Tag: Int Lab Recitation 1

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Documentation1:Soldering and Building Circuits

Introduction:

 In this recitation, we did soldering and built our own circuits according to circuit diagrams. My goals were: learn to solder skillfully and better my skills in reading circuit diagrams.

Materials(from the recitation instructions):

  • 1 * Breadboard
  • 1 * LM7805 Voltage Regulator
  • 1 * Buzzer
  • 1 * Push-Button Switch
  • 1 * Arcade Button
  • 1 * 220 ohm Resistor
  • 1 * 10K ohm Resistor
  • 1 * 10K ohm Variable Resistor (Potentiometer)
  • 1 * LED
  • 1 * 100 nF (0.1uF) Capacitor
  • 1 * 12 volt power supply
  • 1 * Barrel Jack
  • 1 * Multimeter
  • Several Jumper Cables (Hook-up Wires)

Soldering

Melted tin can “glue” the wires and the switch together after it  dries.

My partner and I used a soldering iron and a piece of soldering tin to connect two wires to a push-button switch. We first pealed the insulating layer on either ends of the two wires so the metal inside would be exposed. We then hooked one end of each wire onto the two iron bars on the back of the switch.

Following the instructor’s advice, we first used the soldering iron to heat up the connecting parts of the wires and the switch. Then we attached the soldering tin to those parts. The tin melted a little, but not quite in the way we hoped. (Maybe we used the tip of the soldering iron so the connecting part wasn’t thoroughly heated.) To accelerate its melting, we attached the soldering iron to the soldering tin.

We put the soldering iron there for such a long time that the plastic material of the switch melted! We took a new switch and tried again. This time we successfully connected the wires and the switch.

(The switch on top is the melted one)

Building our Circuits

Circuit 1: Door Bell

It was my first time to use a breadboard to build a circuit. It took me a while to actually understand how the holes on the breadboard were connected. Thanks to my partner’s patient explanation I finally understood how to imagine the “invisible” connections between different spots on a breadboard.

Tracing the lines on the circuit diagram, we quickly built a circuit. However it didn’t work because we were confused about how the wires can be connected to the “ground”. Our circuit didn’t work properly because it wasn’t a complete loop. Then we found out that the blue lines with a “-” symbol indicate where the wires connected to the “ground” should be put.

Circuit 2: Lamp

When we moved the wires, our circuit was short circuited. With the help of an instructor, we checked our circuit following the direction of the electrical current. Finally, the lamp lit up.

 

Circuit 3: Dimmable Lamp

We had become more experienced when building the third circuit. We built it with no difficulties.

Although the dimming wasn’t very obvious, it was actually dimmable. (We assume that maybe the maximum resistance of the variable resistor wasn’t enough)

Reflection

I learned how to solder in this recitation. Also, I learned how to properly handle tools with a high temperature (such as a soldering iron). Moreover, I learned to correspond an abstract circuit diagram with a real circuit.

However, I should also learn the lesson of accidentally melting the plastic part of the switch. Next time when I’m using an unfamiliar equipment, I should continuously check if everything is going well.

Question 1:

As the author says, interaction is a cyclic process in which two actors alternately listen, think, and speak. For the circuit, input, or “listen”, is the on and off of the switch(or the changes in the resistance of the variable resistor). Process, or “think”, may be the process that the electric current passes through the wires. Output, or “speak”, is the ringing of the doorbell (or the lighting/dimming of the LED). For us, we listen to the ringing of the bell, think about the proper moment to turn it off and, when we finally made our decision, we “speak” by actually using our hands to turn off the switch.

Question 2: Interactive design and physical computing are both indispensable in creating interactive art. Physical computing actually performs the processing part. Without it, interactive art would not come to reality. Interactive design makes possible the communications between people and interactive devices.

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Interaction Lab-Recitation 1 Serene Fan

Circuit 1-Door Bell

Components:

1*Breadboard:  A base for connecting components

1*LM7805 Voltage Regulator:  To regulate and maintain a constant voltage level which is suitable for the circuit

1*Push-Button Switch: Able to connect the whole circuit when it is pressed

1*Buzzer: To output an audio signal

1*100 nF (0.1uF) Capacitor: To store electrical energy

1*12 volt power supply: To provide power source

1*Barrel Jack: An electrical connector for supplying direct current

Jumper Cables (Hook-up Wires): To connect components

The Diagram

The Building Process and Problems We met

How to connect the switch???  

When we were connecting the switch, we found it difficult to distinguish which two feet to choose. We expected there should be different length of the feet so that we could identify the anode and the cathode, but all the four feet seemed the same. Out of ideas, we turned to Nick for help. He then told us the way of connecting the switch was to  know that foot A and D are always connected. Same with foot B and C. Therefore, only connecting either A or D to either B or C can be counted as successful connecting.

Where is the voltage regulator???

We first built the circuit without the voltage regulator, because we misinterpret the symbol for the voltage regulator as the power source. Since the circuit still worked well, we did not notice this mistake. However, Leon came by and pointed out that we should add the voltage regulator to the circuit in case the voltage level could be too high for it. Therefore, we corrected our circuit and it worked again. 

Circuit 2-Lamp

Components: 

1*Breadboard:  A base for connecting components

1*LM7805 Voltage Regulator:  To regulate and maintain a constant voltage level which is suitable for the circuit

1*Push-Button Switch: Able to connect the whole circuit when it is pressed

1* Arcade Button: Able to connect the whole circuit when it is pressed, but needed to be soldered

1*220 ohm Resistor: To reduce current flow

1*LED: Able to emit light when connected to the power source

1*100 nF (0.1uF) Capacitor: To store electrical energy

1*12 volt power supply: To provide power source

1*Barrel Jack: An electrical connector for supplying direct current

Jumper Cables (Hook-up Wires): To connect components

1*Multimeter: To measure voltage, current and resistance

The Diagram:

The Building Process and Problems We met

Why the light was not on???

We built the circuit exactly as what the diagram told us, however, the LED just refused to emit light. We checked every connecting point without recognizing any problem. At last, we asked Nick about this situation. As he suggested, we used the multimeter to measure the resistance and surprisingly figured out that we connected the wrong resistor, which was only 10 Î©. We immediately altered the resistor and the light went on.

We replaced the switch!

After soldering the arcade button, we decided to replace the push-button switch. The process was quite simple. And we found that there was no need to take down the push-button switch while connecting the arcade button.

Circuit 3-Dimmable Lamp

Components

1*Breadboard:  A base for connecting components

1*LM7805 Voltage Regulator:  To regulate and maintain a constant voltage level which is suitable for the circuit

1*Push-Button Switch: Able to connect the whole circuit when it is pressed

1*220 ohm Resistor: To reduce current flow

1*10K ohm Variable Resistor (Potentiometer): To change the resistance in a close circuit

1*LED: Able to emit light when connected to the power source

1*100 nF (0.1uF) Capacitor: To store electrical energy

1*12 volt power supply: To provide power source

1*Barrel Jack: An electrical connector for supplying direct current

Jumper Cables (Hook-up Wires): To connect components

1*Multimeter: To measure voltage, current and resistance

The Diagram

The Building Process and Problems We met

Why the light was not on again???

Again, we followed the diagram but found the light was not on in a close circuit. Based on experience, we checked the resistor and were sure it was the right one. What confused us was that the first time we pressed the button, the light was on perfectly. However, every time we pressed the button, the light became dimmer until it vanished completely. We were afraid that we might have burnt the light for some unknown reason, so we asked Marcella for help. She checked our circuit and told us we connected the variable resistor in a wrong way. 

As the picture above shows, we then connected the left and the middle terminals into the circuits. It turned out that the circuit worked well and we did not burn the LED.

Reflection

The diagrams were simple enough to understand and the building process was quite easy. However, we still met problems. After the solutions were figured out, I reflected on why these problems have come up. One reason was that we did not read the instructions carefully enough to clearly know how to connect every components. Another reason was that we were not familiar with the breadboard, which made us panic easily every time there existed problems. For solutions, I found a helpful piece of reading in the instructions for this recitation called “Getting Started in Electronics”, through which I could access detailed basic knowledge of electronics. 

Answers to the questions

Question 1:

After reading The Art of Interactive Design, do you think that the circuits you built today include interactivity? Please explain your answer.

According to The Art of Interactive Design, there is no absolute answer to the question of whether an object is interactive. Instead, the degree of interactivity varies subjectively. Therefore, the circuits I built in the recitation can be regarded as interactive. As the author defines, interactivity happens when actors listen, think and speak, which can also be defined academically as input, process and output (5). In this case, one actor is the circuit while the other is the person who presses the button. During the process of interaction, the circuit listens (to the action of pressing the button), thinks (through processing the action), and speaks (by turning on the light or the speaker). Therefore, there did exist interaction.

Question 2:

How can Interaction Design and Physical Computing be used to create Interactive Art? You can reference Zack Lieberman’s video or any other artist that you know .

Interaction Design functions as a mediate for its objects to create Art, and Physical Computing can be used as a tool to achieve Interaction Design. In Zack Lieberman’s video, he launched three artistic practices, respectively called “Drawn”, “iq Font” and ” Eye-writer”, with his software skill. Through these practices, his softwares allow people to create Art and expresses with low barrier. That is how Interaction Design and Physical Computing can be combined to create Interactive Art.

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Recitation 1: Electronic Components by Linhui Wu (Leon)

Lab Date: Feb 15, 2019
Instructor: Marcele
Lab Partner: Daniel Qin

Aim of Today’s Lab: build three sets of circuits breadboard-based and learn how to solder

Circuit 1: Door Bell 

The material used: 1 * Breadboard, 1 * Buzzer, 1 * LM7805 Voltage Regulator, 1 * Push-Button Switch, 1 * 100 nF (0.1uF) Capacitor, 1 * 12 volt power supply, 1 * Multimeter, Several Jumper Cables (Hook-up Wires), 1 * Barrel Jack

I began by collecting all the materials that I needed to buid the circuits.  I read the instructions of the 3 sets of circuits we were going to make for the lab today. The circuits and the introduction of each electrical components are straightforward, which saves a lot of time. 

We finish the first circuit quickly, but we still face a little problem about the breadboard. At beginning, I am a little confused about the current flow of different part inside the breadboard. With the help of Leon, we figure out the direction and succeed to make the buzzer have sound. 

But we suddenly found  that the voltage regulator became so hot after test, we assume that we might put it in a wrong side. We try agin after reversing it and everything perfect.

Circuit 2: Lamp

materials: 1 * Arcade Button, 1 * 220 ohm1 * Breadboard, 1 * LM7805 Voltage Regulator, 1 * Push-Button Switch, 1 * 100 nF (0.1uF) Capacitor, 1 * 12 volt power supply, 1 * Multimeter, Several Jumper Cables (Hook-up Wires), 1 * Barrel Jack

Only a few components change compared with the first circuit. We feel fluent in the first part and no big problem happened. We replaced the old button with the soldered arcade button we made from soldering. 

Soldering part

 

Circuit 3: Dimmable Lamp 

materials: 1 * Arcade Button, 1 * 220 ohm1 * Breadboard, 1 * LM7805 Voltage Regulator, 1 * Push-Button Switch, 1 * 100 nF (0.1uF) Capacitor, 1 * 12 volt power supply, 1 * Multimeter, Several Jumper Cables (Hook-up Wires), 1 * Barrel Jack, 1 * 10K ohm Variable Resistor (Potentiometer) 

The third circuit challenges a little because it is more complicated. We spent more time on it. Firstly, we found we put each component so close that there is limited space for the variable resistor, and the wires are too much to check. Therefore, we rearrange their position and adopt different colors of wire for the check convenience. 

However, we still can not make the LED become light, we checked again and found we lose a wire between the voltage regulator and the power supply.  After that, we can light it up and change the level of light by using the variable resistor. 

Readings Questions 

  1. In “What Exactly Is Interactivity”, the author defines the interactivity, which is not simply what I previously thought. It is more complicated because it involves people and other factors organically. It is not merely a side-to-side process, but mutual communication. Effective interactivity need at least three standard steps, listen, think, and response. If I apply this evaluation into the work, we can understand better about the inside value of our art design and work. Meanwhile, a different level of interactivity requires us to improve and promote our work consistently.

In terms of the task I made in the recitation, I think at the beginning when every component is put on the table, they have no interaction because they have no communication. But I know that I have a mission to connect them. This goal of interactivity pushes me to design, to think, to organize, and to make. During this period, I start to communicate with these components, they are no longer a single product. I use wire to alive them. When I success to make the buzzer have the sound, I feel a sense of enjoyment, I make them alive and interactive with the outside environment. I push the button and I make a difference.  And as a creator, I receive the feedback from my work. When the LED have the light, people can see the red and green light. When I change the resistor level, I can see literally the change of the level of light. We are communicating. When the circuit doesn’t work, I need to think about how I can improve it. Such kind of thinking is also a component of interactivity. In other words, interactivity should be the core and foundation of our work and design.

2. By watching the video, I understand the significance of both physical computing and interaction design. The former and the latter serve each other to create modern interactive. Zack Lieberman applied the new technology to create new art, which shows a current popular trend and also indicates a future trend. Physical computing is a powerful tool which helps us to realize creative interactive ideas.