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[on:]

Can anyone offer guidance and build advice/help for an art installation/interactive display cases I'm attempting to create?

Basically I'd like to use the Arduino Duemilanove with a wave shield and other items to create interactive display cases for my thesis show in the next month.

I'd like to incorporate a set of pressure sensors in a bench so when the audience sits in a particular pose the pressure will trigger a halogen spot light in the display case in front of the bench to get progressively brighter, I'd also like a timed mp3 audio clip to play through external speakers and a turntable to rotate the object in the display case (for an uninterrupted minute). Power for the setup should be converted from AC. And I was wondering if it's possible to use 3.5mm audio cables to route the info from the pressure sensors to the arduino and waveshield that will be hidden in the base of the display case? What do I need to control the dimmer ready spot and are pressure sensors the best way to go for this setup?

I'll also need coding help.

If there is anyone that can offer consulting/assembly help in the Toronto area I'd be glad to hear from you!

Regards,

RobertC

[Reply #1 on:]

How would you enforce a particular pose when people come in so many shapes & sizes and wearing coats or not & so on?

The rest seems ultimately doable.  Maybe not in a month by volunteer effort over the internet tho.
>  pressure sensors (how many?)
> halogen light fade in (how many watts? how long a fade time?)
> MP3 player (MP3 shield, or hack an on-switch) that plays for undefined time
> power amp for speakers - how many watts? stereo?
> motor for turntable (how heavy, how fast rotation) to spin 1 minute
> wallwart power (Canada same as US? 120V, 60 Hz?)
> mono or stereo 3.5mm cables? (I think this is same as headphone plugs?)
> undefined distances between devices

> what is a wave shield?

[Reply #2 on:]

Hi CrossRoads,

Thanks for the reply. To answer your questions:

How would you enforce a particular pose when people come in so many shapes & sizes and wearing coats or not & so on?
> The use of pressure sensors on the seating area of a bench would detect pressure form the weight of a person on a bench. If arranged in a particular formation it can "read" a particular pose.

>  pressure sensors (how many?)
Two one on the seating area and one on an arm rest.

> halogen light fade in (how many watts? how long a fade time?)
Typical ikea 15w. 10sec fade time.

> MP3 player (MP3 shield, or hack an on-switch) that plays for undefined time
The waveshield is an add on to the arduino that plays mp3 files (just a coding issue that I find confusing)

> power amp for speakers - how many watts? stereo?
It'l plug directly to the wavesheild out. I was wondering if there is a very inexpensive set of wall mount ready speakers with it's own amp that anyone has had a good experience with ($10-50 price range)

> motor for turntable (how heavy, how fast rotation) to spin 1 minute
The turntables are made to rotate display mannequins and do 1 revolution a min. My question was concerning how to create a circuit so the micro-controller will activate (allow power through the turntable when certain pressure settings are triggered, solenoid?)

> mono or stereo 3.5mm cables? (I think this is same as headphone plugs?)
Yep headphone plugs, can they be used as wires to attach the pressure sensors? Bench (pressure sensors to a jack, 3.5 mm plug headphone wires to display case jack to arduino) or is there too much impedance?

> undefined distances between devices
bench jack to display case jack 2 ft max. Display jack to micro-controller 1 ft max. micro-controller to spot 5 ft, micro-controller to speakers 10ft+ ?

Hope this clarifies things.

RobertC

[Reply #3 on:]

Yes, as I said all utimately feasible.

Powered speakers - check out computer monitor speakers, I have an old pair of Gateway speakers for example that sound very nice.

Controlling turntable - runs off 120V? Most straightforward way might just be a relay that the uC turns on/off via transistor. Do you need it to end in same spot? Put an optical sensor somewhere, magnetic switch, stop the motor when it comes around.

Pressure pad - still thinking about that.
Cable choice can be made to work.

Distances seem a little funny, but can be sized to suit. Is the bench backed up against the case, or away from it so one can see the case?

Lamp - this kind of thing?
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70172578
Looks to have separate power supply, can put a transistor in the 12V return line & use that to fade the light.

[Reply #4 on:]

The pressure pad, you want range of readout on those? Or just on/off? (Sitting up straight, leaning to side).

[Reply #5 on:]

RobertC,
These came up for discussion elsewhere, maybe they would be useful for your sitting positions. Page 4 shows resistance vs force up to 10,000G, which I think is only 22lb.
They are only a few dollars at digikey.com (search for interlink).

http://www.interlinkelectronics.com/sites/default/files/94-00004A_FSR_Integration_Guide_2.pdf

[Reply #6 on:]

Found more
http://www.tekscan.com/flexible-force-sensors
100 lb, Model A201
4 pack for $65
and an e-book (that doesn't really help much) http://www.tekscan.com/pdf/Force-Sensors-For-Design.pdf