Week 8: Input Devices

A light sensor would actually be very useful in my final project. If it can sense sunset, it can switch from energy-absorption mode to LED light mode.
I wanted to make a sketch of my leaf component with acrylic and use the vinylcutter for my circuit. I didn't re-design the board-- \ I just copied the one Neil posted, and tried to re-create it on Eagle later in the week (failed:)
I used the 1/8" plexi (because it was what was lying around) but it is actually too thick to be my real leaf. I used power: 50 and speed:3:



and stuffed it:

I had to debug, because when I tried to plug it in it BURNED MY FINGER! It turned out I oriented the ATTiny45 with the dot at PB0 (BAD). The dot should always be with PIN 1! Then it worked, but a vinyl-cut circuit is too fragile in general.

My light sensor circuit on plexi leaf, which broke.
So I had to pour hot glue all over it. Ugly. This is not going to be how I make the final project.

Onto programming...I wanted to use Processing, because that is the most familiar one to me, "familiar" being I saw David use it when he demonstrated structured light last week. I have never used Java languages before. After I finally figured out how to make the Processing file read the sensor (Using File-Examples-Library-Serial-SimpleRead (Thanks Sarah)) and after having the USB FTDI driver installed (VCP, thanks Shelby), and after David Carr showed me that they are indeed communicating with each other (Thanks David, the ever-patient TA), I found out that the sensor probably needs de-bugging: It starts from around 111 and slowly decreases to around 75. It does not respond to light. I am not sure what it is reading. At this point in the week I got really sick with the flu so didn't get much further than this.