In this short video I am going to show you how this device actually works. I am not a native speaker sorry for my very accent, but I hope you like it. I explain the theory behind my device and how to make it yourself. Don't forget to watch it in 1080p.
I think that even those who don't really like the Star Wars series like the idea of moving objects only with your thoughts. I wanted so bad to make this real and then I started thinking then one day the idea came in like a lightning. I could use my smartwatch as a gesture sensor...
After Wookipedia: "The Force was an energy field that connected all living things in the galaxy. The power of the Force could be used by individuals who were sensitive to it, a power that was tapped through the midi-chlorians." You can give your girlfriend fruits and move warships with the Force, but for me is the most majestic and beautiful movie element ever used. Let me explain why. It made my childhood richer and I think if you read this as a Star Wars fan you can say the same thing. Fighting with wooden rods thinking they are lightsabers is one of the the best things in my life. I bet you have memories like this. This is why we all love this mysterious thing... The "Force" gave us so many good experiences.
I designed a SmartPlug basically. (That is smarter than usual) All you have to do is plug in your device in a wallplug then wait until it is connected and make hand gestures. You will be able to turn on your TV or lights and switch channels, then turn them off. It is so simple to use. Don't worry it will never happen that you accidentally control something, because I made a build-in filter in the code.
The Particle Photon is an Arduino-like microcontroller with about the same price, with the size of an Arduino Mini Pro but has an on-board WiFi module that makes everything so much easier. You can choose: a Particle or Arduino + WiFi modules.
Actually is a tiny chip that can send detect acceleration in 6 directions, this is more than enough for us to create this project, because we can detect a few special gestures this way. What makes a gesture detectable? If you take a look on how the Jedi knights move their hands you can figure out what physical forces affect on that. I just had to make a program for it.
I gave Amazon purchase links for three components. Everything else is salvaged from old electronics but you can buy them from a local hobby shop. As you see the hardware parts in this project is simple, but we will have to suffer a little bit with progamming... (Well you don't, you just have to copy + paste, I had to suffer.)
Press "Create" button to make a new project and you will be redirected to a page like me on the second picture. On the APP SOURCE part you can find the code. Copy-paste here the code that I will share in the next step. At the RESOURCES you can add pictures and icons to make your app look much better. I actually used a selfmade pixel Darth Vader.
I am sharing the code with you here. Copy and paste to your project file then "Verify" and after this press "Flash". And you are actually done. Now your system should work. The Instructable did not allowed me to paste my code here so please download this .TXT file. I have used a SAMSUNG TV so the commands and those long numbers are only available for Samsung TV users. If you have a different TV just Google it: "xyz brand arduino tv remote codes".
Plug in your gadget and connect a lamp to it for example. Make a hand movement and wait until switches ON or OFF. If everything works enjoy it!! From now you can enter your like a Sith or a Jedi. Just make a Force pull and your light will b turned on!
Enjoy your new ability! The smartwatch's battery lasts for about three days with intensive use and charges up in one hour. From now you can use your smart-plug with no external wires or other embarrassing things. You will have a simple and elegant system, I really like to use...
Hello once again people! Gammerguy here or thePYROhobo in minecraft with one of my favorite contraptions in minecraft! The TNT Force Field! This Minecraft contraption is one of my favorites because it involves explosives and redstone. To make this you will need:
First, get six blocks of anything-you-can-find then place two on the ground and one on top in an L shape. Then, get two ladders and place them on the top block and the block on the bottom that doesn't have any block on it. Next, place a Dispenser behind the L shapes so that an empty space is in front of the Dispenser. Place water on the empty space, make sure it doesn't spill out. You're done with the L shape thingies.
Behind the dispenser one block, place three blocks on the ground in a row and make another three row on top of it. Place three blocks in a row on the side facing away from the Dispenser. This part is important because the contraption doesn't work without it. Replace the row that connects the L together with redstone. Then, below the the top row place three redstone torches. This should act like a redstone comparator and start to blink very fast. I like this set up because it costs less resources to use in minecraft rather than using a restone comparator.
To activate this contraption just place some redstone that connects the stairs to the dispenser. Please note that this contraption will kill you unless you are standing behind one of the blocks near it so watch out!
That's all guys! I hope you enjoy this thing! I find it really helpful when I want to keep mobs and other players away from me. Please comment and follow if you want some more minecraft instructables and BAIIIIIIIIII!!!
In this Instructable I will share a design for a pressure sensitive floor mat sensoer that is capable of detecting when you stand on it. While it cannot exactly weigh you, it can determine if you stand on it with your full weight or if you simply make contact with it.
I started by assuming that the "conductive glue" on the tape was conductive. This seemed a fair assumption, but either my tape is not of this "conductive glue" type, or the "conductive" part is barely conductive.
I started by taping the 2 squares of Velostat together on both sides with kapton tape. I then cut 25cm long strips of copper tape and applied these on even intervals. The copper tape on either side is in exactly the same location, so that there is only a thin layer of Velostat between the copper. In the images a schematic view of the mat with a cutout for an overview.
When I tried testing it, the multimeter values would swing wildly between 10k and 100ohm. Also, standing on the mat or not made very little difference for the measurement. Something was horribly amiss. A quick measurement of the tape showed that the glue was not really that conductive. The sandwich of materials was copper, glue, Velostat, glue, copper, and the glue was kind of an insulator.
Back to the drawing board. The glue side of the copper tape clearly does not conduct enough. The front side is pure copper though. What if I invert the tape so that the copper side faces the Velostat.
A single trace was reversed on both sides. I took the tape that was glue side down, and stuck it to a piece of kapton tape. Reusing copper tape is finicky, but this stuff is slightly too expensive to just throw away. This piece of kapton tape with the copper facing away from the sticky side was stuck on the Velostat.
A new measurement was made. This instantly gave a stable result. One thing though. A single trace seemed to be 24 ohms when high, and 200 when low. This was while pressing only a small amount with my hand. If I have 12 traces, and fully stand on it, the mat might drop to below 1 ohm, drawing way too much current.
The first thing I did is add small pieces of tape as an insulator. The tape is on both sides. The gaps between the tape needs to be somewhat constant and around 1-3cm big, depending on how much resistance you want. The gap needs to be on the same spot on both sides.
Get a strip of copper tape and a strip of kapton tape long enough to span the Velostat. The copper tape needs to be 1-2cm longer than the kapton tape. Stick the copper tape on the sticky side of the kapton tape, with one side of the copper tape going past the kapton tape.
Stick the assembly to the Velostat, over the insulators. Make sure that the copper is in the same place on both sides. Also make sure that the excess copper is on the same side every time. Fold over the excess copper so you have a place to mount the connecting strip of copper. One advice is to have the excess copper over an insulated part of the mat so it is easier to solder to it later.
Add a top row of copper tape that connects all previously mounted strips of copper together. It is wise to insulate this row from the Velostat to prevent unwanted shorts or leaks. The top row connects to the folded over tabs left in the previous steps.
Carefully solder all the short strips to the top strip. This solder is needed because otherwise the top strip will not make contact with the rows of copper. Be careful not to add too much heat to the copper. The copper is mounted on plastic (Velostat), and melting through the plastic would be bad.
Test the mat to make sure it works. Connect a multimeter to the mat, and see if the resistance drops if you press any of the uninsulated parts. Also check if the resistance is somewhat stable if you do nothing. If this is the case, congratulation, the mat now works.
This is a bit lower than I am happy with, but it is still a workable value. There is plenty of difference between no load and a person standing on the mat. An observation made is that the pressure does not really define the resistance. The surface area does. If I stand on more of the mat with less weight, the resistance becomes lower than if I stand with all of my weight on a single spot. For what I need this sensor for, this is great, but do keep it in mind if you do build one.
The simplest way is using a voltage divider. Add a resistor before the pressure sensor mat (called R_mat in the schematics) and measure the point between the resistor and the mat (called MatA1). I used 47 ohm, but your mat might need something else. My logic level is 3.3V, you can use whatever your logic power level is.
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