If anyone had have told me this project would cost slightly in the range of $300 I would have probably not have started it at all. Individually the components don’t cost that much, Arduino — $60, transistors — $10 for nine of them, copper connectors — $2, and so on. It all starts to add up, and when you factor in the failed attempts things really start to add up.
That’s the beauty of it. It isn’t fast, but the iterative steps of this project let you take a breath and work out the issues one item at a time. If I were to work this whole thing through from scratch and without the knowledge I’ve gleaned through the process the magnitude of the project would have seemed overwhelming.
Getting the leaks out from Eightlines on Vimeo.
Individually the process is quite simple. Right now I’m battling some leaks, and the tiny issue that the pressure in the system may be a bit too strong. In one of the early tests I blew a stream of water clear across the room. These issues taken in stride don’t seem to be that daunting. To think only a couple of days ago I was wondering if I should continue.
On the less wet side of the equation I’ve been working with the XBee module for the Arduino. It communicates wirelessly using the Zigbee protocol (802.15). After some initial failures I think I understand how to get this thing to work. I’ve still yet to bring this thing full circle, but its getting there. I’m thinking I’m going to wait for LadyAda’s Boardino USB to reach my local store Creatron before I pick up some more pieces, but the benefit of waiting is I could use this system to build a clustering/mesh network of Arduinos. This is something I’m looking forward to. One of the other advantages of moving to the XBee is that I can keep the computer at a remote location ~100’ (longer with line of sight). With all the leaks I’m having this sounds very appealing.
One other change in scope has to do with the web cam. I’m thinking of ditching it all together for the initial phase of the project. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely return to it later — I already have the code working! One of the early tests I built used LEDs to enact a Persistence of Vision system. This principle should be the same using the water drops as pixels as they fall through the air. Currently I’m developing a 9x15 matrix of shapes and typographic characters that should drop out as an audience member interacts with the system.
Now is this where I thought I’d be when I first drew the idea up? No where close. But the slow pace and iterative process has its advantages. It spawns a whole new set of ideas along the way.
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