Semester 02 Lessons
Introduction
19 Jan 2023
The class today consisted of setting up our
prototypes and giving each other feedback
regarding how we feel about our classmates
works.
The lecturer thought that the TouchDesigner idea was interesting and quite a few people did not understand the concept behind the textile noise maker because it deviated greatly from the research topic of urban noise pollution because the play kit set and image distortion idea made use of field recordings. To connect the textile noise maker with my other artefacts, I must find another method.
Peer Feedback
02 Feb 2023
During today's prototype consultation, I showed my paper prototype of the play kit set to the lecturer. We agreed that the original idea would be too difficult to conceal the cables and electronic components. It was originally intended that the play kit set would be an educational kit in which kids would become more aware of the effects of urban noise pollution. However, the method of using 3D-printed birds and trees did not work well because the children would not understand why natural bird sounds are substituted with urban sounds instead.
I decided to implement my other idea of creating a fabric moss carpet to act as a sound sensor for the touch board. This will enable the electronic components to be hidden better. The lecturer gave me several suggestions on how I could include conductive materials in the carpet.
Conductive Methods
08 February 2023
For my textile noise maker, I signed up for a
studio session since I needed assistance setting
up an Arduino Piezo buzzer. The lecturer
provided me with instructions on how to proceed
and which electronic components I would need to
purchase. As a result of the lecturer's code,
the vibrations induced by the various textures
were displayed using an Arduino serial plotter
graph.
Link
to Code.
Despite the fact that the prototype works, I still need to improve the sensitivity of the buzzer given that when you rub the scraper against the textures, the graph is not very responsive and slow.
Arduino Serial Plotter Graph 
Graph Reacting to Textures 
Piezo Buzzer Plate Setup
Arduino Uno Setup 
Piezo Buzzer Plate Connected 
Piezo Buzzer Plate Closeup
24 March 2023
An in-class soldering session was conducted today by the lecturer. Having never soldered wires before, I attended the session. During the soldering session, my friends practised soldering the wires on my moss carpet. I greatly appreciated their assistance since I was not familiar with soldering all the wires myself and maintaining a steady hand was challenging for me. As a result of the cables being attached to the touch board, the carpet was more durable and the cables would not disconnect during transportation.
The other challenging aspect of the soldering session was that I had difficulty removing the rubber coating from the cable because I kept cutting it off instead of just the rubber coating. One of my classmates suggested that I use a wire stripper since it only removes the rubber coating, not the copper wires. In addition, the lecturer recommended that I use hot glue to protect the exposed copper wires from breakage.
Soldering Session Photos
