Introduction: The purpose of this week’s lab was to understand the basics of circuits through the completion of three circuits and to learn how to solder.
Circuit 1: Doorbell
Components:
- LM7805 Voltage Regulator: maintain a constant voltage level for the circuit
- Breadboard: base that allows for circuit connections, usually used for prototyping stage
- Push button Switch: interrupts the flow of current going through the circuit which allows the speaker to turn off and on
- Speaker: creates sound, in terms of the circuit it allowed us to know if our circuit was working
- 100 nF Capacitor: stores electrical energy and allowed the LM7805 Voltage regulator to work
- Wires: allow current to flow from one location to another
- 12 Volt Power supply: supply power to the breadboard
Process: In Circuit 1, my partner and I had to familiarize ourselves with the symbols and their corresponding components. When we first started, we started by inserting the speaker on the breadboard and attempted to work around that. However, we were advised that to start, it would be best to insert the 12 volts and the ground first. This was helpful because it built our understanding of ground and volts. The first problem we encountered was when we placed the capacitor into the power bus and the ground bus. We were told that instead, we can attach it to the same row of the regulator since the rows were already connected to both the ground and 12 volts. In the end, we were successfully able to get the circuit working.
Circuit 2: Lamp
Components:
- LM7805 Voltage Regulator: maintain a constant voltage level for the circuit
- Breadboard: base that allows for circuit connections
- Push Button Switch: interrupts the flow of current going through the circuit which allows the speaker to turn off and on
- LED: light emitting diode, emits light
- 220-Ohm Resistor: prevent too much current from passing through to the LED, control current flow
- Capacitor: stores electrical energy
- Wires: allow current to flow from one location to another
- 12 Volt Power supply: supply power to the breadboard
Process: The first step in this circuit was making sure the resistor was at 220 ohm, to do this we used a multimeter. Since half of the setup was identical to circuit 1’s setup, we only took out the parts that weren’t needed for the second circuit and worked from there. An error that was made in this process was not considering the polarity of the LED light. When we completed the schematic we were not sure why the LED wasn’t lighting up, we asked for guidance and were told it was because the polarity of the LED was inserted wrong. After fixing this, the LED light lit up when the switch was pressed. We were successful in creating circuit 2.
Circuit 3: Dimmable Lamp
Components:
- LM7805 Voltage Regulator: maintain a constant voltage level for the circuit
- Breadboard: base that allows for circuit connections
- Push button Switch: interrupts the flow of current going through the circuit which allows the speaker to turn off and on
- LED: light emitting diode, emits light
- Resistor: prevent too much current from passing through to the LED, control current flow
- Capacitor: stores electrical energy
- Wires: allow current to flow from one location to another
- 220-Ohm Resistor: prevent too much current from passing through to the LED, control current flow
- 12 Volt Power supply: supply power to the breadboard
- Variable Resistor: allows the current resistance to be adjusted
Process: The materials needed for this circuit was almost identical to the second circuit except a variable resistor was added. This circuit was easy to build because only the variable resistor needed to be added. We were a little troubled at first due to not being able to figure out which part of the variable resistor corresponded with the ones in the diagram provided. However, we were able to figure it out and in the end, successfully completed the circuit.
Questions:
1. In the reading, the author defines interaction as “a cyclic process in which two actors alternately listen, think, and speak”. Based off of this definition the circuits that were built today showed a level of interactivity. This is because each component within each circuit in a sense was “listening” to the parts before them for instructions and then “thought” about its role and then by creating a reaction they “spoke”. This process is repeated once an individual gives the circuit the signal to start. Even the process of building circuits was interactive, we inputted the work and as a result, the circuits responded back to us by having the LED light up or even the speaker making a sound when the switch was pressed. These were all responses to an action and that is what interactivity is.
2. Interaction Design and Physical Computing can be used to create interactive art in many ways. An example of the lengths both these combined can do to contribute to the interactive art realm is a project inspired by Tony Quan, a paralyzed graffiti artist. By studying human behavior and combining that with computing it allowed for the production of interactive art. The eye-tracking art was able to move in conjunction with a part of the human body. Interactive art gives life to a new form of creativity and has endless possibilities.