Prototyping Process (Cassie, Mike, + Angela)

Our prototyping process included a fair amount of trial and error on our part to figure out which pieces would be integral to our final working product. We knew we would need the following:

• a microphone with the ability to pick up noise at a decent range
• A physical form for our lamp
• LED Light (an individual LED, a NeoPixel strip or ring, etc.)
• LCD Screen

The first thing we did was test out different microphones to see which one would be our best option moving forward. The first microphone we tried out (left, below) was too sensitive and wouldn't pick up the noise we were trying to capture. We then experimented with a loud noise microphone (right, below) but found that this also did not meet our needs. The range that the microphones picked up was too small and did not allow us to measure the values we were looking for. 

we eventually landed on the Adafruit Electret Microphone Amplifier which worked well to pick up noise from a distance. 

___________

The next step was to figure out what we would be using for our light source. In the early phases, while we were still experimenting with the code, we used single LEDs as our light source. We wanted something more powerful and brighter since our lamp is designed to be used as a signal, so we ended up purchasing the Adafruit NeoPixel Ring to use as our light source.

___________

We also ordered an LCD screen to be used as a display and to display the message that shows when an individual is being too loud. 

___________

Next, we got all the pieces of our project working individually: the lights illuminating when a sound is heard and the LCD displaying a message. (The video clip below shows an iteration where we used a row of LEDs to act as a volume meter similar to ones you see on a soundboard in a recording studio. The image on the right shows the NeoPixel ring illuminated within our proposed form for the cover of our lamp.)

___________

Once we had all our pieces figured out, we combined them all on the same board and got them working together with the code to function in the way that our final product would function.

___________

We sketched out an idea of the physical form of our product which consisted of two main parts: a base and some sort of cover that goes over the NeoPixel ring that diffuses the light. Our initial concept (below) was okay but looked too much like a jar on top of a box. We also ran into issues when it came time to frost the glass top. We kept the concept for the base and proceeded to laser cut out the holes we would need to allow for the microphone and the LCD screen to be set in the actual form of the project.

The shots below show the process of creating the base. This process consisted of using the laser cutter to cut out holes for the light cover, LCD screen, and microphone. 

______

We stained the base of the box to give it a clean and polished feel. The inside of the box is hollow and acts as a holding place for the components of our lamp which include the breadboard, Arduino, LCD screen, microphone, NeoPixel ring, and a portable USB charger which we are using to power our lamp. We used a  frosted glass jar as the light cover. This new jar was much smaller than the original jar we had in mind and ended up adding to the overall look and feel of the final prototype.