Joining Techniques

Wearable Technologies - Embedding Soft Circuit

   

* Materials :

- Cloth (as the base).

- Aluminium foil (as the conductive material, it serves as the wire in the circuit)

   

* Make a stencil.

* One opening for the battery and the other opening for the LED (for test out purpose, no resistor).

* Cut out the red-marked area.

* Cut the aluminium foil according to the shape in the stencil.

* Iron On Technique

* Joining material : Hemming tape.

* Joining fabrics through ironing.

* Placing the materials.

* Top to bottom layers : Stencil - aluminium foil - hemming tape (cut according to the size and shape of the aluminium foil) - cloth.

* Iron the cloth (flip it up and down).

* Alternative way : take the stencil out, make sure the aluminium foil is on top of the hemming tape and both are on top of the cloth (these things move easily because they are light in weight), place another cloth/wax paper on top of the aluminium foil and iron it (slowly).

* The aluminium foil is now sticking on the cloth.

* Test.

* LED lights up.

* Glue Technique - Craft Glue

* Joining material : craft glue.

* Joining fabrics and paper.

* Use the stencil to identify the area.

* Using a cotton bud to apply the glue on the cloth (to avoid unnecessary/ accidentally glued)

* The cloth should be thick enough not to let the glue goes through and ends up on the surface below the cloth.

* After applying the glue, stick the aluminium foil on the sticky area.

* Let the glue dries up.

* Now, the aluminium foil sticks on the cloth.

* Test.

* LED lights up.

* Glue Technique - Spray Adhesive

* Joining material : Spray adhesive.

* Joining fabrics, cardboard, paper, wood, etc.

* Place the stencil on top of the cloth.

* The size of the stencil should be the size of the desired object (the spray will spray all places which are not covered by the stencil).

* Take the stencil out and sticks the aluminium foil on the adhesive area.

* The aluminium sticks on the cloth.

* Test.

* LED lights up.

* Joining technique experiments.

Flower Box

Major Interactive - Light Box

   

* Flower Of Life is drawn on a black paper.

* The paper is cut according to the shape of the flower. All the flowers should be connected.

* In the process of cutting.

   

* After the cutting.

   

* Light and LDR containers.

   

* LEDs are placed inside the box.

* Using series connection, each LED will go to one pin in arduino board.

   

* Attaching the flower cover on the light box.

* Cut out the unnecessary part.

* A small rectangular shaped item on the box is the LDR, which is used as the sensor here.

   

* LDR connection inside the LDR container. The container is placed below the light box.

   

* The light box. Assembling the cover.

* Test out with the arduino.

   

* LEDs turn off when there is light. (No passer by)

* LEDS turn on when there is no light. (A passer by's shadow blocks the light)

* Tidying up the cables.

* MISTAKES :

- 3 LEDs for one box are not bright enough.

- Arduino has only 13 digital pins, which make all the LEDs in one box should be parallel connected (one box takes only one pin).

Electronics Assignment

Assignment 3

* Materials :

- Laser Pointer (MUST use),

- LDR (MUST use),

- ultrasonic sensor or any other sensors (optional).

* MUST consist of multiple inputs.

* Outcome (pick 2 from the 3) :

- Array of LEDS,

- Processing (visual),

- gadgets or toys.

Laser Pointer - LDR

Electronics

* Collaboration with Mimi

* LEDs turn off when the light is blocked.

* LEDs turn on when there is light.

* The computer counts how many times we blocked the light.

* The connection in arduino.

Conductive - IronOn

Class Exercise - Wearable Technologies

* MUST USE TECHNIQUE : IRON ON TECHNIQUE.

* A stripe of conductive fabric was given by Teresa for each of the student.

* Come up with a simple soft circuit using the conductive fabric.

* When the cloth is closed, the current flows and results the LED to light up.

* The brown coloured fabric is the conductive fabric.

* To 'Do' on 28/10/08 :

- Presentation on the technique explored.

- Demonstrate or explain the technique.

- Write a technical report.

LDR - Transistor - Arduino

Major Interactive - The Lights

* How it 'should' work :

- A user (pedestrian) passes by, the shadow triggers the LED to light up.

- There will be lights along the shortcut.

- The lights go dimmer as they approaches the end of the shortcut.

- Initial idea :

 * All the lights work together, if one LED is bright, the rest will also be bright.

 * Problem in the idea : there may not be only one pedestrian who does jaywalk at one moment. If the first person reaches a spot where the light goes dimmer, the second person comes in and he will make the lights go brighter.

- Idea changes to one LDR (as the light sensor) will control a set of lights and the lights are separated from the other lights.

   

* First try.

* Using arduino (Eng Tat's suggestion to control the light)

* Using the sketch of Digital Blink.

* Reverse effect (the light lights up when there is light and turns off when there is no light).

   

* Trying using 3 LEDs to create an array of lights.

* When a light is shone on the LDR, the LEDs turn off and when there is no light, the LEDs light up.

* Try using 2 LDRs.

* LED lights up where the LDR receives no light. The other LED is OFF because there is a light shone on it.

* Same as above.

* Trying on the other LDR and LED.

   

* Shine on both LDRs, both LEDs turn off.

* No light, both LEDs light up.

* Top view.

   

* Simple set up.

* LDRs are not sensitive enough.

* Problem :

- The intensity of light from both LEDs is the same.

   

* Using a transistor as a switch.

* The value of the resistor determines the brightness of the light.

* Placing the components on a board. (transistor-based switch).

   

* Transistor-based switch.

* LED lights up when there is no light. 

* LED turns off when there is light.

* Top view.