Project 3: Lampalarm 2
- Chandler Zastrow
- Dec 12, 2016
- 2 min read
For our third and final project, we decided to further iterate on our lampalarm invention from project 2. The first project was successful in the terms that it reacted exactly as we wanted to to sound, but as we were making it, we realized how much potential it could have as far as real interactions in the morning.
With Lampalarm 2 we wanted to make a lamp that truly responded to how a user wakes up in the mornings. The sound functionality worked well, but we realized that if we included a pressure-sensor to accommodate for the phone, it would add an entire new layer of functionality. By reacting to whether or not the phone is there, the lamp won't randomly turn on throughout the day if there is a certain level of noise; the phone has to be on the pressure sensor in order to allow the regular functions of the lamp to work. There is also a large group of people that love the idea of "snoozing" their alarms, allowing them to postpone their morning wake up by a few minutes. We realized that we had left out that entire population of people, so we decided to incorporate the functionality of being allowed to silence your phone, set it back on the pad, and reset the entire cycle. We also noticed that even if you didn't snooze your phone, the alarm would turn off the second that the sound stopped. If we left it at that, the user, assuming they would like to have a light source in the morning, would have to physically turn the light back on again. We decided to appease this problem by creating a delay that would allow the lamp to stay on for an extended period of time after the phone had been taken off, staying on as long as your morning routine takes and turning off automatically after a set amount of time.
The most important part of making this lamp happen was the code. We decided to code this not by using various embedded functions, but by using various states for the lamp to be in. After a certain requirement or stimulus is met, the lamp will change to a different phase. This includes whether or not the phone is on the lamp, whether sound is being played, and different variations in between.
As we were coding we also began work on our new enclosure. We wanted something that would look professional as well as readily hide all of our electronics, so we decided to purchase and lasercut a 1/8' specialty plywood and construct it into a more personal, homey enclosure.
As far as the hardware, the only thing that we ended up changing was the addition of the pressure sensor. We took out all of the internals of the old lamp and rewired it so the pressure sensor would be able to be implemented. We also had to get a new beefcake relay as our first one had been physically compromised.
Below is updated schematic design:
And finally, the final working version of Lampalarm 2 in all of it's glory:
Another fun project, and another lamp that is going to change the world forever.
Hooray for Lampalarm!
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