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Fortune Teller Project - Paper Circuits
Creating a fortune teller was a lot harder than it looks! This was even considering the fact that I didn’t even think it was going to be easy so I started the project with as much time as possible because I knew it was going to take some time.
I am a visual person who needs to see things to be able to understand logic. This includes having a hardship looking at written words or hearing instructions, whether it’s my autism or something else, I've learned to work around it. Therefore, being able to visualize a circuit that becomes one with the non-electronic parts– was my biggest fear before starting the project. So, on to the notebook!
The project was to create a circuit that has either a motor or an led light, that has some sort of user interaction. The power button did not count.
Creating a fortune teller idea that was given to try to students if they liked, otherwise they had free reign to try and fit the requirements. We were given copper tape, a pink ball, a plastic stand that fits with its matching cup, batteries, a battery holder, and a vibe motor.
As someone who likes to go big in projects right off the start, I spent a little too much time on just thinking about what I could do with the materials I had that could complete the project. I had even gone to Pinterest to get even more ideas, which I did get, however, I didn’t have 100 LED lights, a pen holder, green electrical tape, and green or blue plastic bottles (I wanted to make a bouquet of flowers). Ignoring the fact I didn’t have the materials, that illogical idea would take me so many hours which I didn’t have.
After looking at so many beautiful art projects for about an hour, I stopped and told myself, “Take a step back, and look at the big picture.”
At this point, I wasn’t terrified of trying something new or thinking I couldn’t do it, I just was falling into the part of me that wants to see how far I could go.
The last class was literally about mindset and open and closed circuits on paper, Claudia please. T.T
Taking that step back helped me realize where I was putting lots of effort and time into (Not a whole lot of time and effort because I managed to catch myself before I did). This was one of the first projects of the class. The big one at the end is probably the one I would want to use that “go big with sparkles” mentality I have. Therefore I stopped and chose to go for the fortune teller design.
….
That was until, I thought, “hmmmmm, maybe instead of fortune answers, it could be something that could tell me what color I should wear for the day, or tell me what music note to play next.” There went another hour of me trying to figure out what I wanted for the choices the pink ball to have!
I blame my lack of attention span and my need to get creative to fulfill the stimulation my brain needs.
Thankfully, past me was able to snap out of it another later after I was driving myself out of my mind with possibilities and decisions. “I will make the fortune teller and make it sassy.” With that thought I smiled and got to work.
The notebook page depicts my process on planning and building.
I listed out the materials I had
The requirements
This is where I spent an hour or two deciding on doing something different
Fortune teller materials
Plan #1
This is where I finally decided on the fortune teller. And had a ????? moment. Because I didn’t know how to express my process in writing instead of just running and getting things done as my mind goes elsewhere.
So I intuitively drew a technical sketch of how I think the circuit would be with only its main parts.
Battery
Wire
Motor
Open section
I didn’t think I did the sketch right or that it would help me later (I was wrong) so I drew the cup and the ball as realistically as I could. My incredible artistic skills can be seen on the picture. It looks like the Meet the Robinsons' machine.
Right?! Mine looks like an abstract version of this, which I don't know how since I'm just making a fortune teller instead of a machine that can read minds.
Anyways! My plan was to use the self-regulated method of plan-do-evaluate. So my drawing depicts my first idea of having the battery and the motor outside of the cup that help the ball. I believed the ball would still turn from making the plastic vibrate enough for it to start turning over inside the cup.
My next task wasn't to try and build it just as I drew/planned, rathed I “mocked” it’s building. What I mean is that I had connected the battery to the motor and turned it on. Then I tested by putting the motor to stand outside on the surface of the cup with the ball. The results were that the cup would vibrate but not enough to shake the ball from the outside. In a second, my whole idea was scratched off since I needed to make a new plan that involved the motor being on the inside, mostly under the ball so it makes it turn.
With a better understanding of what to do now, I started building by simulating the place I wanted the motor to be and how I would connect its wires.
After realizing that if I just connected the motor and copper tape, with no connection to the battery whatsoever... the thing wouldn't work. So this really helped me out to evaluate my process.
Pink post-it notes came to my rescue. I cut one in half to create the two strips that would be the bridge to connect the motor to the battery. I was only able to finally understand what I should do next after I went back to look at my technical sketch of the circuit. It basically is just a "circle" but a little bend and upside down in some places.
Both strips of paper were added copper tape but one had the tape above it the other had it below. That way a person could connect the strip like an envelope. The red wire was connect to the strip of paper and the blue wire got ripped away from its own pink paper. Instead, the blue wire connected to copper tape that went down vertically reaching the battery. Therefore one wire was connected to the battery through tape, and the red one would need the user interaction to close the circuit to connect to the battery as well since the other side was connected to the battery as well. This was a complicated explanation but I hope I got the mental image drawn for you. Hopefully the video shows it better
After all the wires were connect, and the battery had its own copper tape at its station, the fortune teller was ready to be tested. In its raw form, the fortune teller didn't look so pretty with all the copper and plastic tape I used to hold things together, however, one I pressed down on the battery and closed the bridge, the ball inside began to rotate! I had done it! At midnight nonetheless!
I was so happy it worked and I didn't have to tear it down again. In the end, it took me about 3-4 tries to get it right, with a lot of thought and evaluation in between.
The next part included me covering the whole cup to make the words not noticeable to the user as the fortune teller is being operated. I wrote words with marker on the ball, (no, yes, maybe, lol, try again, sure?) I added "sure?" for my own entertainment for future me to get frustrated at the unclear answer. I bet future me, loves me.
I recorded myself when I first tried it, and filmed a bit of the progress. However, I want to conclude this long reflection with the topic of mindset. There were definitely moments where I had to "regulate" my mindset from my own exceptions of my results. There's a part in the video where you can hear me repeat, "It doesn't have to be perfect," a lot of times to myself. The most important part is to learn, reflect, and have fun which I was able to accomplish once I let all my worries and setbacks leave my mind. There were time where I didn't know where I would put the battery! I was having a crisis over that small detail. "Ah, will points be taken off if the battery is still visible?" After panicking for a second, I was done panicking and went to the back of my room and cut a square of card-box from a box. That became the base to my whole structure so it can actually be moved and not break.
I did not think I wasn't going to be able to do it, I had a harder time surrendering to an efficient mindset and finding the logic to the design. Even if during the process I had believed it to not be perfect, now as I am writing and looking at my fortune teller on the side, all I can think of is how pretty and cute it looks. It is perfect to me with its tape and awkward angels. It looks like a chalice! A pink innocent chalice that that holds the answers to one's fate.
Even if you miss at first, or the hundreth time, go get that stray arrow and try again.
Finally showing off my night lights for my "artistic photography of a magical chalice"
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