Video

Video for email notifier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBCuTVDprKk&feature=youtu.be

Since blogger doesn't have good uploading or viewing i uploaded it to youtube.

After changing my idea two of three different times I ended up with something that was interesting and had visual and sounds with it. The email notifier cheeks for emails regularly talking information back and forth from the internet through the port to the C# script and to the arduino. When  an email is sent and received in the email “inbox” the script from C# picks up that something new has entered sending that information to the arduino then outputting beeping and flashing led. Once the email had been cheeked the beeping and flashing led would stop. There are other ways that the output can displayed. I would have liked to connect it to a unique glowing object so others don’t understand why it wouldn’t turn on until an email in received and begins to glow until the email has been read. A whole series of these could be created glowing and beeping from different notifications. One linked to twitter, one to an email, one to Facebook, and possibly even to trademe for when you have been out bided in an auction. 

Three photos

Three photos

Fritzing

Fritzing

 

Python

Arduino

 Arduino
The code will be done with arduino

some code listings that i found as a guide.

int outPin = 12; // Output connected to digital pin 12
int mail = LOW; // Is there new mail?
int val; // Value read from the serial port

void setup()
{
    pinMode(outPin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
    Serial.begin(9600);
    Serial.flush();
}

void loop()
{
    // Read from serial port
    if (Serial.available())
    {
        val = Serial.read();
        Serial.println(val);
        if (val == 'M') mail = HIGH;
        else if (val == 'N') mail = LOW;
    }

    // Set the status of the output pin
    digitalWrite(outPin, mail);
}

Email notifier

Email notifier

Computer program cheeking every few seconds for emails coming into the inbox. when one is detected it talks to arduino sending messages through to turn on the buzzer and leds.

Changed idea.

Idea change

So ended up looking at an email notifier as the communication of my last idea wasn't the best. 

I will have a device make sound and light up led/leds when an email has been sent to the users inbox.

ATtiny

ATtiny

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9378 

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8669

Place where ATtinys can be purchased not sure is 85 or 45 is needed. Thesw would let the communication between leds and also the speaker from the arduino. Also another link that is for mics to the arduino. Can buy these or also find information online to make your own.

Components

Components

What i want to do with the led throwies is have something that communicates betweens a few of them and when they detect sound the would light up. I have the idea of putting them in a dark alley way where not much sound is detected.

After talking to a tutor i got given the idea of outputting a sound as well as the leds lighting up. The sound would be something random. Could be something that people would find soothing or exciting. It goes completely against the environment that it's placed in.

LED throwies with speaker

LED throwies with speaker

Connections between the led throwies talking with blue tooth synced back to the arduino the outputted back with speaker.

LED throwies

LED throwies

Another out put would make these more effecting and catch peoples attention more would be to have a possible out put of sound. The leds would still light up but music would come through depending on how loud the noise picked up from the mic is. depending on the scale it could play 3 different types of genres, classical, rock, metal. Along the lines of that.

Idea change

Idea change

Decided to change my idea partly. I really got drawn in with the idea of LED throwies. LED throwies are basically  leds, batteries, and a magnet. 

A site showing what led throwies are and how to make them:

 http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Throwies/

Some demos of them in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrnLF04qmsM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui9-_Gh4_b0

MDDN 251 - Project 2 proposal

Project 2 proposal

MDDN 251 - LED dj set video

Led dj set video

Here's a link to youtube for the video also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMJKrqapSMo&feature=youtu.be

Music by Devultra

Song: My friend scrappy

Had permission to use the song, 'My friend scrappy' by Devulrta.

MDDN 251 - LED dj set

LED Dj set with a ps2 controller + arduino 

My project that I set out to create was a LED Dj set controlled by a PlayStation 2 controller. How I 

went about doing so was stripping down the wires at the end of the controller understanding the 

meaning of each one and how they would react in the project. I then connected it to my arduino 

Uno with the wires mapped out to be in the correct pin places.  Example code was used to get 

configuration of the controller and have it read out commands in the serial monitor if everything had 

been wired correctly. I ended up running into a amount of difficulties during trying to connect the 

PlayStation 2 controller to the arduino Uno. After numerous times of changing wires around in the 

pin ports I found out that the first controller was broken. After getting a new controller I found that 

the wires were slightly different and had to then work out what wires were the , Clock, command, 

Data, acknowledge , etc. 

The end result of what I wanted my project to achieve was to assign buttons and the analogs on the 

controller to change the speed of the LEDs flickering, different ones turning on, and to dim them. 

The result would be a small lighting system that a user could Dj to music being played.   

MDDN 251 - Final 3 photos

Final three photos

MDDN 251 - Asked for help

Asked for help

I have been browsing youtube and asking people that have created their arduino projects on how i could get mine working. I haven't had much feedback but found out about having to use a pullup resistor with certain wires coming from the controller into the arduino. Also asked a few third year mates on how i could do it but they weren't sure about it.  Still haven't manged to get it to work though. This second controller could may be broken also.

MDDN 251 - Changing wire pins

Changing wire pins

Since i haven't been able to get the controller working with the wires in the places they are now i looked at different wiring systems. I tried one that makes brown wire the Data, yellow attention, orange command, ect. 

The site that i found the information on.
http://www.made-by-bacteria.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=62

I also just randomly switched the wires round in the pins to see if i could get a reading.

MDDN 251 - Wire connections

Wire connections

After connecting all the wires from the playstation 2 controller to arduino i have managed to get a power reading indication. When the analog toggle button is pressed light comes through the LED. For some reason the controller isn't getting the information through though as buttons are indicated that they are being pressed.  

MDDN 251 - New controller

New controller

 I tried a different way of revealing the wires at the end of the second remote by cutting off the black case and pushing the wire with the metal prongs firmly so they pop out. Having it done like this makes it a lot easier to connect wires into the arduino or breadboard slots.