Week 5 - Halfway there!

We finally received our pressure sensors in the mail, and got to play with them! To familiarize ourselves with these force-sensitive resistors, we used this tutorial using an Arduino and a breadboard. To see the analog output, after loading the Arduino code to the board, open up the Serial Monitor under Tools. Seeing the analog input is great, but we also want this information to do something! We set up an LED in the breadboard creating a parallel circuit that would split the current between the 10k ohm resistor and the LED.

Below you can see a video of the LED turning on when the sensor is pressed and off when released. I should note that this type of pressure sensor is actually very sensitive and will work even when tapped or pressed from just one side (as it will be on our dance suits).

We also set up the EL Sequencer board we have to the chasing EL wire we have. We think that the moving effect will enhance the design overall of our suit. Below is the chasing EL wire reacting to our sound sensor. On the chasing wire, there are three ports altogether that control the moving effect. One provides general power, and the other two control alternating sections of the wire. The code for the chasing wire is slightly different- the important thing is that the second and third ports are opposite in HIGH and LOW at any given time.

We also have finalized the design of our EL dance suit! Below is a drawing by Leia that showcases how we want to sew the EL wire onto a black long sleeve shirt and leggings. 

We also determined that we will sew the EL wire intended for the legs onto a black canvas cut-out and velcro it to the dancers' leggings in two parts (the thighs and the calves). Our hope is that this will make it easier for the dancer to put on and take off the EL wire, as well as make our job in sewing the suits easier. 

We also are looking into locations to reserve for our dance performance, so we will be notifying you when we know where our final performance will take place!

Until next time!