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Wednesday, 1 May 2013

MDDN 251: Description and Images


The purpose of my project was to get and LCD screen taken from an analog alarm clock to light up when a microphone connect registers a change in noise. When the microphone is directly interacted with, such as blowing on it, tapping it or talking to it very closely, the lights registered the change in volume and begins to flash rapidly, as if your interaction stimulated then screen.
When music is played to the microphone, a pattern in the screen is shown. When the music has louder drums or beats, the lights will play faster. Between these, if the music was quieter and slower, the lights wouldn’t play as frequently. Therefore, the prototype has been nicknamed “Musical Lights” (with reference to Musical chairs – When the music stops, so do the participants).
This was achieved by connecting the lights of the screen to two shift register microcontrollers that decreased the number of pins connecting to the Arduino to five instead of 20. The microphone was then connected to the Arduino also with a 100x amplifier that made the audio waves easier to register.
The video shows one particular song, Keep Hope Alive by Crystal Method (full credit). The techno type of music is most effective in creating these patterns, as there is an audible beat that the lights can duplicate.





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