates the typewriter. With the typewriter, if you made a mistake it would be extremely hard to undo that, but not on a computer. Computers have allowed humans to store mass amounts of data, so there is no more need to write everything down. The computer has made everything easier, and humans reliant on them.
Materials/Diagram
1 * Arduino Uno
1 * USB A to B cable
1 * breadboard
1 * LED
1* 220 ohm resistors
1*Moisture Sensor
A handful of jumper cables
Drawing drawn by my Partner: Jennifer Cheung
Task
For this recitation’s exercise, please work with a partner. Choose one of the sensors listed below and read about what it is and how it performs. Once you have picked a sensor, build a circuit that integrates this sensor with your Arduino. Use the data (input) from your sensor to drive an output (Servo-motor, LEDs, Buzzer, etc.). Document the finished circuit and your interaction with it.
As you can see from the video below, our finished product was successful. The moisture sensor was easy to assemble because we learned how to assemble a servitor in class. After completing the circuit we begin to write the code, and after putting in a simple if/else we uploaded our code and tried to get the LED to light up. The serial monitor was sensing the moisture, but our LED was not working. Eventually we figured out the only problem was the polarity of the LED, and after we got that sorted out everything worked perfectly. The code is also attached below.
int sensorPin = A0;
int sensorValue = 0;
int ledPin = 9;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
// read the value from the sensor:
sensorValue = analogRead(sensorPin);
Serial.print(“Moisture = ” );
Serial.println(sensorValue);
delay(100);
if(sensorValue > 100)
{
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
}
else
{
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
}
}
This is the first circuit I made, the knocking sensor.
This is the second circuit I made, the moisture sensor.
Both of these two circuits require the usage of the analog input port. They are actually quite simple but how to combine them with more integrated experiment might be more challenging
Answer to the questions:
1: In this recitation exercise, I assembled two sensor circuits, which was the prototypes of sensors being connected into circuits and thus letting users get the feedback from the sensor’s process. I did two circuits, one is the knocking sensor, another is the moisture sensor. If they are to be used for pragmatic purposes, I think for the moisture sensors it could be used such as by botanists, who need to do experiment about plants and need to monitor the moisture of the soil,; for the knocking sensor, we could use it in some physical experiment such as testing the force of hitting a surface, the data ouput by the sensor can provide accurate resources for researchers.
2: At the beginning of learning, coding could be like following a recipe, especially if we don’t have any background of coding. Following examples on textbooks or given by the teachers is in fact an important way to learn as a beginner, you can draw conclusions on some similarities or essential procedures of coding. However, as you learn deeper, after you have gained basic and general skills on coding, you should start to think of creating your own coding project according to what you have acquired. Imitating is necessary as a beginner, it provides the foundation for future creativity.
3:First of all, one obvious influence is that computers can provide a lot of assistance for people, which could relieve the burden for some repeating works, such as calculating and analyzing, it free us to focus on more general works. Computer also influence how people think, big data could make influence on showing people certain types of information and thus influence their view of things, which might not be a good things, people would gget caught in informations that are worthless and can not free their mind to think independently.
During this recitation, I paired with Jonathan Lin to build three circuits with Arduino. The materials used were:
1 Arduino Uno
1 USB A to B cable
1 breadboard
1 buzzer
2 LEDs
2 220 ohm resistors
2 10K ohm resistors
2 pushbuttons
2 arcade buttons
A handful of jumper cables
1 Multimeter
Circuit 1
Building this circuit was relatively easy, since we used the picture provided on the Arduino site to build on the breadboard and Arduino. We made sure to get the LED positioned in the right way with its polarity, connecting the resistor to the breadboard, then to the Arduino. After copying the code from the Arduino site into Jonathan’s computer, we were able to get the LED to dim and brighten.
Circuit 2
This circuit was also very easy to assemble. We only needed to connect the speaker to the breadboard, then connect the breadboard to Arduino with two jumper cables. The result was a short tune after the code was run.
Circuit 3
This circuit was the most challenging to build, since there was so much going on in the picture given by Tinkercad. To make this two person button clicker game, I focused on putting the speaker, LEDs, buttons, and resistors on the breadboard while Jonathan connected wires from the breadboard to Arduino. We made sure to use the right resistors in the correct positions by testing their charge with a multimeter. Once everything was put in place, the code would run, but the LEDs wouldn’t light up when the time was up. The code was running normally, since we could see which button had won, but it wasn’t relaying on the board. We then switched the LEDs around to make sure we weren’t putting them in the wrong direction, which led to some progress. However, it still wasn’t right, since only one LED would light up, regardless of which button was pushed more times. After calling Tristan over, we realized that the resistor on the side of the LED that kept turning on wasn’t connected properly to the other elements. After making this adjustment, we were able to get the LEDs to work properly, and thus began competing with each other to see who could push the button the fastest. With this success, we proceeded to replace the switches with buttons made in the previous recitation, and were able to get the same effect.
Schematic
Circuit 4
With some extra time, we attempted to construct a four person clicker game with the group across the table from us. Jonathan worked on altering the code to accommodate for the two extra buttons. We then disconnected the other team’s breadboard from their Arduino and proceeded to connect the loose wires into our Arduino, plugging into power, ground, and ports 4 and 5. With the two breadboards connected to the Arduino, we tried running Jonathan’s altered code, but unfortunately only the original two buttons showed up on the screen. By this time, class had ended, so we weren’t able to successfully complete this circuit.
Question 1
Technology is one of the most important elements of my daily life. It is integral for me to communicate with people, write papers, take pictures, get around, and consume entertainment. Technology is embedded into most people’s lives. In today’s age, people have become dependent on technology, such as phones and computers, in order to carry out basic functions, such as talking to someone or getting lunch. Technology is such a prevalent part of my life that the first thing I do in the morning is check my phone for updates. Whenever I have a spare couple minutes, I always turn to my phone to keep myself occupied. Now, it is more and more unimaginable to go a day without a phone or laptop, since everything is on our phones or computers. In China, keeping a phone on you is even more necessary, with the usage of QR codes and mobile paying, making even cash obsolete.
While my daily technology usage comes from complicated and sophisticated new innovation and design, I also engage with technology in simpler ways, as in the circuits built in this recitation. Through these circuits, we were able to build our own little pieces of technology by connecting different elements together. Through physical and computer programming, we were able to make an LED dim, play a tune on a speaker, and compete with each other on a simple game console. These circuits show that technology isn’t always super complicated, instead, it only takes a few components to recreate real life technologies on a breadboard.
Igoe and O’Sullivan’s text explains the basics of physical computing, breaking down the different elements of a computer and how to distinguish different kinds of hardware functions. They write that a computer stores information, defying time and space in order to rearrange ideas and follow commands. Computers see us as sedentary creatures simply pushing buttons, clicking, and listening in order to make commands. However, we should express ourselves fully in order to create new forms of the computer, so that it can be more advanced. This leads to my definition of interactivity, which is two or more participants engaging with each other, taking in information and putting out a response unique to that action. It isn’t premeditated or controlled, but follows the natural course of both participants’ actions. It isn’t as simple as pushing a button and getting feedback, it’s having a conversation in which responses depend on each other’s unique actions.
Question 2
With 100,000 LEDs at my disposal, I would use them in a large interactive art piece in public spaces, connecting two parts of the world. 50,000 LEDs would be on one side of the world, while the other half would be on the direct opposite side of the world. At each location, the LEDs would be arranged on a large wall, acting as a mirror to those walking in front of it. Through motion and heat sensors, a person walking in front of one LED wall would see their figure lit up in the LEDs in the color red, but they would also see the shadows of the people walking in front of the LEDs across the globe in blue. When both LEDs have people standing in the same location, the overlapping points would light up purple. Thus, both sides of the world can see what people at the other location are doing and where they are positioned.
