Step 1 – In Lab
In lab, we constructed the two basic circuits, one of which I would go on to use in the project. The series circuit is a bit simpler and saves a resistor, but for my project I chose the parallel circuit because it helped me make sure that both LEDs had the same luminosity. One important note, my tall LED was probably burnt out. It illuminated a little bit so that I could tell current was flowing, but was broken thus the dim light.
Step 2 – Planning
The second step was to plan out what my custom switch and enclosure would look like. At first I thought that something with copper tape could be cool, and make it more interactive. But I could not think of any way to make the interaction interesting with it staying a simple switch. Plain out of ideas I decided to take a break and get a snack, when I saw my roommates empty box of corn flakes and inspiration hit like a tasty bite of a nutritious cereal.
The positioning and symmetry of the box were perfect. The eyes were less than a breadboard’s width apart (perfect!) and if I could get a plastic spoon I could wire it up so the user has to pantomime feeding Tony to get his eyes to light up.
Next I mapped out and planned the circuit I would build. Below is a diagram of the circuit that I ended up building, with my switch being two long wires, one of which would be strung around Tony’s mouth and the other attached to a spoon.
Step 3 – Implementation
Now it is time for the implementation. I rebuilt the parallel circuit from the lab, with the primary difference being that my custom switch would be taking the place of the switches used during the lab. Once all wired up, I attached it inside of the box and let the LEDs poke through the holes and taped up the box so all circuitry was hidden. Tested and it worked flawlessly!
