Month: January 2007

to make the binary idea work better, without having to remove the leds, i could have used a switch using poles and throws. this would open or close a circuit.. crossfading is a possiblity as well.

so for about two weeks now, i’ve been trying to come up w an interesting, orginal application for a light. today is class, and i have not much to show for all this time of light though/observation. my original idea was to make two led’s a toy for kids (or growups). they could put the lights in the nose, and light them up. rudolph fun! but then i thought the heat and exposed wire might not be very safe. i had other ideas that were pretty much already in effect in the modern world. in my daily routine, i think i could use a red and a green led to sortof act as an “interact indicator” for people around me. a strong red would say, stay away. a softer version would say, approach if you have to, but best to avoid for now. similarly, a bright green would invite, whereas a weak green woul say come say hello, but don’t expect a great exchange. … yea, i guess this would be one of those not great creative weeks. on the positive side, there is plenty of room for improvement. smiles.

i made the power connector item. and i’m happy to find out that the plastic wire coatings are just conventions, and since red is out in the lab, i’ll be using blue for this project. good times. i’m about to get this things working. soldering was not as easy as i thought it would be, but it’s not that difficult either.

the soldering worked! apparently i have close to 12 volts. pay no mind to the backward images please. it’s probably just your wacky eyesight.

i plugged in some things. the breadboard and i are now familiarized.

yes light. what is up. light works. yay! oddly, the red led’s weren’t working as well as the yellow.

i truly enjoy using this tool. (as sade would say, i couldn’t love you more.)

the ambiance around this gadget can now be adjusted. crazy (sexy, cool).

it feels good to have a finished product. in case you’re wondering, i’m shaking the hand of the “helping hand.” it was indeed helpful. this took i’d say… roughly 2-3 hours of hands on time, plus outside thinking, and shopping time. so, as a benchmark.. lab 1 for week one is… 5 hours. this is going to be a consuming semester, but i’m kinda excited at this point.

now i need to generate an interesting application for this little guy before wednesday. hmmm…

so i started to make my first circuit ever. i unwrapped the breadboard, power supply, and other pieces. florica (very kindly) guided me. lucia was saying hi. this is way too much fun already, seriously.