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[Music]
[Chimes]
So we decided to go with a
wooden vertical frame,
and we decided to hang
the chimes vertically
to try and get a smaller footprint.
We also decided to tie the chimes
around the top just loosely like this,
therefore we can adjust them
and move them to where we need,
so that the motor functions
can actually strike them.
We also used the cord here to
wrap around the chimes,
and kind of hold them in place
so they don't move during the song.
Alright so something
we did well on our chime machine was
we were able to add
pegs to the bottom of the chime machine
so we could wire everything underneath
so it has a cleaner look.
An improvement we made was the mallets,
it was originally this pipe material which
struck the chime well and
made a good sound, but
it was too heavy for the motor.
We changed that by adding screws
to the popsicle sticks instead.
So it makes a good sound still
and it is lighter for the motor.
Our chime tower plays the notes
in our sing through the use of
motors and solenoids,
which can be programmed to hit the chimes we want,
at the correct time.
The motors and solenoids are wired up to a a box that
connects to the computer and allows us to
execute the code. This is done in software
called Arduino.
In the code, we write commands,
which are instructions for Ardiuno
to execute. These are building blocks
that allow us to develop functions, which
are groups of commands that accomplish
a task. For example,
the pulse-in function energizes
the solenoid to push it in and back out,
so it strikes the chime.
The motor-on and off functions turn
the motor on in a specified direction,
or off.
So it can rotate and cause
the attached mallet to hit the chimes.
We also wrote a rest function that has
the program wait to do anything
for the specified amount of time.
We play the specific notes of
the song by assigning
each note a corrensponding
solenoid or one direction of a motor.
We can input the note duration
into our functions, so we can maintain
the rhythm of song.
Each of the four solenoids has
one note, and each motor has two notes,
one for each direction.
From there, we had a function
for each note and rest in the song,
and collectively, they played our song.