Uncategorized » MAKE @ Parsons

Noisy Toys

I proposed a project to kickstarter and they liked the idea and let me launch the project. The project is called Noisy Toys, my goal for this project is to try to get funding so that i can build noise makers and effects. Once they are build i will make recordings using them and release them online. of course the a server is down right now, just when i really need it . So since i can’t post it on my blog i thought i’d post it here so people would know, just trying to spread the word.

here is the link to the project:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/456124454/noisy-toys

generative video

heres something i’m working on , its a program done in openframeworks and it makes generative videos, video that is generated only by the computer without any outside influence. It is controlled through they keyboard. I still have a bit of code to add but i did do a video. Its up at my site and the same video is on vimeo.

video on my site:

http://a.parsons.edu/~davib611/midtermsite/VJTOOL.html

on vime0:

http://vimeo.com/12008937

link to the actual program with a manual:

http://a.parsons.edu/~davib611/vjtool.zip

binary arduino synthesizer

For my computation studio class i built a minimal synthesizer using arduino . I tried to incorporate ideas such as microtonality (tones/pitches bewteen pitches for example the pitches in between b and c) and binary as a way to add slight shifts to the pitches generated. I have 6 switches and each switch has a value they range from 160,80,40,20, and 10. Depending on which switches are on you will add its value to the pitch you hear. So if you are generating a pitch of 600hz and you have switch one on it will add 160 to that, and you will hear 760 hz. When you turn this switch off you will hear 600 again. If you have all switches on the sum of all the switches will be added to the pitch you hear. This project needs some electronics building and coding to get it to work and i will share both here.

heres a bit about binary courtesy of wikipedia:

The binary numeral system, or base-2 number system, represents numeric values using two symbols, 0 and 1. More specifically, the usual base-2 system. Owing to its straightforward implementation in digital electronic circuitry using logic gates, the binary system is used internally by all modern computers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_numeral_system

finger binary:

i learned how to count like this a while ago, it’s what made me think about using switches to add to the pitches made by the arduino. Using this you can count really high using only your two hands.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_binary

what you need for the electronics:

7 x spst (single pole single throw switches, you could use double pole double throw if thats what you have, you will only need 2 poles to get the switches to work correctly)

1 X 2.1 mm dc adapter plug ( i got some from radio shack)

1 X battery snap

1 X 9 volt battery

1 X arduino board ( i used a Duemilanove , there are many other types of arduinos out there)

2 X 100k potentiometers ( i used audio taper, linear taper should be fine too)

Wire ( as much as you can find, i have a wild wiring style maybe you will use less, You should try to get red and black wire and maybe some colors )

an enclosure if you want to make things more permanent.

Schematics:

with electronics everything can be broken down into smaller circuits. Your tv for example is really a collections of different circuits which are linked together, each section or circuit does its job and works together with the other circuits to get something done. This project is no different there are smaller circuits that when put together make up the whole. And so i will break this project down into its parts.

First:

Switches:

here is a photo to help visualize.

First is the schematic for how the switches and potentiometers should be wired. Each switch has a connection to +5 and to ground, they also have a wire that will connect to the arduino. on one terminal of the switch solder a wire, I used red for +5. On the other terminal solder one of the 15k resistors, then solder a wire to the resistor this wire will connect to ground. Also solder the third wire to the same terminal you soldered the resistor to. When you turn the switch on the arduino will see the switch as being HIGH or on.

here is a simplified version of the switch wiring. To connect all 6 switches you would need to make this three time and connect all +5(red wires) together, and all ground(black wires) together.

here is photo of a potentiometer and how it can be wired to ground and +5:

here the blue wire connects to +5, and the yellow wire connects to ground while the wire connected to the center lug on the potentiometer connects to an analog pin on your arduino. You would need to repeat this with another potentiometer. You can connect the +5 and ground wires of the second potentiometer to the same +5 and ground points as the first.

power:

This is the schematic for the power portion of the project, here i am using a 9volt battery connected to a 2.1 mm dc plug to power the arduino without it being connected to a computer all the time. The led is used to indicate that there is power, you have to attach a resistor to the longer leg ( +) this leg is connected to the + side of the battery( the red wire).The shorter leg can go to the - side of the battery. When you flip the switch the led should light and you will have power going to your arduino.

here is a photo, it does not have an led . With or without an led it works the same.

here is a link to the tutorial at the arduino site on how to make this adapter:

http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/9VBatteryAdapter

sound:

This is a schematic of the audio out portion, connect a 22o ohm resistor to one side (use a smaller resistor for higher volume, or use a larger resistor for less volume) of the speaker, I used a piece of wire then soldered the resistor to the wire to allow for some flexibility. The resistor is what you will plug into arduino. To the other side of the speaker solder a wire, this wire will go to ground.

here are some photos of the circuit plugged into the arduino:

Complete circuit:

Here is a schematic of all three parts put together. You see from left to right, the switches, potentiometers then the speaker.

CODE:

//This code uses the tone library its included with arduino 18,

//by:Bryant Davis

//created april 2010

//modified may 2010

one sensor controls the primary pitch

the other controls the delay time

the binary section adds to the primary pitch

x x x x x

160 80 40 20 10

the combonation of these three things will determine the pitch heard

this is based off the theremin code by tom igoe

//constants…this will be for switches

const int switchpin1=2;

const int switchpin2=3;

const int switchpin3=4;

const int switchpin4=5;

const int switchpin5=6;

const int switchpin6=7;

int buttonstate=0;//for switch 1 adds 160

int buttonstate1=0;//for switch 2 adds 80

int buttonstate2=0;//for switch 3 adds 40

int buttonstate3=0;//for switch 4 adds 20

int buttonstate4=0;//for switch 5 adds 10

void setup()

{

Serial.begin(9600);

//setup pins to read

pinMode(switchpin1,INPUT);

pinMode(switchpin2,INPUT);

pinMode(switchpin3,INPUT);

pinMode(switchpin4,INPUT);

pinMode(switchpin5,INPUT);

}

void loop()

{

// get a sensor reading:

int sensorReading = analogRead(0);

// map the results from the sensor reading’s range

// to the desired pitch range:

//originally set to 200-900

//0-1023 sounds like telephone

//20 to 20000 hz is the range of human hearing this can be changed though

int pitch1 = map(sensorReading, 0, 1023, 20, 20000);

//these control the delay time the range is from 0 to 100

int multiply=analogRead(1);

int multiplymap=(multiply, 0,1023,0,100);

//integer for the final pitch heard

int finaltone=pitch1;

//read button

buttonstate=digitalRead(switchpin1);

if(buttonstate==HIGH)

{

//add 160 to finaltone

finaltone=finaltone+160;

}

buttonstate1=digitalRead(switchpin2);

if(buttonstate1==HIGH)

{

//add 60

finaltone=finaltone+60;

}

buttonstate2=digitalRead(switchpin3);

if(buttonstate2==HIGH)

{

//add 40

finaltone=finaltone+40;

}

buttonstate3=digitalRead(switchpin4);

if(buttonstate3==HIGH)

{

//adds 20

finaltone=finaltone+20;

}

buttonstate4=digitalRead(switchpin5);

if(buttonstate4==HIGH)

{

//adds 10

finaltone=finaltone+10;

}

//add this button to turn on crazy mode

//you can control the delay time of the whole program

buttonstate5=digitalRead(switchpin6);

if(buttonstate5==HIGH)

{

crazymode=1;

}

if(buttonstate5==LOW)

{

crazymode=0;

}

// change the pitch, 10 ms duration:

//output from pin8, play this tone value, 10 ms duration

tone(8, finaltone, 10);

// delay(90);

//if crazymode is on then you have variable delay switches don’t work so good here though

if(crazymode==1)

{

delay(multiply);

}

/* for debugging

Serial.println(“analogvalue1: “);

Serial.print( sensorReading );

Serial.print(“multiply ” );

Serial.print(multiply );

Serial.print(“finaltone ” );

Serial.print(finaltone );*/

}

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

in the code you first set up constants for your switches. For example switchpin1=2; means switch 1 is on digital pin 2. Then we set up buttons states for these switches

they are all set to 0 or LOW meaning they are off. Next set up pinModes all the the switches are set up as inputs. In the Loop we are reading the values from the potentiometers and them mapping them to whatever range you want. For the first pot i mapped them to 20-20000hz which is the range of human hearing. The second pot is mapped to a range of 0-100. Then we set the buttonstates to be equal to the readings coming off the pins, if they read HIGH then we do something. Each switch has a numerical value attached to it.

IF the switch is HIGH then we add this value to the pitch.Then we check to see if the last switch is on or off. If it’s on then you are given control over the programs delay time, this will turn the sound on and off depending the on value that is read. Finally we use the tone() function , this is included with arduino 18. We tell it which pin to use for the speaker, what pitch or tone to play, then the duration or how long to play.

I have collected all the schematics and code in a zip file you can download everything here:

http://a.parsons.edu/~davib611/code/Binary_Synth.zip

here is a photo of the synth in its enclosure:

Also there is video and other software, I was able to use this as a HID ( human interface device) so it can be used with pure data, all necessary software is included and there is a readme file:

http://a.parsons.edu/~davib611/binary_synth_controller.zip

Final project tutorial draft

Hi all,

Here’s a draft for my final project. Any feedback will be appreciated!

————————–

Intro :

In this tutorial, I will show you how to recycle expired milk to make plastic at home. Of course it doesn’t have to be an expired milk, but try to drink good one for yourself and be healthy first! This home-made plastic can hardly be a replacement for real plastic. It’s a good option for light home deco and small plastic objects for a gift or for yourself. It is based on the fact that casein is generated from milk and vinegar with some heat. It is quick and easy, and it will be a fun activity for everyone!!

Feel better about left over milk that is no longer drinkable, socialize with people around you, learn an useful scientific fact, and be proud of your creative exploration!

How does it work? :

Milk can become ‘plastic’ because it has ‘casein’ which is about 80% of protein of milk. Basic principle is very similar to how the milk curdles itself when decayed. Casein can be isolated by acids (vinegar) and heat. It was a common and popular early form of glue, and actually used to make aircraft windows in World War II before there were many synthetic plastics available. Now we don’t use this method to produce plastics since there are much cheaper solutions.

I am not interested in making plastic. What else can I do with expired milk? :

Expired milk also has ammonia, so it could be used to clean up the tile/wooden floor!

So, back to our plastic making!

Step 1 : Prepare Ingredients and utensils

- Expired milk

- Vinegar

- Strainer, pair of nylons, or coffee filter

- Tablespoon or regular spoon

- 1pot

- Papertowels and/or wrapping paper

- A mold (optional)

** WARNING : If you use milk that is expired a very long time ago, it could smell really bad.

Step 2 : Measure the milk and vinegar

Milk : It depends on what you want to make, but in this case, let’s go for ____.

(mention how much plastic it would generate)

Vinegar : 1 TBSP.

* The basic ratio of milk and vinegar would be – 1 cup of milk : 1 TBSP

The amount of vinegar varies and you should experiment to obtain the consistency that you want to achieve.

For milk that has been expired for a long time, you would need a smaller amount of vinegar since it already started forming casein with acids that was generated naturally.

Step 3 : Heat up the Milk

Put the milk in a small pot and heat it up.

** Try to heat up SLOWLY. If you heat it up too fast, it will start to burn on the bottom of the pot!

** DO NOT boil. It may get harden and that’s not what you want.

** DO NOT forget to STIR while heating.

It takes less than 3 minutes for a cup of milk, so pay attention! Heat until you see white foam.

Step 4 : Pour in the vinegar and make casein

Now it’s time to make some casein. Get ready for a science experiment! Turn off the heat, and slowly pour in the vinegar.

Step 5 : Stir! Stir! Stir!

You will notice solid lumps that start to form on the surface. Stir for another 30 seconds until you feel lumps are visible. Refer to the photo above.

If you don’t see the lumps after stirring for about 10-15 seconds, you can always try pouring a little more vinegar and see.

Step 6 : Isolate solid from liquid using a strainer (Nylon or coffee filter)

Put your strainer on a new pot or a bowl that is larger than the one you’ve been using to heat the milk, and pour the mixture through it. You can try several times to get good chunks of solids without much liquid left.

Personally, the nylon or coffee filter is a better option since it doesn’t cover your utensil with white residues, so it is much easier to clean up and dispose of.

** DO NOT PRESS SOLIDS TOO MUCH to squeeze out the liquid. You might block all holes at the bottom of the filter/strainer.

Place the solid that is collected onto papertowel or wrapping/wax paper. Any of them are fine, but wrapping or wax paper would be more convenient.

Step 7 : Soak up the remaining liquid

Gently press the solid with paper towels to reduce the water content. Don’t make it too dry- give it some moisture for a better molding process.

Step 8 : Molding time!

You have arrived at the most fun part! Mold it with your hand if you want to make it into an organic shape, otherwise you can try to use a pre-shaped mold that is appropriate for your project.

Step 9 : Wait until it dries

It normally take 1~2 weeks depending on the size of your creation. If you are impatient, you can speed it up by using a hairdryer or a microwave.

If you want to experiment with different colors, you can always try chocolate milk or add in some strawberry syrup to your milk!

Enjoy!

Final Project Proposal

Project idea :

Recycle the expired milk to make an interesting plastic craft object. I will go through the technique of how to make plastic out of milk and create any object you want.