Input Devices¶
Goals¶
Group assignment:
- Probe an input device(s)’s analog levels and digital signals
- Document your work on the group work page and reflect on your individual page what you learned
Individual assignment:
- Measure something: add a sensor to a microcontroller board that you have designed and read it.
Prior Knowledge¶
I learned and experimented with potentiometers in ELectrical Engineering. I will use this week to expand my knowledge.
Timeline¶
Re-did several weeks later.
Process¶
Plan¶
I will be refining my board from last week and focusing more on inputs.
Conveniently, I already know that the iteration works, so there are just three changes, besides just treating them extra carefully.
- Make two backups of the same one.
- Fix the outline depth error.
- Use a 1k potentiometer.
I would like to compare the precision of the 10k and 1k board. I already know the rough values of the 10k resistor, I will be observing and testing the 1k more precisely. Since I already have the code, I can tweak the range of the reading as well.
Due to the way I coded the servo, the potentiometer value affects not only the result of a manual reading, but the speed and angle of the bridge.
Re-Mill¶
In the middle of a mill, I talked to Dr. Taylor about my progress. He took a quick look at the drill bits. Out of my four drill bits, it turned out that not one, not two, not three, but all four of them were broken! He suggested I check them under a microscope and find new ones.
Also, I took Amalia Bordoloi’s advice to use a 1/32 bit instead of the 1/16. I would skip the last tool change step since I already chose it. Considering the amount of boards designed and bits broken, I have nothing to lose from trying.
The board came out quite smooth and detailed. The soldering iron ran hot and kept burning the pin headers. I stopped after my attempt to solder the servos. I could still work with the design, as no connections were cut off or made in the process.
When I continued, the microcontroller came out well-connected. Since the 1k potentiometers were too long for the board, I used my 5-Minute Crafts wisdom to cut most of the metal off each side. They were still conductive. As for the servo, I made some kind of bubble of solder, the traces burned and ripped, and eventually I realized my fate.
Re-Mill¶
Potentiometer Reading¶
My next step here is to read the potentiometer values.
Reflection¶
Group Work¶
Positives¶
Modifying input values helped me understand both the specific requirements of potentiometers and the role of inputs in gameplay. The potentiometer placement was intuitive, I did not need to pay extra attention to pinouts.
Negatives¶
The soldering, as well as the process of finding a 1k potentiometer whose pins fit onto the pads, took longer than anticipated.
Takeaways¶
Consider the KiCad footprint more carefully and ensure that you have the necessary materials.