a. brainstorm project idea

b. investigate current research/projects that use similar methods to ensure the project is feasible technologically

c. draft list of project parameters/requirements

d. sketch preliminary designs on paper

e. use Fusion360 software to draft designs for both the final product and its prototype version

f. make a budget for all necessary materials to ensure the project is feasible economically

a. order materials for prototype

b. laser cut/3D print any other components necessary for the prototype

c. test all components -- in this case, testing the LEDs to make sure they displayed good color variation and were individually addressable

d. assemble prototype -- for LED panel, insert LEDs into the laser cut holes on the panel in the correct order for the array

e. laser cut/assemble using VEX parts a frame to hold the LED panel and acrylic panes in their proper positions

a. test generic code to make a string of RGB LEDs light up and display different colors

b. test specifically the Arduino NeoPixel library to ensure that we can output values for our specific array configuration

c. test serial processing with transmission from Arduino to reception in Processing using example code

d. establish serial communication between the two programs using strings of RGB values, making sure the LED array can display those values properly

e. coordinate webcam read-in to serial communication