Keiichi Onishi

MAS.863 How to Make (Almost) Anything

Input Devices

This week's assignment was "measure something: add a sensor to a microcontroller board that you've designed and read it"

Overall progress

This week I wanted to make a small progress towards my final project, laptop theif prevention device, making a circuit board with accelerometer. However, due to my hectic schedule over the weekend, I ended up to make simple step response board referring Neil's board with copper touch sensors. Overall process went well, and Tomo and I creted fun application of this sensing device.

  • What: Copper plate touch sensor
  • Components: hello.txrx.45 board on fab class website
  • Design tool: Eagle
INPUT 02
Step 1: Design PCB

I followed Neil's board design to make step response board with only two sensing channel. I milled PCB without any issues. I am getting familiar with milling PCB!

INPUT 03
Step 2: Soldering PCB and making copper touch panel sensor

I soldered PCB, and also made copper touch panel using conductive copper film. Charles tought us we can solder wire to the conductive tape at 860 degree Celsius setting and quick. Now I have PCB and sensors.

INPUT 01
Step 3: Programming Attiny 45 and measure something

Thank God I didn't encounter during programming process. I successfully programmed IC following the same instruction as I did for embedded programming assignment. However, I had issue when I was trying to send command to run python program . After I change my command stating correct USB resource name, I run the program. You can find the USB resource name in dev. Tomo and I was playing with this sensor, and finally came up with acting a famous scene of ET like this video.