Stupid pet trick

Super simple electronic components that make a fun installation. This uses an Arduino board and an ultrasonic sensor.

Materials needed:

 Arduino Board

Ultrasonic Sensor

DC to AC Relay (optional)

Breadboard

Misc. wires

Here is how this circuit is set up:

GND pin of Arduino to negative power rail

5V pin of Arduino to VCC pin of ultrasonic sensor

TRIG pin of ultrasonic sensor to pin 6 of Arduino

ECHO pin of ultrasonic sensor to pin 7 of Arduino

GND pin of ultrasonic sensor to GND of Arduino

Pin 3 is the output pin. Attach anything to this pin to be able to control it with the ultrasonic sensor. In this one, I connected a DC to AC relay.

Code used:

Note: This is a slightly modified Arduino example code that is available in the ultrasonic sensor example library

const int TRIG_PIN = 6; // Arduino pin connected to Ultrasonic Sensor's TRIG pin const int ECHO_PIN = 7; // Arduino pin connected to Ultrasonic Sensor's ECHO pin const int LED_PIN = 3; // Arduino pin connected to LED's pin const int DISTANCE_THRESHOLD = 100; // centimeters // variables will change: float duration_us, distance_cm; void setup() { Serial.begin (9600); // initialize serial port pinMode(TRIG_PIN, OUTPUT); // set arduino pin to output mode pinMode(ECHO_PIN, INPUT); // set arduino pin to input mode pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT); // set arduino pin to output mode } void loop() { // generate 10-microsecond pulse to TRIG pin digitalWrite(TRIG_PIN, HIGH); delayMicroseconds(10); digitalWrite(TRIG_PIN, LOW); // measure duration of pulse from ECHO pin duration_us = pulseIn(ECHO_PIN, HIGH); // calculate the distance distance_cm = 0.017 * duration_us; if(distance_cm < DISTANCE_THRESHOLD) digitalWrite(LED_PIN, HIGH); // turn on device else digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW); // turn off device // print the value to Serial Monitor Serial.print("distance: "); Serial.print(distance_cm); Serial.println(" cm"); delay(500); }

Ideas on how this could be set up in a gallery:

The desk lamp can include multiple items other than the desk lamp, like a fan or a massage chair, creating the perfect relaxation area.

The dollhouse cold be used to tell a story. By looking into the window, the observer can see a something interesting, like a mini crime scene. Reversing the light to turn off when someone approaches can change the story into one of secrecy. No one will know what happened in that house, and the lights turning off keep anyone from discovering the truth.

Reflection

With this project, my intention was to create something with a sense of mystery. My previous post can tell you all about my scavenger hunt idea. I would like to be able to show this ide at some point this semester, as I enjoy interactive works and would love to share my joy for it with the rest of the class.

I did face a lot of challenges in this assignment, mostly because I am having trouble keeping up with the coding aspect of this class, and I basically understand nothing. I was unable to come up with my own code for this assignment, even though it's supposed to be an easy one to understand, which is why I used an example code.

In the future I hope to be able to understand coding better, even just a little bit.