My Final Project Plan

What will it do?



I named my Final Project the Maestro Picasso, the goal is to make a machine that will draw waves of sound coming from an audio Input, The project consist of designing and making the two axes drawbot and the audio Input that will be convert into an output to drive my stepper motor. It's a simple two aces drawbot, that is designed to be able to draw and reprensent visually a sound input.

The Idea behind it is to demonstrate how everything we perceived is a question of persepective, music can be heard, and it can be seen. The project is a statement against discrimination of all sorts. It may be a bit far fetch, but I see this project as something that could be a good exemple to show people around the world that things are not always what we think they are.

This first iteration is gonna be really minimalistic and will only draw simple wave of sound input, using a MSGEQ7, a multiplexer capable of transforming a frequence into 7 windows.

In the future, I would like to intefrated multiple color in my draws. Also, I would like to be able to modify the draw using something like a processing program and transform my wave into something more esthetic, If I could find a way to make beatiful draw using the sound input, I could demonstrate to non hearing people how music can be beautiful.

But for now, we will stick to a simple 2 axes machine that is able to draw waves of sound using a multiplexer.




Who did what before hand?

I did a bit of research about what has been done before and I found some really interesting project that resemble mine, some are really similar and others totally different but apeal to me and my inspiration.

Oscilloscope Music


Oscilloscope music is a form of art where people generate sound that once read into an Oscilloscope generate a form of visual that can be really impressive. Drawing sound wave on an Oscilloscope is one thing that is pretty simple, make it sound and look good is another thing!

One popular artist in the Oscilloscope music world is named Jerobeam Fenderson, he did some really impressive thing that are really inspiring for me and the pilosophy of my project.

Here is one of his popular demo:

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As you can see this is really cool! It's an art form that I find inspiring since it shows how what we hear can become what we see... Check out his stuff!, He also made a software to ease your life for doing your own! Oscilloscope music

The TRS Drawbot


The TRS Drawbot is a DIY project, step-by-step guide, showcase by the famous Make magazine, This Drawbot can with the help of a WAVE Synthesizer, draw any SVG file that has been convert to the form of a series of PWM pulses that are stored into a .WAV sound file. you can then insert those .WAV file into your media player a connect it to your drawbot.



This is a really interesting project that is really nicely done and again represent well how perception can define and change our representation of what is something.

I listen to color


Neil Harbisson is what we can define as one of the very few "cybord artist", born with an handicap that made him completely color blind, he has an Antenna implanted in his skull that gives him the ability to hear color, even those that are not perceptible by the human eyes. he can hear symphonies of color and listen to such things as faces and paintings.



Neil Harbisson is my main influence in the idealisation of my project, he is the reason I went and took the time to think about what if what we see could be heard, or what we heard could be seen, Synesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon that mix-up multiple senses, we know there are an infinite form of intellegicense, and it is just crazy to imagine how a machine, a software or a hardware can help the human to have a more open perception of the things that are around us, the things that we see, taste, smell, touch, and hear.

I can't suggest enouph to go and check out this amazing persone, his fascinating approach to see and interprete the world around us, and to look into his own art.

He made a TED talks, go check it out, NOW!

what materials and components will be required?



For my project, I will need a few materials, and electronic component, here is a pretty echaustif list:

- Stepper Motor (400 Steps)
- Copper plate for PCB's
- Acrylic sheets 1/4" for the machine
- wood base 1/4" for the machine stand
- one Belt for driving my machine
- Screws and nuts for the machine
- MSGEQ7 (multiplexer)
- multiple basic electronic component such as resistance, female audio jack, capacitors, screw terminal
- 1 Attiny44 to send my multiplexer data to my motors.
- FABISP to program my board
- A4988 2 Pololu Drivers to drive my Stepper
- Pen
- birchWood 1/8" for the case of my electronics
- Electronical wire
- Heatsink for my Pololu Drivers

Amazon and digikey will be my main supplier for everything that is electronic related, as for the material, I will mostly use what I have in store at the lab. For an exhaustif look at what I will use and detail about it, please refer to my BOM.

The project should not cost under 100$, the stepper motor are by far the most expansive component in the project (around 25$ each), and since I will use material from the lab, I won't have to buy acrylic wich is also pretty expansive. All the other things are small electronics components that does not cost a lot of money.

What parts and systems will be made? // Wich process will be used?



The machine itselft will be design entirely by me, but I will inspire myself from the Axidraw. I will use Fusion 360 to CAD the machine. I will then mostly use a lasercutter for cutting the multiple part. If time prevail, I may do an Alluminium frame for my machine instead of an acrylic one, in this case I would use a CNC to cut the parts. The penholder will be 3D printed and again design by me, using Fusion360.

I will also design the input board that will take the sound Input that will be processed by an MSGEQ7 and then send to my POLOLU Driver via an Attiny44. I'll also make a board to nicely fit my motor drivers, using headers and screw terminal, this board will make a nice home for my A4988.

So exept the actual POLOLU A4988 Every electronic circuit will be design and machine by me, using Eagle and my Home CNC.

Here is a list of all the process that will be used for the completion of my project:

  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Computer Controlled Cutting
  • Electronic Design
  • Electronic Production
  • 3D Printing
  • Computer Controlled machining
  • Embedded Programming
  • Machine And Mechanical Design
  • Input eletronic Design
    •

    As you can read, I will use a wide variety of skills that we explore during the Fabacademy program to realise and complete my project. It will sumarize and demonstrate how I was able to internalize what we learn during the course.

    What task need to be complete


    Priority Task

  • Machine Design on Fusion360
  • Machine parts machining
  • PenHolder design on Fusion360
  • Printing PenHolder
  • Machine Assembly
  • Input Board Design using EAGLE
  • Input Board Machining and Soldering
  • Output board Design (using a4988 pololu drivers)
  • Output Board Machining and Soldering
  • Embedded Programming for the Attiny44 on my Input Board using the arduino IDE
  • Test PCB's
  • Design case for PCB's
  • Laser Cut the case
  • Final Assembly

    •  Optional Task

  • Machine the frame of the machine into Alluminium 6061
  • Pen holder supporting more than one pen, using a servo morot to switch between pen
  • second iteration of a Machine Design that fits and correct all the previously made mistakes
    •

    The machine and the electronics boards are already made, I had some issues using the MSGEQ7 and I'm hard at work tweaking the code and testing the whole design. I made several mistake that will all be documented in my Final project page, for now, I planned to be done for mid june, some question still need to be awsered like will the machine be stiff enouph to make a precise draw. Will my multiplexer finally gonna work correctly.

    For the evaluation Process, I will first present my video and slide to Neil on the 15th of June, and then will have a solid documentation for the global evaluation, I hope they will see the work put into the project, more than just the final result.

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