Here it is

Last few days

Here's my LED grid setup, in this picture a couple of the strips are out but I've fixed them since so it's working really well. My final defense is on Wednesday and there's still a lot to be done but I'm willing to sacrifice a few nights worth of sleep.  Also, since my defense is Wednesday morning I'll still have it installed Wednesday night.  I'm hoping to get some documentation footage some time after my last class which gets out at 6 p.m. so comment on here if you'd be interested in being in my video or if you just want to come check the whole thing out. 

Thanks!

Here's a video of my latest program.  The screen captures sound is terrible and its hard to see anything but at least it runs.

Work on the LED net thing?

Here's a video to see what I've been working on tonight. There are 12 of these 10 1/2 foot wires.  Each has 14 red t-taps on it.  I'll use 6 for power and 6 for ground and so there will be room for 84 series' of LEDs.  3 LEDs on each series for 252 LEDs.  I hope it all works with my 12V 20 amp power supply, I guess we'll see.

Work over break, so far

It's 3:46 a.m. on Sunday the 25th.

I just finished working on some code, exploring what sonia's audio library can do.  I don't know why minim made changing volume such a big deal buuuuut I can't seem to figure it out, at least not quickly enough.  I'll be playing 7 synchronized audio samples and adjusting their volume based on the number of points inside my boxes.  I haven't tested the code yet but that'll be tomorrow's frustration.  After sleep I'm going to the lab again and I will finish the last of the light strips, 4 or 5 more.  Then I'll get all 12 parallel lines cut and their T-taps connected 9 inches apart.  That'll probably take most of the day but if I have some time afterwards I'll run the code I've got and make some adjustments.  If I want to stay up late again maybe I'll be able to convince myself that finishing the code tomorrow is possible.  Anyway, I'll talk to Wayne more about it this coming week and I have the final small group critique Wednesday.  I'd like to have the whole light setup done and the code in some kind of working order so I can demonstrate what's goin down. I'm not ready to get excited yet, there's still so much failure ahead of me.

Good night,

Michael

Greg Borenstein

Dear Greg Borenstein (author of Making Things See...)

Thank you,

Michael Fox

Motor Setups are done

I spent the past weekend solely focused on motor setups.  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I spent in the lab but I finished them so now I can move on to the next step.  My weekends are all freed up until the project is due so next weekend is LED weekend and the weekend after that is getting the frame built.  During the weeks I'll be programming so hopefully in three weeks time I'll have the whole thing finished and possibly installed.  Then I can get documentation to make a great project video.  Also, I'll need people to be in my documentation interacting with the project so if you're interested comment on this post.  The hope is to shoot documentation over Thanksgiving Break.  Thanks for the support!

Just like on TV

I worked on the motors for six or seven hours yesterday.  I'm putting them onto a wooden command center that will be in the middle of the top part of the installation.  I need to get that working with four motors running by the end of Saturday.  It's getting a bit stressful.  I've got about a month and I've still got a ton of work to do.  I'm going broke but don't have time to work at the shop because I have to finish this project.  Unfortunately, I can't pay for this project unless I work so I'm in a bit of a mess.  If you ever watch those large project shows where they have a limited time to finish you'll notice they always seem to come down to the wire.  Well, my BFA project should be a TV show.

I Get Knocked Down..... But I Get Up Again....You're Never Gonna Keep Me Down

I was working on finishing up the LED grid last night and after cutting it from the frame I came to a realization. It won't work like I expected. The tubing weighs too much for the line to hold without snapping and when pulled up on, the entire grid moves inwards to compensate, just like any other fabric would.  Lucky for me I only worked on it for a little over a week so I'm not too behind on my calendar.  I'm going back to the original plan of using a black stretchy fabric, like spandex.  It will be lighter weight and will stretch when the motors pull on it, the only downfall is that instead of moving down towards the person it will be pulled up.  I'm a bit down about all the work that ended up failing but that's what I get for experimenting I guess.

Photos of Lining

LED jig

Today I finished the construction of the LED grid jig.  It is about 13 ft by 9 ft and made of 2 in. PVC tubing.  I put screws into the tubing 6 in. apart, this is where I will tie the line to keep it taught as I hot glue the connections.  I also used a router to make small craters in a 2 x 6 x 10 piece of wood.  I cut the wood to fit inside the PVC jig  and each crater is 6 inches apart to line up with the connection points.  I will fill the crater with the hot glue to make sure there is a a solid connection between the line.  I also, bought clear plastic tubing today, 432 ft of it to be exact.  I will cut the tube into just under 6 in. pieces which should keep the line from getting out of control, the tubes will also house the LED stranded wire.  I will add an extra inch or two to the stranded LED wire to prevent strain.  Tomorrow and Sunday I have a 3D room reserved to put the grid together in so I will basically be living on campus this weekend to get it done.  I'll take documentation images and video footage to show the process of putting the thing together then I'll post it to the blog some time next week. Until tomorrow.

Setup and Motors

Last night and early this morning I worked on figuring out exactly how much wire I will need for the project.  I drew a diagram of my planned LED setup and it wasn't too bad. (150 ft of 18awg and 200ft of 22awg)  Next I started to draw the motor setup and realized that I would also need to calculate the amount of wire going from the chips to the place in the motor circuits.  This ended my hope of having 96 motors.  I only calculated the closest 20 motors to the arduino and I was already at 46 ft.  I decided to stop there and figure out a more realistic approach. After talking with Wayne, I've decided to start with just 27 motors.  They will be able to be controlled by just the Arduino Mega.  This will solve my microchip problems as well.  Once I get this setup working I may move on to more motors depending on if  it is necessary for the aesthetic.  Since I only need 27 motors now I decided to buy the more expensive motors.  The power supply will only need 6.75 amps and it won't end up costing that much more.

Motors and 595 chip

The motor schematic has worked flawlessly.  Two motors have stood out as the most efficient and cost effective.

1955669 (canon)

1810099

The second motor is less expensive than the canon and requires much fewer amps at maximum efficiency, .06 compared to .25.  It also has quite a bit less torque 14.8 g/cm compared to 34.8 g/cm.  To run the 96 motors I am planning on using it would only require 5.76 amperes at 12volts.  The canon would require 24 amps.  Although this may seem like a given, the second motor is cheaper and would require less amperes but it doesn't appear to be as high quality.  I have until Monday to make my final decision.  That is when I order the first set of parts.

I haven't had as much luck with the 595 chip.  I tried several times today to get it working with just LED's but the communications between the arduino and the chip just aren't working.  I'll try again tomorrow.

Communication between Arduinos

I knew I was going to need more than one arduino in order to control the planned 96 motors for this project but I wasn't entirely certain on how I would go about communication.  I need to work with processing to get the Kinect data to work but I also need to use arduino environment in order to send data to the 74HC595 chip. To prevent writing my own basic communication into the processing and arduino code I will try using this I2C.

I2C between Arduinos

Pixels in an Array

Inspired by Making Things See book

I am so pumped for this project!  I've been reading the Making Things See book that I bought earlier this week and it's giving me so many good ideas.  Once I build the LED/Motor grid there will be so many opportunities to explore through Processing.  The grid will be a medium for me to explore all sorts of interactivity.  It's really exciting!  I hope I have time after I get the grid set up to experiment with the code.

Parallel Open Activity

I went over a quick review of what happens in a parallel circuit when branches are open.  I was worried that if I had only one motor running it would receive all the current from the power supply because the other motors would be open circuits.  Luckily, opening a branch circuit reduces the total current so each motor will always receive the same amount of current.

Here's the link:
Opens and Shorts in a Parallel Circuit

Kinect to Processing

I have literally never experienced something so frustrating, there are dozens of websites explaining this and not a single one worked.  After at least six or seven hours of attempting to install the right drivers and version of OpenNI I found out that I needed to redownload processing in the 32 bit version and the 32 bit versions of OpenNI.

Today I bought the Making Things See ebook and it has been extremely helpful.  I am now working on getting one motor controlled by the depth received by the Kinect.  Tomorrow is the critique so hopefully it works.

Motor Control Setup

This is the first motor setup I will test

Schematic

Contract

Michael Fox
Contract

BFA Exhibition 2013

            The piece I will create this semester will encompass everything I have learned throughout my art career thus far.  It will represent where I am as an artist and will hopefully lead me into further development of my technical skill and conceptual ability.  I have become obsessed with interactive art, it entrances me unlike any other genre/type of art and so I hope to create that same obsession in others this semester.  It will be one installation and I will make it as large scale as I can afford and am allowed.

            I would like my BFA Exhibition to be a text on parallel worlds. Throughout history many people have believed in multiple worlds, worlds that we cannot not see or interact with but yet they exist and sometimes they affect our lives.  I would like to bring this topic into the mind of the user and make them question how and when in their own lives they may have been affected by forces outside of what we can perceive.

            The piece will use a grid of LED’s to create a blanket over the user.  It will represent the barrier of worlds.  When the LED’s move vertically it will appear as though something is pushing them towards the viewer from the other side.  On the floor will be mirrors to reflect the image of the LED ceiling.  They will also make the space seem larger to the viewer.  The mirrors on the floor will represent another barrier of worlds.

            The final format will be a 12 x 8 foot LED installation 14 to 8 feet off the ground.  An aluminum frame will hold all the motors and circuitry and will also support the LED’s and their wires.  The computer and microcontroller for processing will be near the nearest outlet and wires will be cable-tied/taped to nearby poles/walls/floors for ideal cable management.

List of Equipment needed:

-Drill Press

-Hand Drill

-Hack Saw

-Soldering Iron

-Electrical Tape

-Wire Cutters/Strippers

-Stainless Steel Hanging Wire

-Power Supply (voltage and amp currently unknown)

-Arduino Mega

-Kinect (ordered)

Next Step

I will have to switch polarity in order to change motor direction in addition to cutting all power to the motor.  I found this website that seems to explain it pretty well.  Multiple relays should do the trick.  Leaving them both connected to ground will stop the motor completely while having one connected to power and the other to ground will allow for control of the motor direction.  This website goes more in depth and suggests pull-up resistors.  I also have to remember a flyback diode for each side.

Controlling DC motor direction with relays

Latest Research

I've been doing research into control for my latest project idea.  This video is an experiment with a chip I'm considering using.

Arduino-Serial to Parallel Conversion

Where I am artistically?

As most artists probably do I have swayed in my choice of medium as I have become more knowledgeable about what mediums are available and how to apply those to my own goals.  Only recently, last semester in Wayne’s class, did I learn of interactive installations in which art is installed into a space and changes based on how a user interacts with it.  This has become my prefered medium because the user is transformed into part of the artwork themselves.  After doing research into what place interactive installation has in the art world I have come to the conclusion that my desires lie as a postmodernist artist.  I would like to create an experience through my art that allows the individual to make their own interpretations around the piece and so the individual can never be wrong with what they come away with.  I strive to create art that fascinates the viewer and inspires them to see the world differently and as a majestical place.

I have become obsessed with learning how simple everyday objects work and I enjoy breaking them apart to use pieces from them or make plans through transformation of their schematics.  My technique will always be developing as I will always need to keep up to date on new technologies but I am currently working with Arduino and Processing.  The Arduino allows for simple manipulation of electrical current and sensory while Processing is a simple java based visualizing program for the input received.  

Reuben Margolin has been an inspiration for me.  His kinetic sculptures, although not interactive, have opened my eyes to how simple engineering, and not so simple engineering, can make a piece totally revolutionary and new. I’d like to mix this idea with my interactive ideas to make art that never ceases to amaze its users.

Maker Profile: Reuben Margolin Kinetic Wave

Neil Degrasse Tyson - Most Astounding Fact