Description
For this assignment, I decided to create something Halloween-themed while exploring the use of DC motor. I created a mock Ouija board which is then integrated with a motorized "fan" (powered by the DC motor) that makes the board vibrates. After placing a coin (in place of a planchette), the vibrating board will make it move toward certain parts of the board, mimicking the interaction that one would do with an actual Ouija board. In the real board, the movement of the planchette is supposedly driven by the medium (who is channeling ghosts/spirits) to spell out a message.
One major challenge with this assignment is figuring out how to harness the rotational force of the motor, which is high-speed, but low-torque. I had a difficult time trying to attach anything to the motor without it slipping. Lighter materials such as paper works, but as soon as it run against another surface, the motor's torque wasn't strong enough to keep the paper spinning. I eventually reinforced it with rubber band and I changed the paper's construction slightly and added triangular attachments to strengthen the "legs".
A video demo can be seen on this https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzNIHWmnbWZ6aTdMSXJzU3BHN1U/edit?usp=sharing
Components
1x 10k Ohm Resistor
1x Diode
1x Transistor
1x DC motor
1x Arduino Uno
1x Breadboard
1x Macbook Pro
1x Ouija board
1x Coin
1x Kneaded rubber eraser
Code
int potPin = 0; // select the input pin for the potentiometer
int motorPin = 9; // select the pin for the Motor
int val = 0; // variable to store the value coming from the sensor
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop() {
val = analogRead(potPin); // read the value from the sensor, between 0 - 1024
Serial.println(val);
analogWrite(motorPin, val/4); // analogWrite can be between 0-255
}
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