Sociable Objects Workshop: Journal
Week 1
I spent the last two weeks becoming familiar with
the XBee radios. I figured out how to upgrade new
XBee modules using Digi International's X–CTU
software, how to communicate with the XBees in
attention (AT) mode, and how to wire
up a Mini USB adapter for use
as a serial connector to a computer.
Talking in AT mode required that my
USB serial
programmer be wired correctly to the XBee —
obviously. However, I couldn't find a good tutorial
on the wiring procedure online, so I documented my
process:
Connecting the USB Mini Adapter to an XBee module
I also managed to pair two radios, using a switch on one end to trigger an LED connected on the other. A YouTube video:
Assignment 1
The first assignment was to acquire a pair of XBee radios and at least one breakout board, create my own PAN ID for use on the floor, and imagine a sociable object to present in class on Thursday.
Assignment 2
The next assignment: start creating a doorbell.
Week 2
This week was all about getting acquainted with XBee functionality and tech logistics, including a more detailed look into X–CTU for Windows, which is the only way to flash the XBee radios — and reset them if they fail at some point.
One of my XBees suddenly stopped working, so I needed to reset it. Since this was my first experience with a failed radio, I called Digi International, the makers of the XBee, to help me revive it. I documented the process:
Reseting The XBee That Came With The iDigi X4 Starter Kit
Assignment 3
We were also given a first full–on XBee assignment: finish the doorbell exercise from last week where a sensor connected to one XBee triggers a sound device connected to another XBee.
Week 3
Last week, we were given a talkback sensor assignment where a local device connected to a sensor triggered an actuator on a remote device. That remote device bounced a signal back to the radio running the sensor, creating a situation where the person triggering the sensor knew if the actuator on the other end was triggered or not.
The entire class was given a group–based project: create a wireless temperature sensor network to install at ITP. My task was to write the software, so I spent the week writing C–based code and configuring XBee radios. I put together a tutorial on how to do it:
Using Five XBees To Create A Wireless Temperature Sensing Network
Week 4
We worked maniacally over the last 45 hours to finish the temp sensor project. We got a rudimentary network running, with a few bugs in the code.
Week 5
This week, Rob discussed gateways, clusters, some API frames, and the movie Fast, Cheap & Out of Control.
Assignment
For the remainder of the summer session, we were to create, or begin to work on, our final projects.
Week 6
Last week of class. On Tuesday, Rob discussed power, and the remainder of the class session was used as a general workshop session. Thursday was final project presentation day.
For my final project, I implemented the idea I had during the first week of class. (See above.) I call it Discrete Answers. Documentation, code, images, and a description are available at