Idea
With my project, I would like to explore the topic of human connection, as mediated by technology, as well as how much we present online is real, or even human.
I will program an arduino board and store it inside an old-fashioned corded AT&T telephone (advertised with the following image on the Amazon webpage).
Depending on the button pressed one of the media files will play: A recording of a voice, a video recording of a person (the way we would communicate via Skype or Zoom), a P5JS rendering of a person, or a failed dial-up connection:
The project will combine new technology (arduino, P5 JS) with technology seen as outdated (corded phone), as well as physical (buttons to be pushed) vs. virtual (media files) to further explore the idea of communicating across time and space.
Programming the Phone:
Corded phones with buttons usually use a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signaling method, where each button press corresponds to a unique combination of two frequencies.
I will disconnect the phone and Connect the button contacts to Arduino.
Potential challenges:
Ensuring that the voltage levels are compatible between the corded phone’s button panel and the Arduino’s digital pins (in most cases, the voltage levels will be 5V, which is compatible with Arduino boards).
Bill of Materials:
- Corded phone with buttons
- Arduino board
- Hookup wires: To connect the components.
- Breadboard or prototyping board for a neater setup.
- Sensors
I have ordered the phone from Amazon for $19.99. At a later date, I would like to experiment with a rotary phone, which can be purchase online for $36-60 dollars, depending on the phone.
I already have: arduino, bread board, sensors, resistors, and wires. They were purchased from the class from the original list posted. The media files will be played from my laptop computer (MacBook Pro).
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