Paper Queen - Week VI

Ideation

Tell us about your assignment's idea for this week. Why do you care about this idea? What inspired you? (Please include images or links to sources of inspiration)

This assignment is called Mini Pattern Generator.

I create grid-based patterns on paper as a hobby, so I wanted to take this hobby to the next level and breathe life into these patterns with simple, repetitive animations.

Here are reference pictures for previous patterns

Tool Chain

Which software/machines/materials did you use in the assignment? Why?

Software

TinkerCAD

Arduino

Components

Breadboard

Resistors

Crocodile/Alligator Wires

Jumper Wires

Arduino UNO Board

USB cable

Blue LEDs

ON/OFF Switch

Tools and Materials

White Paper

Cardboard

Electric Tape

Scissors & Cutter Knife

Design/Preparation Process

Explain the design and/or preparation process of your assignment. How did you use the tool or software to design and/or prepare your assignment before fabrication/implementation?

Hand-drawn Pattern

Ideation:

I started with 3x3 grid
Decided to keep the middle square ON throughout the sequence
Kept moving the two other squares around
Movement criteria is one step at a time. One step in any direction Left, Right, Up, or Down
Since Blue is my fav. color, I decided to use blue LED

Digital circuit on TinkerCAD

Components list:

I used 9 blue LEDs as an OUTPUT components
9 Pcs resistors; 220 OHM. One resistor for each LED
ON/OFF switch as an INPUT component
Arduino UNO board to upload the code
USB cable to connect the Arduino UNO board to my laptop

Electric circuit OFF state

Electric circuit ON state

Circuit simulation on TinkerCAD

Code blocks on TinkerCAD

Code Blocks:

Started creating my code using the built-in code blocks on TinkerCad. Simply by dragging blocks of code and snapping them together to form a stack of actions
Following the hand-drawn pattern to put each LED on HIGH or LOW state
Lastly, I connected the ON/OFF switch and added the proper code block for it to operate

Beginning of code blocks and text

End of code blocks and text

Code blocks and text on TinkerCAD

Development/Implementation Process

Explain the development/implementation process of your assignment. How did you use the machine/tool to manufacture or implement the design of your assignment?

Electric circuit on Breadboard

Wired the 9 LEDs and 9 resistors on the breadboard using jumper wires.
Connected the 9 LEDs to Arduino UNO board same pins sequence on TinkerCAD.
Afterwards, connected the on/off switch following the circuit on TinkerCAD.
Then, connected the Arduino UNO board to my laptop via the USB cable.
I uploaded the code for troubleshooting and testing.
And TA-DA!

9 LEDs and resistors wired on breadboard using jumper wires

Arduino UNO board connected to breadboard using jumper wires

Mounting circuit onto cardboard

Folded 9 Paper Cubes to use as the interface for my project.
Assembled the 9 cubes together to form a 3x3 grid.
Cut a cardboard square that's around 30% bigger than my 3x3 grid
Drawn a grid on the cardboard to create a hole for each LED
Placed the 3x3 grid on the cardboard and secured it with 4 metal pins
Reused a cardboard box I had from another project, and turned it into a case for the electric circuit and Arduino board.
I created two holes on the side to mount the on/off switch and the USB cable.

Final output:

Full enclosure (top view)

Overcoming Challenges

When you got stuck, what/who did you turn to? At what point did you have to pause to research or learn more before moving on? What are some mistakes, pitfalls, or challenges that others can avoid if they were doing this assignment?

It was challenging (for this assignment and last week 's assignment) to work with the big breadboard that is included in the kit. Specially for enclosure and assembly process.

I purchased a small breadboard from RAM electronics, and it's perfect and more practical for this stage of wiring and assembly.

Big Breadboard

Small Breadboard

Assignment Design Files

Week#6 assignment

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