You Have a Button to Press !

Hello, guys! I am Irisa Tsai from Taipei, Taiwan. I am a ninth grader in Kang Chiao International School. Kang Chiao is a school located up on the mountain with comprehensive courses students can take. Different types of subjects are available in my school, such as Studio Arts, 3D printing and Adobe illustrator classes, orchestra club, and of course, math, science, social studies, and languages. Kang Chiao promotes a self-regulated style of education that students can be inspired and develop multiple abilities that what they are passionate about. Moreover, Kang Chiao provides IB Middle Years Programme for seventh to tenth graders and AP and IB Diploma for eleventh and twelve graders. It is this environment that allows me to experience Arduino program and finished a personal project by myself.

The name for my final product is “ You Have a Button to Press”. Since the theme of the device is to encourage children when they supposed to take medicines, the name echoes the goal of the device. The sentence, “You Have a Button to Press” refers to when parents give this device to their children and help them with improving musical senses as well as muscle coordination.

It is a period of suffering to finish this project since I am totally not good at programming. However, I succeed! Therefore, with my instructor’s, Mr. David Huang, assistance, I hope to share this idea and device to everyone in world. I published this site with detailed explanation of each steps and inspiration (idea) as well as vivid images. It is my pleasure to present my Arduino final project for this school year to you. Let’s move on!

Step 1: Produced My Topic

Babies are unfamiliar with the coordination and use of hand muscles. So, I want to create a device that improves this problem. Therefore, I included a button in my device. In fact, I add a speaker that plays 5 notes of Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So which improves babies' sense of musical pitch. That's when my device can not only coordinate babies' hand muscle usage but also improves babies' sense of musical pitch.

The idea was modified several times to the final approval of my instructor: Mr. David Huang.

Step 2: Prepared Materials

For this device, we need:

• 5 LED light bulbs (yellow x2, blue, green, red)
• 1 button
• 2 pin headers
• 17 wires
• 6 resistances
• 1 speaker
• 1 breadboard
• 1 USB line
• 8 A5 color papers (light and dark blue) (21cm x 12.4cm)
• 1 Utility knife
• 1 box (31cm x 20.5cm x 12cm)
• 50 cute stickers
• Double-sided tape (33cm)
• 1 Arduino Leonardo board
• 1 mobile power storage

Step 3: Finished Arduino Programming

For this case, I used the additional function of Arduino - Ardublock to finished the specialized program. Ardublock operates similar to scratch. ArduBlock allows users to program with a snapped-together list of code blocks. After users upload their program, Arduino will interpret into normal language automatically. Ardublock is an efficient tool for Arduino beginners.

Introduction to arduino.cc

The 2 pictures are the final program I wrote on Ardublock, and the inserted language is auto-translated by Arduino itself to the normal program. Next, I inserted my Arduino program (above) through the web online editor on https://www.arduino.cc/. This is my Arduino program: https://create.arduino.cc/editor/J05141/ba1a6530-7e05-44e7-8bf8-03332768de48/preview

How to edit program on arduino.cc (please view with the order: first-second-third..etc): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MrLhdguaGiv-VSBLKx9OH4v4-VpvyPbZ?usp=sharing

Step 4: Built Up the Electrical Circuit

The electric circuit of my design is pretty simple. In the process of building it up, I used the slides my instructor previously used as a teaching tool to make sure I built it correctly. Also, I open the Ardublock tab to match the pins I chose. Overall, I finished building up the circuit quite fast. In addition, I would coordinate the position of each material when I was fitting the whole breadboard into the exterior I designed.

For the 5 LED bulbs, I used the same principle to build up 5 identical circuit. That's take D12 as an example, the principle of circuit I used looks as the largest photo. Since the pins order I wrote is: D12, D6, D10, D9, and D8, I have to match the pins in the program with circuit. The result of 5 LED bulbs looks like upright photo. The color of the LED bulbs lights are: yellow, green, blue, red, yellow.

Combine with the speaker and button, the entire electrical circuit of my device looks like lower right photo.

Introduction of Fritzing

The program I drew my arduino circuit is Fritzing: http://fritzing.org/home/. I strongly recommend this program because it is quick and all the elements are available on this app. Users just have to create a account on the website given with their google mail account, download the format that matches your laptop (mac or windows...), uncompressed it, and open to tab! The app also provided several download options, such as png, jpg, pdf...etc.

Step 5: Small Decision~

After completing the electrical circuit, I found out that LED bulbs is too short based on my exterior design. Therefore, I used extra wire lines that play the role of extension cords( left photo). Since a LED bulb has two pins, 10 extra wires are needed. I plug LED bulb's pins in the extra wire lines(right photos), and plug the pin of the extra wire lines in the breadboard just like original method. (small reminder: don't plug the opposite electric charge pins!!!)

Now, the length of the LED bulbs are extended and I can insert them in the box without the limitation of length.

Step 6: Led to Final Success

I modified the program for so many times. For example, I formally set the period of time the bulbs lightened is 2 secs. But I found out that the length is way too long and children will not be attracted. So I changed it to 0.5 sec eventually. Also, during the process, the 4th and 5th light bulbs act incorrectly. I took a close look to the electric circuit, I found out that the wire remains reversed, and need to be fixed. After so many tests, both the program and the electric circuit was succeed. I felt so grateful and was ready to move on to the next step: to design the exterior.

Step 7: Fixed LED Bulbs and Button on the Box

I chose a box of 31cm x 20.5cm x 12cm. It is an Under Armor shoebox of a size of male 10.5. To insert 5 LED bulbs on the side of the box, I cut a horizontal line and put 5 LED bulbs in it. Now, people can clearly look at the bulbs from the box appearance. However, I found out that the bulbs would move around and I have to stop them. Therefor, I cut 5 small vertical lines and turned the bulbs 90 degrees and insert them into the gap so that they won’t go anywhere and just stay at where I want them to be at. For the button, I punched a small hole and cut a vertical and horizontal line. Then, I get 4 triangles. I folded these 4 triangles outwards, so there will be a rhombus shape and I can put the button in it. The final result looks like the last photo.

Final success video: https://youtu.be/_3kZe5AYgFo

Step 8: Designed the Exterior

I don’t like the color of the box - black. Therefore, I decided to cover it with colored papers. I bought blue-colored A5 papers. Since this device is for young kids, cute outlook is definitely needed. So, I sticked 50 sticker on 4 sides of my box. For the side that has LED bulbs and button, it was quite complicated to cut the exact area. First of all, I took a white A5 paper on the box and used pencil to draw abstract lines. The rectangle I cut is 9.4cm x 1cm. As a result, all of the bulbs is obvious for users to see. And this video link explains how did I form a rhombus on A5 paper for the button : https://youtu.be/NurzoluwiPU.

Final product outlook video: https://youtu.be/Qse8g1n1d6k

Step 9: Final Testing

After the entire process, I finally finished my arduino project - you have a button to press device. This is the final testing video : https://youtu.be/ZaevBLotYhs.

I AM DONE !!!

Step 10: How Do I Feel About This Project and My Final Product?

This project is the funnest task I'd done.

1. We have to come up with our own topic, which there are no similar idea on global internet.
2. We programmed, tested, and learned from failure.
3. We prepared materials and built up the electrical circuit by ourselves
4. We designed the exterior and outlook of the device.
5. We checked every part of the device is correct.
6. We recorded each decisions by photoing and filming.
7. We wrote this teaching plan to share the procedure with people from all over the world.

Throughout the entire process, I tried and tried. As I mentioned, I learned from failure. For instance, I struggled the most when programming. However, I looked at the slides shared by Mr. David Huang, and discussed with my classmates to find out where did I do wrong. Therefore, I felt appreciation to everyone that guide me to the final success of the product and this site.

When I looked at my final product at the instant I finished it, I felt the sense of accomplishment. I admired my heart of strive. Based on the entire process, I explored my potential as well as experienced the feeling of inventing things.

At the end of this lesson plan, I want to thanks especially Mr. David Huang for guiding me to the right track. Also, my classmates, who encouraged me when I almost give up doing this project. Without you guys, the product of "You have a Button to Press" will not exist. Lastly, thank you to myself, who keep going on with great efforts.

This is the end of this lesson plan. Hope you like it~

PS. If you have further questions, feel free to email me (since I will be a tenth grader next semester, my email address will change so...)

Now - August 31st : [e-mail]

1st September - future : [e-mail]

THANK YOU~