Recently in software Category

This is a test 3D print of an actual 3D scanned specimen!  It's been scaled down :)

Here's a PDF as well:  snow_article_tosh.pdf

Cycling '74 (creators of max/msp) asked for a bit more here, and here is the original imlichent post!

"I just wanna hold your hand" is the participatory light show!

This is a proof of concept, demonstrating video control via capacitive touch sensors with electroluminescent feedback.  The MCU interacts with an ATMEL QT1111, while PWM controlling the high voltage EL panel through a fet and triac.  In turn it talks serial with our computer, serving out some blown-out HD video.

The atmel qt1111 can sense up to 11 inputs and is configurable for up to 10mm of sense gap.  Here we are transmitting through 6mm of tempered glass, and finally, have gotten a fast response time...which needs some background explanation:

We've used this set-up before for a previous install.  The propeller MCU speaks SPI with the qt1111, then prints the result over serial to the CPU.  This was simple and elegant, and it worked--though a bit laggy.  But at the time, we had little time to improve code.  So it was installed as is.  Flash forward to now:  another capacitive touch interactive.  This time, we can't have the lag.  All of the embedded software settings on the atmel IC were teaked, as were the noise reduction resistors and sense capacitors.  But still, we had a 1-2 second detection time.  We needed more like 100ms.  The "Print" function was dropped for a byte transmission on a whim, and low and behold, we have the speed.  The entire time, I thought it was the qt1111 that needed work, when really, the Print function on the MCU side was the time hog!  And well in hindsight, it hurts to make that nullifying realization-- for what good reason was I using print?    

Times like this, its nice to step-back and remember that it wasn't the only assigned project, but one of many.  Small details like this can have very large impacts, and if you aren't completely focused, or stretched to thin (ahem, i claim this option), than you'll feel the consequences. 

Incidentally, we'll be updating the embedded code to the previous install.  And though it's only really a "firmware update," it feels good to know that the problem has been solved.

31 ideas, 80 people, 48 hours to design, build and code a project--only 5 to make the festival.  It culminated in a 5 minute presentation/demonstration within Intersection for the Arts.  Fortunately, project "i just wanna hold your hand" made it into october 20th festival!

It was an eye-opening weekend of talent and new possibilities.  And, a lot of hand holding!  More to come in the future...

Here's the project presentation and description by Ellen Keith, Yael Braha, Mark Roth, Tosh Chiang and Jasdeep Garcha

There's nothing secret or new about the following list, and a lot of it pulls from unix.  It's certainly not all encompassing!  If I can remember to, I'll keep updating this entry with the nifty bits.  Also, its really hard to remember these, without needing to use them!  If you're really into apple secrets, check out secrets! 

Use 'serial' to connect a usb/serial ftdi modem etc...:  screen /dev/tty.YOURDEVICE BAUD ...substitute BAUD with, well, the baud rate and YOURDEVICE, with what you find using: ls /dev/tty.*

use 'nc' aka netcat to send/receive tcp/udp commands

i.e. nc -u 192.168.1.55 700 

Forgot to sudo and got denied?  Simply hit 'sudo !!' 

'pmset -g' lists you the power management settings, and pmset can change them all

need to make a user admin over the terminal?: 
sudo dseditgroup -o edit -a usernametoadd -t user admin 

sudo dseditgroup -o edit -a usernametoadd -t user wheel

use 'top' to see more than 'ps'

'crontab -e' well, kinda obvious...

osx version?  'sw_vers' will give you a little, 'system_profiler' all of it

want to read only the last 20 lines of a log file?: 'tail -c 20 system.log'
read xkcd? 'open http://uni.xkcd.com/' ;)

need to invent an admin?  Use single-user mode and:

/sbin/fsck -y

/sbin/mount -uaw

rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone

reboot

...this let's you own, really any os x machine, though its not fun to go through the apple welcome stuff again...

how much battery is left? 'ioreg -l | grep Capacity'

ioreg has a plethora of info and is worth running without the pipe.   If you need to find out any other peripheral info in ioreg, you can change the grep option.

One evening a friend asked if i'd be attending a musical event.  I guffawed and said, "of course not!"  The next day, I checked the site and noticed that my name had been attached to the event as someone who would: operate a robot through the catalyst of kinect.  Well, I hadn't recalled "officially" signing up for this, but with a week to go, proceeded in a focused manner.

The first step was finding Ryan Challinor's synapse for OS X 10.6.  Synapse takes the kinect and provides UDP output/input.  This includes a cool monitor window, as well as skeleton tracking.  The only hard part part for me, was upgrading to OS X snow leopard, which I'd resisted due to the number of "wonky industrial" programs I have on my machine.  

After that, it was a short manner of using the udpsend/receive objects to port everything into MAX/msp.  With that done, the sky is the limit.  But for my purposes, I just ensured that I could track the skeleton based on hits, or by "constant tracking" (in which you must prompt for the kinect data every two seconds or so).  i'll attach the patch for those interested.

The robot itself is nothing fantastic.  Its a simple bot built off of an arduino pro 5V, sparkfun motor controller, and an 802.11b based xbee for data tx/rx, and a super cheap 2.4ghz wireless camera with audio.  It beeps too, and has had a few varieties of sensor interfaced :)

In short order, the Kinect outputs data to MAX/MSP, which then uses the serial object to access the CPU's xbee, which transmits data back and forth with the xbee modem on the rover.  The rover arduino interprets the commands, and then moves.  In this way, kinect gestures could be used to control the robot!  Also, you can see where you're going, via the rover's wireless camera.

Rather, I broke it by violating a simple rule:  ALWAYS USE A PROTECTIVE DIODE!  So with everything broken, the rover would not work for the evening.  Instead I augmented the patch so that gestures would play a midi piano; stepping right increased the scale, stepping left decreased the scale.  The nice bit was that the users got to see the skeleton version of themselves.  The sad thing, is that I found out how shotty the midi interface on my sampler is (as I tried to do this first and could only get sporadic results!)

The attached patch will take synapse data and make it more usable in the max/msp environment.  It's an earlier version, and is certainly ugly.  You'll need to program the col object with the lines of text posted after the patch. 

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joints.txt:

...a blurb for now, as this is under development, though deployed:

-16 pop jets

-6 laminar jets

-2.1 1000w PA

-mac mini

-1 plc 

-1 Midi to digital showcontroller

-1 mac mini

-max/msp

-4 vfd's

-DAW & midi synthesizer (for programming)

...the first thing people notice are the laminar, or "leap" jets (built and installed by the awesome people @ Sundance Water Design).  In fact, a spectator inquired as to wether or not an emulsion had been added to the water.  But the way it really works is quite simple.  An inline cartridge of tubes attaches to a flow controlled inlet--thus diminishing turbulence (ripple and bubbles) and making the water clear.  As it exits, the water is deflected by a solenoid-controlled beam of water.  This beam "splits" the clear water and deflects it back into the basin.  When the solenoid engages, the splitter water stops, and the clear, laminar water, shoots out of the basin.  In effect, its like a replacing the voltage in a transistor with water (water controlled water)!  It's all very hypnotizing to watch.

After the hydraulic aspects were installed, the next step was/is integrating the audio, additional control systems, and actual programming.  The automation is working via max/msp and GUI, and is still being developed.  The programming to trigger the jets is done via MIDI.  Midi scores are created via max/msp & synthesizer, and are merged with the audio via Protools.  The audio and midi files are then bumped to the mac mini, which shoots the midi triggers to the MediaMation MOE--which can be very cranky.

The MOE is a fantastic device, and it's easy to see why its used:  its a versatile showcontroller that can be programmed via web browser.  Anyone can set it up with a basic understanding of what they are doing.  Navigation, IO assignments, logic, serial control, pwm, events, routing, etc--all done by drop boxes and pop-up windows.  The tediousness of it all is incredibly trying; if only one could upload a control script or code!  But, as I found out, you sorta can.  The controller arrived with MIDI control CH #0, manipulating the Variable Frequency Drive, which controls the height of the water.  Unfortunately the synthesizer slider control is set in stone at #1, so, piece of cake right?  Opened up the browser, deleted (like an idiot) the trigger and re-assigned it to #1.  But I couldn't.  The web browser would not let me assign the channel as it had been programmed!?

So, instead i went to the JAVA based utility program, which allows you to pull the 5 or six config files from the MOE, and edit within a GUI.  In this case, the utility would also not allow me to make the necessary reversion/edit (and this had nothing to do with permissions).  So, instead I went straight to the config file, hand edited it with the logical substitutions and reloaded the code.  Bam, perfect.  But, for a good while, I was seriously freaking out about having "lost" automated height control.   

After that, there was some max/msp object juggling to get midiout with control values and single vs. multiple track midi.     

Now, its just nailing the fringe aspects of the automation and programming 5 more songs.  Normally I focus on the infrastructure of a system, whereas here, I'm also in the position of programmer/content creator, which gives this project a heavy load, but makes me incredibly devoted to it.

In fact, DMX may soon be integrated into the system! 

 ...to be continued