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kantakanvay

Introduction to Physical Computing - Week 1

Electricity


Through the Week 1 labs + readings, I was able to understand the basics and important concepts of electricity and familiarize myself with the many components and equipment that I'll be using to create (hopefully) amazing projects in the future weeks of this course.

Below are some of my key takeaways from the labs:

  1. Electrical flow (working + concept)

  2. Circuit (basics + elements)

  3. Relationship between Voltage, Current, and Resistance (+ Power)

  4. Power Sources and other Electrical Components (various types)

  5. Breadboard

As I do not have a background in electrical or electronics engineering, the readings seemed overwhelming since there is a lot of information to grasp and every component has various types and properties. But I think I'll be able to remember and apply the information more efficiently as the course progresses and use these components in a more hands-on manner.



DIY Switch - Little House of Horrors


For the DIY Switch assignment, I created a small Halloween-themed house that lights up with a switch. I wanted to create a house that uses a mechanical or automatic mechanism to turn the switch on but I soon realized I was being over ambitious for my very first week. I made the house using various crafting materials like cardboard, felt paper, ice cream sticks, and, paper. Then I fit a red LED light inside the base and connected two electrical wires to its + and - nodes. The negative wire is then folded over in front of the house. Above which, I taped a 3V battery. The positive wire is linked to a small patch of grass (green felt paper). So, the idea is when someone steps on it, the spooky light goes on. However, in this case, since the house is much smaller, you just press the green patch with your finger to close the circuit and turn the switch ON. Although it does not use a fancy mechanism, I'm still pretty happy with the way the house turned out. But as the class progresses, I hope I can create circuits that are more complex yet easier to use.


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