Exercise 16. Applications and Implications
Assignment: Final Project Proposal
- Propose a final project that integrates the range of units covered
Learning Outcomes
- Define the scope of a projects
- Develop a project plan
Evidence
Answer the following questions:
The What
My project is virtual reality...from the 19th century. I will be building a moving panorama, or crankie. Sue Truman, of The Crankie Factory, defines it simply as:
A crankie is an old storytelling art form. It's a long illustrated scroll that is wound onto two spools. The spools are loaded into a box which has a viewing screen. The scroll is hand-cranked while the story is told. It can be accompanied by a narrative, song or tune.
A precursor to cinema, moving panoramas were popular across the U.S. and Europe especially in the 19th and early 20th century but are rooted in a tradition of picture scrolls that date back to as early as 156 BCE.
Stories are often paired with music
And sometimes the scrolls function as moving backdrops for puppets, borrowing from traditions of shadow puppetry originating in Asia as far back as 156 BCE
In their earliest form, crankies often gave a glimpse into a faraway place as imagined by the artist such as China, India, the wild west, and the Arctic, or presented stories with familiar characters or themes. Minstrel performers would travel from within a region or city to city to present their performance to the public. Later on crankies became a feature of vaudeville performances. They also appeared in train windows at early amusement parks.
The International Panorama Council has a searchable database of all types of panoramas, including information about their creators. Although it only covers the US and UK, Ralph Hyde has also compiled a comprehensive list of panoramists throughout history.
In the past 25 years there has been a renewed interest in this artform, often tied to folk music, stories, and art and shared at museum exhibits and arts festivals.
The Build
Most crankies include: a scroll, a wooden body, dowels and cranks to move/hold the scroll, and a bulb to backlight the scroll.
Some crankies are as small as match boxes
and others fill up entire walls
I'm going to go the more traditional route and create a suitcase-sized moving panorama, perfect for the traveling showman or for the parlour crankster using suggested dimensions here.
Materials:
| Material | Purpose | Source/Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Plywood .25" | crankie box & knobs | In house |
| Butcher paper roll 18" | scroll | $13.99 for 2 |
| Dowels .75" x4 | scroll holders and positioners | $2.98 each |
| Printable sticker paper OR colored vinyl | colored stickers | $9.49 for 12 sheets |
| Black cardstock | Puppets/Scenery | In house |
| PLA filament | Bulb holder | In house |
| PCB Material | Circuit boards | In house |
| Electronic components | RGB sensor and LED bulb | BOM in progress |
Manufactured in the Lab: CNC cut press-fit crankie box and cranks, milled and stuffed PCBs, 3D printed bulb holder, color-printed stickers
The How
Manufactured in the Lab: CNC cut press-fit crankie box and cranks, milled and stuffed PCBs, 3D printed bulb holder, color-printed stickers, Laser cut puppets/scenery
Processes:
- Computer-aided design
- Computer-controlled cutting
- Computer-controlled machining
- 3D design and printing
- Electronic design & production
- Embedded programming
- Networking of input and output devices
The When
Crunch time is on! I don't have a lot of time to complete this project, so being organized and efficient will be key.
Timeline
- 5/30-6/3: Purchase supplies, finish BOM, finalize box and sticker design, update documentation
- 6/4-6/6: Cut box, Prep summary slide, design boards
- 6/6 DUE: Dissemination plan, Summary slide (presentation.png, 1920x1080), Video clip (presentation.mp4, 1080p HTML5, < ~minute, < ~10 MB)
- 6/7-6/8: Mill, stuff, and test boards, design/print bulb holder
- 6/8-6/11: Write code and program boards, develop sample story
- 6/11-6/15: Put together crankie, cut stickers and puppets, write code, program boards
- 6/16-6/18: Debug, Fixes, etc.
- 6/18-6/20: Finalize video clip, documentation
- 6/20 DUE: Final project presentation, all project documentation
Remaining Questions
- What will be the best light source? What will be the best way to support it?
- Will the RGB sensor get enough light to sense colors passing it?
- Will project incorporate sound (likely not at this point)?
- What light sequences will be programmed? Ideas: lightning storm, sunrise and sunset, rainbow sequence, various colors
- How will the RGB board and the LED board communicate to each other?
Evaluation
Fab Academy presentation as well as local and global evaluation.
Additionally, I hope to take an updated version of crankie to the 5th Annual Vermont Crankie Fest in January 2019 for review by other cranksters and crank enthusiasts.