Once I had all my glass and electronics in place it was time to calibrate the sensor. Unfortunately as the weight of water has to pass through a layer of glass and a layer of plastic, by the time it reaches the sensor it was only causing a slight change in the reading.
To get past this final problem I raised the screen slightly so it would just touch the glass plate when in place. The glass plate was raised slightly using foam pads on the corners. This meant that the change in weight would be caused by the whole plate being pushed against the screen and in turn that being pushed against the sensor which was positioned underneath the centre of the screen. I finally managed to get a big enough change in weight that a difference in screen brightness became more noticeable.
There were still some slight annoyances which would need more in depth development. The material holding the glass plate in place would need to be more elastic as the foam I'm using flattens over time and stops supporting the plate. Also a different sensor could be tried. . .one that is more sensitive. When the water is poured in it isn't level so the change in brightness is never consistant and instead it flickers on. However there is no more that can be done at this time.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
more glass
just at the last moment my glass plate arrived with all the recesses in the right place. I sandblasted it and then it was ready to go.
. . .and finally there was success with the glass tray. The tray that was the least damaged in the fire was put back into the kiln and refired. When it came out of the kiln it had formed the exact shape i'd asked for. The only problem with this one was that the bottom of it was cracked from the fire. Katie is still trying to make one that I can use. . .so I have to thank her a lot for her patience and determination.
. . .and finally there was success with the glass tray. The tray that was the least damaged in the fire was put back into the kiln and refired. When it came out of the kiln it had formed the exact shape i'd asked for. The only problem with this one was that the bottom of it was cracked from the fire. Katie is still trying to make one that I can use. . .so I have to thank her a lot for her patience and determination.
New Footage
For the degree show I wanted to get the best possible footage. I'd heard the best train journey in Britain is the West highland rail to Mallaig. Its an 11 hour round trip with an added 2hours from my home in Largs. Up at 5 and with the help of my mum, we set off on our epic train trip. the views were breathtaking. Although its a long journey you just can't seem to take ur eyes off the vast landscapes that unfold before you.
The weather wasn't the best. . .as it always rains in the west. . .but i managed to capture an amazing sunset on the way back.
The weather wasn't the best. . .as it always rains in the west. . .but i managed to capture an amazing sunset on the way back.
Talk
For this stage i really wanted to show my product to someone knew more about rail travel. I contacted the Museum of Transport and asked if anyone would be willing to meet with me. Last friday I managed to take my product down to Glasgow and talk to John Messner, railway curator.
During our chat he understood exactly what I was hoping to achieve through platform. He gave me some great advice on how it would fit into a museum as an interactive piece and what changes would need to be made.
After our meeting he emailed me:
During our chat he understood exactly what I was hoping to achieve through platform. He gave me some great advice on how it would fit into a museum as an interactive piece and what changes would need to be made.
After our meeting he emailed me:
Eva,
It was nice to meet you today and discuss your project.
Train travel is such a basic thing one one level. Point A to point B, hopefully without a delay at Point C. But what train travel also does is take away the stress, the complexity of travel and offers the passenger a chance to sit back relax, watch the world go by, or ponder the meaning of what one sees. The project shows people that train travel can be peaceful, easy, and above all simple. Simple journey, simple pleasure, simple idea.
Finishing touches
now that everything was beginning to come together i started to add the finishing touches to my base. After hours and hours of sanding, I finished it with wax and glued the electronics into place.
I sandblasted the glass plate that had the missing jug recess as a back up incase the new one didn't arrive in time.
There were still problems with the glass tray so I had to quickly start on plan B. making it out of plastic. With the help of technician Roddy, who I have to thank so much, in two days we managed to get a tray made. On roddy's advice I used clear polystyrene as it is a more elastic material and better for vacuum forming. The mould was made from mdf. Although I had to get rid of some of the design features like the pouring edge, i was able to add a ridge at the base of the tray so it would sit better in the recess.
After three tries we managed to make one suitable enough to use. With lots of hours more sanding and polishing using turps it was ready.
I sandblasted the glass plate that had the missing jug recess as a back up incase the new one didn't arrive in time.
There were still problems with the glass tray so I had to quickly start on plan B. making it out of plastic. With the help of technician Roddy, who I have to thank so much, in two days we managed to get a tray made. On roddy's advice I used clear polystyrene as it is a more elastic material and better for vacuum forming. The mould was made from mdf. Although I had to get rid of some of the design features like the pouring edge, i was able to add a ridge at the base of the tray so it would sit better in the recess.
After three tries we managed to make one suitable enough to use. With lots of hours more sanding and polishing using turps it was ready.
Headphone socket
After talking to mike about what i'd need to add a headphone socket to my digital photo frame circuit I gave it a go. I had some problems as I managed to get it working through one headphone but not the other, and then working but with a buzzing. more trial and error. . . and dismantling a radio and still it didnt work.
However after a good nights sleep I thought it through and realised what I was doing wrong. I managed to get it working with a mono to stereo adapter for the headphones.
However after a good nights sleep I thought it through and realised what I was doing wrong. I managed to get it working with a mono to stereo adapter for the headphones.
measuring jug
for the jug i wanted to keep the aesthetic as similar as possible to a measuring jug. I found some which were double walled. This meant they had the look of an ordinary jug when empty but when filled with water they changed appearance to that of a measuring cylinder.
To add to this I designed a graphic inspired by train timetables which would tell the different levels at which the footage would become brighter and clearer. These levels were blurred vision, hazy thoughts and clear mind. Once I had decided on the name Platform for my product I had the logo and the levels engraved on it.
To add to this I designed a graphic inspired by train timetables which would tell the different levels at which the footage would become brighter and clearer. These levels were blurred vision, hazy thoughts and clear mind. Once I had decided on the name Platform for my product I had the logo and the levels engraved on it.
Circuit onto board
thankfully this part worked out quite well and second time round worked the way I needed it to.
A series of unfortunate events
^^^title suggested by Dan for my project
Update on glass. . .by this point Katie had had several disasters making the tray. I knew it would be a fairly difficult form to make and glass being a pretty unpredictable material to work with. . .I was slowly losing faith in bringing the parts together. But Katie stayed optimistic and kept in touch through each step.
Some problems faced were getting the moulds right, leaving them long enough that they stayed in shape, the glass not forming correctly, the walls of the tray bellowing and finally a small kiln fire. . .thankfully Katie's studio didn't burn down and one of the trays survived to be put back in again. After trying the slumping process and not having much success she tried lost wax casting:
Update on glass. . .by this point Katie had had several disasters making the tray. I knew it would be a fairly difficult form to make and glass being a pretty unpredictable material to work with. . .I was slowly losing faith in bringing the parts together. But Katie stayed optimistic and kept in touch through each step.
Some problems faced were getting the moulds right, leaving them long enough that they stayed in shape, the glass not forming correctly, the walls of the tray bellowing and finally a small kiln fire. . .thankfully Katie's studio didn't burn down and one of the trays survived to be put back in again. After trying the slumping process and not having much success she tried lost wax casting:
Disaster two
The next problems I had were with the screen. I had to position the screen in such a way that an SD card would reach the SD slot fromt the outside of my base. However the walls of the base were too thick for this to work. I thought about using some kind of extension but couldnt find one. My only option was to change to using a USB stick. This would work as the screen could be placed anywhere and an extension could be placed inside the base walls, allowing the user to insert a usb from the outside.
In the process of trying this out I managed to break my screen. I had trouble finding another suitable one within budget. One arrived but didn't play the video files i needed it to, another didn't reconise when a usb was inserted, and finally one used a lamp instead of LED's as the backlight and for some reason wouldn't work with the sensor in the same way. i finally found one that I put together using backlights from my previous broken screens.
In the process of trying this out I managed to break my screen. I had trouble finding another suitable one within budget. One arrived but didn't play the video files i needed it to, another didn't reconise when a usb was inserted, and finally one used a lamp instead of LED's as the backlight and for some reason wouldn't work with the sensor in the same way. i finally found one that I put together using backlights from my previous broken screens.
MAKE crit
for the MAKE crit I was given the advice that i needed to allow access for the SD card on the outside of the base. Finishes touches had to be made to the glass plate (even though it was wrong) and my screen had to be brighter. A headphone socket was suggested for practical reasons during the degree show, which I thought would be a great extra to have as it would mean people could make the experience of using the product more personal and intimate.
Making my base
Once my planks of red cedar had arrived i started work on making my base. With the aid of technician Sean Kingsley the planks were cut to size and planed until smooth and level.
After that they were ready to start work on. I cut them roughly to size and glued the two thicknesses together to create the outside wall and the drop down, which the glass plate would sit on.
The next day I sanded a 45 degree angle joint on each side and practiced drilling the speaker holes.
i had a problem with drilling the holes as it was had to be completely accurate and some of the holes went off centre. I didn't want to change the design to make it easier as the circular pattern relates to the ripples in the water. So I drew out the design on solidworks and asked Dave to give it a go for me. . .they turned out great.
After that they were ready to start work on. I cut them roughly to size and glued the two thicknesses together to create the outside wall and the drop down, which the glass plate would sit on.
The next day I sanded a 45 degree angle joint on each side and practiced drilling the speaker holes.
i had a problem with drilling the holes as it was had to be completely accurate and some of the holes went off centre. I didn't want to change the design to make it easier as the circular pattern relates to the ripples in the water. So I drew out the design on solidworks and asked Dave to give it a go for me. . .they turned out great.
Glass plate
When my first low relief glass plate arrived it was a bit disappointing. Instead of having two shallow recesses, one for the tray and one for the jug, there was a hole through the jug's recess. After much debating and pointing of fingers they offered to make another one for half the price.
This time I made sure there could be no mistakes. I sent out detailed drawings and called them everyday.
the wrong plate:
This time I made sure there could be no mistakes. I sent out detailed drawings and called them everyday.
the wrong plate:
Tray update
finally i started to get replies from people about the making of my glass tray. Unfortunately most said they didn't have the equipment or time to take it on. One company i was interested to work with was Glasstorm in Tain as they had worked with one of last years graduates in interior design. However time restrictions meant I couldn't do this.
When I thought all was lost I finally got an email back from a Nottingham. Glass artist Katie Tucker was happy to give my design a go. Over the next week we made slight adaptions in the design so as it had the best chance of being made.
Check out her work at: http://www.gglassstudio.co.uk/
Here are some intitial moulds used in test pieces,
When I thought all was lost I finally got an email back from a Nottingham. Glass artist Katie Tucker was happy to give my design a go. Over the next week we made slight adaptions in the design so as it had the best chance of being made.
Check out her work at: http://www.gglassstudio.co.uk/
Here are some intitial moulds used in test pieces,
Prototypes
For my initial prototypes I had the help of Dave King from engineering who used the University's cnc machine to mill out my base from high density foam and then a block of cedar.
I designed them on solid works and sent them off to Dave. Once they were made I could see what needed changed in the design.
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