Class 8

In-Class Activity

Since last week, you’ve learned more about asynchronous serial communication between computers and microcontrollers. We’ll discuss, and answer any questions that came up.

Assignments for next class

  • If you haven’t already, go over the Serial Review Questions. This self-graded quiz covers the material you’ve done so far. You should be able to answer all the questions in it by now. If there are any you’re not sure of, set up office hours with your instructor to discuss your understanding the electronics concepts.
  • Read or view the following material and come to next class with questions:

Related Videos. These cover the same material as the notes above:

Labs

Do the labs below. Blog your progress and questions, and come to class next week with questions. We’ll discuss together.

  • Synchronous serial labs – Try one of the SPI and one of the I2C labs
  • Sensor labs (optional) – By now you’re ready to explore a wider range of sensors, many of which have I2C or SPI interfaces. The sensor labs section of this site offers more examples and information on how to use sensors. Read through them, and if you’re interested, see what sensors the shop has available to check out. Additionally, check out the sensor lesson notes. For even more on sensors, see the Sensor Reports from the Tangible Interaction class.

Project 2

Continue working on your Project 2 device. It’s due in week 10. Now that you’ve playtested it, get the circuit and programming working, then figure out how you’ll fit it into the housing.

Document your progress on your blog in text, video, and images as you go. Include a system diagram and a schematic drawing of the circuit.

Readings

The following readings provide some context for thinking about physical interaction design. You won’t be quizzed on whether you’ve read these, but your instructor may refer to these ideas in future class discussions.