Week 16 - Applications and implications

Goals

Propose a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered.
Answer to the following questions:
- What will it do?
- Who has done what beforehand?
- What will you design?
- What materials and components will be used?
- Where will they come from?
- How much will they cost?
- What parts and systems will be made?
- What processes will be used?
- What questions need to be answered?
- How will it be evaluated?

Project proposition

A tool to experiment light art

You might be used to practicing art through a variety of media, thanks to some tools or instruments. Maybe you have experience performing graphic arts such as painting with watercolor, or drawing with pens. You might also have skills producing and arranging sounds with the help of a musical instrument or a computer. My intention with this project is to provide a small set of tools to explore light in an esthetic way.

Guidelines

Modular - It is a set of tools that you wouldn't use all at the same time, depending on what you want to create or explore. Thus you could have several types of texture pannels, a choice of windows to frame the light, various filters to place in front of the light source, etc.
Playable - I would like to give access to the large possibilities offered by programmable LEDs, but without modifying the code manually each time, nor using a web interface or something similar. I want to explore the gesture a person would use to play with the device, and define controls according to what may feel more natural, logical and fun.
Unpredictable - This project is about exploring a medium, so of course it will be quite unpredictable in a certain extense, because one wouldn't know precisely the result of their action before doing them. But also I want to erase the sense of the code and numbers that underlies the device, in particular regarding the color coding. So I am not aiming at total unpredictability, more at a way to prevent the total-control thing.

Also, it is important to mention that I mostly want to observe the light diffusion in space, and not the direct emission of LEDs nor something like a screen.

Elements of the set of tools

Elements that could be provided

Here are the roles I am hiring:

The first roles:

light sources

I could use any kind of light source, but it would be a shame not to rely on programmable LEDs. As I said I see them at first as sources of light, but if they're good looking and can also play an aesthetic role for themselves, that's even better.

screens

I need at least one screen to observe light and shadows. That could be a simple piece of paper. I prefer having several screens to take advantage of the 3D property of that medium. It could be some kind of folding paper screen

obstacles

Technically obstacles are also some kind of screens because they'll interrupt light on a surface. Obstacles are placed before the screen so you can also observe how lights create the volumic sensation, how the different surfaces are lit. Moreover, they cast shadows on the screen, that you also want to observe. I imagine them totally white, they could be some paper foldings and/or wood simple shapes.

The secondary roles

In addition to these first roles, I could also provide:

textures

Monochrome "2D" textures, such as textile, corrugated cardboard, heavily textured paper, or reflecting surfaces. They could act as a mix between screens and obstacles, and be placed either on a screen, or in the middle of the scene.

filters

Placed on the way of a light source, they could change their property (like a dichroïc polarizer) or their diffusion

windows

Some sort of negative screens: they block the light except in a window cut into a pannel. They allow to structure light effects visually.

The led controls

primary color dispensers

I would like to give the possibility to mix the primary colors (of light, which are red green and blue) as one would mix gouache painting colors. I'll have five color dispensers:

Red
Green
Blue
Black - to lower the brightness
Erase

color palette

This is where you would mix your primary colors. Then you could "fill" your light sources with the color in the color palette to change them. If the light element contains several neopixels, they could be lit progressively if you keep this element in contact with the color palette.

mixing colors

If I use led strips, it would be interesting to be able to "fill" with a color either one tip or another, thus allowing to fill both tips with different colors. It would be quite fun to give the possibility to "mix" these colors with a gesture like shaking - for example to create a color gradient.

The environment

space structure

I would like to define a 3D space. I am thinking about a 3D frame, integrated on a small furniture that could hold the main electronics part and drawers to store the elements of the set of tools.

Key questions

What will it do?

My project will consist in a set of tools to experiment light art.

Users will interact with it thanks to the following gesture:

Setting a RGB color in one of the palette pod, thanks to primary colors pucks.
Attribute this color to a led element by placing it on the palette pod. The longer the led element is in contact with the palette pod, the more the led element gets lit up.
- the led element can be filled with different colors if it's placed on another pod or if the user changes the color of the pod
Mix the colors of the led element if it has been filled with different colors, by shaking the led element
Place led elements on the scene
Place other passive elements of the kit on the scene
Enjoy the light effects, experiment various configurations

Who has done what beforehand?

Light art has been explored in many ways by artists and crafters. Among the more famous is the minimalist artist Dan Flavin who worked with neon tubes.

The led elements that I want to provide resemble to light tubes used in photography or filming. Similar coloured lights can also be found in interior design.

I will try building the more possible by myself, though I know I will use Neopixel RGB led strips instead of building the led strips myself.

What will you design?

I will probably be too short on time to design all the elements I would ideally like to provide in my set of tools. Here's the elements I would like to design in order of priority:

the led element, including the design of:
- PCB and wiring
- Clear / diffusing case (maybe molded silicone)
- Foot, allowing the tube to stand and hiding all the electronics. The bottom of the foot will expose contact pads to temporarily connect the foot element to the color palette
the color palette, including the design of:
- PCB and wiring for each pods
- Overall palette casing
the primary colors pucks, including the design of:
- PCB (optionnal, only if leds are included in the puck)
- Puck casing
3D framed scene
ribbed obstacles, in particular the design of molds.
a piece of furniture or casing that contains all the elements of the set of tools
screens
windows

What materials and components will be used?

Led elements

Here's the material needed for one led element:

Neopixel RGB led strips (WS218) with sufficient density (60 leds per meter). I need at least a meter to have several elements (an element should not exceed 15 leds).
ATtiny1614
MMA8458 3-axis accelerometer
Li-Po battery 3.7V
Small electronic components: capacitors (to filter signals), resistor (to protect the strip), switch (to turn the device on/off), headers (for UPDI/FTDI)
Wires, tin
PCB copper plate
Copper tape for the contact pads?
matt PLA/ABS for the foot
Option 1: silicone for the diffusing case. Option 2: diffusing acrylic (not coloured)
? matt PLA/ABS to provide rigidity to the tube ?
a UPDI/FTDI programmer board

sketch candle

Color palette

Here's the material needed for one pod (ideally 3 pods would be provided)

ATtiny3216
RC522 RFID reader
Neopixel ring
USB sector power supply / optionally USB power bank
Small electronic components: capacitors (to filter signals), resistors (to protect the neopixel ring + I2C pullup resistors), switch (to turn the device on/off), headers (for testing and for UPDI/FTDI)
Wires, tin
PCB copper plate
Copper tape for the contact pads?
Plywood for the casing
Diffusing acrylic or other diffusing texture (felt, paper, wood veneer)
a UPDI/FTDI programmer board

sketch palette

Primary colors pucks

Here's the material needed for one puck (5 pucks would be provided, minimum 3 pucks for R, G and B)

RFID passive tag sticker
3mm thick plywood

If the puck is lit up:

simple led(s)
cell battery
resistor
wires, tin
wood veneer

Ribbed obstacles

Here's the material needed for a ribbed obstacle

PLA / wax to create a premold
silicone to create a mold
Plaster / Drystone / Wax for casting
Epoxy resin for casting ?
Other casting materials ?
Or ABS sheet for vacuum forming ?
Paper

3D framed scene

Here's the material needed for the scene

Plywood
Depending on the assembly system: nothing if press-fit, or glue/ screws/ magnets
Optionnaly if there's a false floor to hide led elements inside : diffusing acrylic

The 3D framed scene could also be fully integrated in the overall piece of furniture.

A piece of furniture

I am really not sure about the final shape of this furniture or casing. Will it be a standing furniture, will it hang on a wall, or be laid on a table? Also it may just be a simple suitcase. Anyway I will probably need:

wood
drawer metal slides / piano hinge / magnets...
screws

Screens

A screen could be made of:

Wood frames
MDF slats
Paper / Felt

Windows

A window could be made of:

Plywood

Where will they come from?

We already have a lot of material in the Fablab, coming from our usual suppliers (Farnell / Mouser for electronics, trotec for plywood and acrylic, ). Some should be purchased in craft / art material (paper, felt, drystone or plaster)

How much will they cost?

Here's a (non extensive) Bill of Material

Component / Material	Price per unit (€)	Quantity
1M/60leds WS2812 Digital RGB LED Flexi Strip	16,80	1
Neopixel ring 16 or 12 RGB LEDS	7,50	3
MMA8458 3-axis accelerometer	7	4
RC522 RFID readers	4	3
NFC tag stickers	1	5
ATtiny3216	1,3	1
ATtiny1614	1	4
LiPo 3.7V battery	10	4
Plywood board 300*600 3mm thick	4,58	4
Plywood board 600*1200 12mm thick	50	1
Silicone RTV Esprit composite 1kg	43,65	1
Drystone / Plaster 1kg	12,95	1
LED diffusing acrylic trotec 300*600mm, 3mm thick	13,21	1
Matt PLA FormFutura 750g spool	34,99	1

What processes will be used?

Electronics design, PCB milling, hand soldering
Laser cutting
3D printing
Molding and casting
Large format machining ?

What questions need to be answered?

How to provide a nice finishing for the contact pads parts?
How to charge easily the batteries?
How is the scene integrated in its environment? (in order to define the 3D frame and the piece of furniture)

How will it be evaluated?

The project will be evaluated by test users. The main features to evaluate is:

Do the gestures to change the light colors feel intuitive?
Does the set of tools allow interesting expressivity?
Does it feel inviting for more experiments?

Project management

What has been done

Here's what have been done:

Three models of ribbed obstacles
Two successful molds for ribbed obstacle
Ribbed obstacles casted in polyurethane and plaster
Master board design (for the color pallette pod)
Code for the palette color change when a NFC tag is detected
Code to send a color value in I2C to a secondary board
Code to light the neopixel strip of the secondary board according to the duration of the contact
Code to mix two colors if a shaking movement is detected
PCB for the master board
V1 for the secondary boards