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.gitlab-ci.yml
View file @ 06d4996c
image: python:alpine
image: python:3.8-slim
before_script:
- pip install -r requirements.txt
......
docs/assignments/week01.md
View file @ 06d4996c
......@@ -19,14 +19,20 @@ This week's research mainly consisted of learning these tools using the tutorial
## Setting up the SSH key
Tried to rush it and left the default email in by accident. Whoops!
Deleted the key and generated a new one with the terminal commands provided here and popped it into the settings in Gitlab
[Generating an SSH key] (https://gitlab.fabcloud.org/help/ssh/README#generating-a-new-ssh-key-pair)*
Deleted the key and generated a new one with the terminal commands provided and popped it into the settings in Gitlab, using this tutorial for
[generating an SSH key] (https://gitlab.fabcloud.org/help/ssh/README#generating-a-new-ssh-key-pair)
Also Fiore's tutorial has been very helpful here:
- [Fiore's tutorial](https://vimeo.com/253336757)
\* *I notice I'm becoming one of those people who writes documentation but doesn't explain the steps that already feel "normal" to me. Hmmm. I'll have a think to think what I think about that.*
## OR: push via http and access tokens
Later on I started using my Github Desktop app for a bunch of other stuff and my connection stopped working. I couldn't figure it out so I deleted the repository and cloned it anew over http. This [tutorial](https://itnext.io/how-to-use-github-desktop-with-gitlab-cd4d2de3d104) by Shedrack Akintayo explains how to use access tokens push without having to re-enter your password when pushing over http. Amazeballs, thank you Shedrack!
## Customizing text, fonts, colors in the mkdoc
I customized some basic stuff to change the look of the page. I love the font Karla, we use it for everything where I work, so I'm using it here too. I think you can basically look up any Google Font and use it. I liked the idea of having a special font for code, so I specified one for that as well.
......@@ -70,12 +76,17 @@ And this is the result! Kaleidoscopic, isn't it...
## Working offline
Since I'm working on a book project where I'll be using some of these tools as well, I also tried cloning my repository into the GitHub Desktop app using the URL provided in the back-end of the project using the SSH dropdown.
Since I'm working on a book project where I'll be using some of these tools as well, I also tried cloning my repository into the GitHub Desktop app (see downloads below).
You need to fetch the URL provided in the back-end of the project using the SSH dropdown (see image). Then I edit my markdown files using Macdown, a nice open-source editor that gives you a preview as you write (without styling though).
![screenshot of the URL to clone the project](../images/wk1_pullingURL.jpg)*screenshot of dashboard*
It's pretty straightforward, you go find the files locally and them edit them with an editor. And it tells you whether you have any commits that need pulling (when changes were made somewhere else) or pushing (when you make changes locally but haven't updated the master repository yet). Nice and easy! I also loved learning Mercurial on the command line though (forever grateful @Zaerc) I'm used to Brackets from back when I did Fabacademy. [Oh sweet memories from 2015](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/finalproject.html)
###Downloads
[Github Desktop app](https://desktop.github.com/) to commit and push to git locally, bypassing the browser (using SSH), and here you can find [MacDown](https://macdown.uranusjr.com/), the markdown editor.
### How it works
It's pretty straightforward, you go find the files locally and them edit them with an editor. And it tells you whether you have any commits that need pulling (when changes were made somewhere else) or pushing (when you make changes locally but haven't updated the master repository yet). Nice and easy! I also loved learning Mercurial on the command line though (forever grateful @Zaerc) I'm used to Brackets from back when I did Fabacademy. [Oh sweet memories from 2015.](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/finalproject.html)
But for another project I'll be using MacDown, which gives a nice simultaneous preview! Pretty nice too. Let's see which one I'll end up using.
......@@ -84,11 +95,7 @@ But for another project I'll be using MacDown, which gives a nice simultaneous p
### Adding images offline
I really prefer to work with my content offline actually, particularly images. I remember now that images need to be compressed to no more than 100kb, so I have to do that even for a screenshot. I use Photoshop for this and export for web. Which is fine, but it's quite some file hassle because I always forget and then I have to go back in and do it later. It's nicer to do that all locally and commit using the desktop app. At first my images didn't show up at all. I'm wondering if the makers of the templates put a limiter on large images? That would be so clever.
### Adding images offline
I really prefer to work with my content offline actually, particularly images. I remember now that images need to be compressed to no more than 100kb, so I have to do that even for a screenshot. I use Photoshop for this and export for web. Which is fine, but it's quite some file hassle because I always forget and then I have to go back in and do it later. It's nicer to do that all locally and commit using the desktop app. At first my images didn't show up at all. I'm wondering if the makers of the templates put a limiter on large images? That would be so clever.
I really prefer to work with my content offline actually, particularly images. I remember now that images need to be compressed to no more than 100kb, so I have to do that even for a screenshot. I use Photoshop for this and export for web. Which is fine, but it's quite some file hassle because I always forget and then I have to go back in and do it later. It's nicer to do that all locally and commit using the desktop app. At first my images didn't show up at all. I'm wondering if the makers of the templates put a limiter on large images? That would be so clever.
## My first conflict
......@@ -100,9 +107,112 @@ Yes! I had my first conflicting commit between the remote repository and my loca
![](../images/wk1_conflict.jpg)*my conflicting commits!*
Then you keep the code you want to keep, delete the conflicting code plus the marker and save the file. [This support page](https://help.github.com/en/articles/resolving-a-merge-conflict-on-github) was helpful. The desktop app recognizes when the conflict is solved and allows you to commit again. Yay!
Then you keep the code you want to keep, delete the conflicting code and the markers and save the file. [This support page](https://help.github.com/en/articles/resolving-a-merge-conflict-on-github) was helpful. The desktop app recognizes when the conflict is solved and allows you to commit again. Yay!
![](../images/wk1_solved.jpg)*conflicts resolved!*
##State of the art & inspiration
## Inspiration
### Fabricademy graduates
![](https://gitlab.fabcloud.org/academany/fabricademy/2019/students/jessica.stanley/raw/master/docs/images/finalproject/stitchsyth2.gif)*Jessica Stanley's Stitch Synth project, 2019*
**Jessica Stanley's Stitch Synth**
I saw [Jessica's work](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/jessica.stanley/projects/00final-project/) at the last Fabricademy expo in Amsterdam. Super nicely done.
I also really liked her experiments with tesselation in the Textile as Scaffold week. The slow movements the textile creates are really nice to watch.
And also her voronoi for [computational couture](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/jessica.stanley/assignments/week07/) are so cool. She printed these shapes on stretchy fabric, making the textile pull itself into a 3D shape.
And the pleat switch and this sensor below. OMG Jessica stop it nowwww I'm totally fangirling your fabricademy page. This makes me think I will really enjoy the electronics work in the next few months.
![](https://media.giphy.com/media/5k0rrSdjXmmQ68mABP/giphy.gif)*Jessica Stanley, 2019*
**Teresa van Twuijver's analog soft sensor**
[Teresa](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/teresa.vantwuijver/assignments/week05/) made this nice soft sensor using smock embroidery. I'd seen a similar thing on kobakant once, wow it's soooooo nice.
![](https://gitlab.fabcloud.org/academany/fabricademy/2019/students/teresa.vantwuijver/raw/master/docs/images/week5_softsensorproto2.gif)*Teresa van Twuijver, 2019*
Her [circular fashion designs](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/teresa.vantwuijver/assignments/week03/) are also quite cool!
**Barbara's Kombucher!**
Really cool idea to make a tool like this [kombucha fiber printer](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/barbara.arteaga/projects/final-project/)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cuHtJgnv2qU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
And many many more...
### Go big or go home: drag performers and other style queens
This is something I've been obsessed with for a long time. I think the innovative ways of thinking about the malleability and unstable nature of the body and gender is super interesting and made me fall in love with this art form. I do it myself sometimes too :) No RuPaul quote is lost on me (we're all born naked and the rest is...you know the rest). I'd love to take as many assignments as possible closer toward something that might be applicable in the context of the art of drag to develop into a larger project later. I imagine eco-aware drag could be a very interesting avenue to explore. In the meantime, I'll summarize as: go big, or go home.
**House of Holographic Hoes and Milk X Hana Quist**
A local house who did an amazing show at last year's superball, with over the top LED powered gowns. I mean, I don't really like LED strips so much, especially not in clothing but context IS everything.
Or drag performer Milk in this knitted number by Hana Quist. Oh yes.
![](../images/wk0_drag.jpg)*Left: House of Holographic Hoes at Paradiso's Superball, 2019. Right: Drag performer Milk in a knitted garment by Hana Quist*
**Other fabulous drag performers and style queens**
Such as Aynouk Tan - you can worry about the clothing mountain - or just dress up as one. I think [her thinking and personal style](https://www.aynouktan.com/) are really out there.
![Aynouk Tan](https://aynouktan.com/____impro/1/onewebmedia/10827970_10153943396384659_1941713512951619825_o-2.jpg?etag=%22464ea-58ef9af9%22&sourceContentType=image%2Fjpeg&ignoreAspectRatio&resize=700,467)*Aynouk Tan with a mic and smiling lady in black*
**I bow to Valeska Jasso Collado for her graduation collection**
These theatrical garments have an amazing genderclowning vibe about them, they remind me of [1920s Bauhaus costumes](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U4wEGXhe1duKVyacjE6z3KsIFZg=/0x0:1000x645/1200x800/filters:focal(420x243:580x403)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57322995/escola_bauhaus.0.0.jpg)and I love it! She folded latex-covered foam into [geometric garments](https://www.dezeen.com/2014/06/09/valeska-jasso-collado-westminster-fashion-collection/).
![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/fd/40/3ffd409a341499881843557a29ac5b6f.jpg)*image by Valeska Jasso Colado*
### Textile artists/designers/upcyclists/hackers
![](../images/wk0_designinspiration.jpg)
*Images: Golden Joinery (image by Droog) in the background, Justyna Wolodkiewicz' embellishments (left) and Anya Hindmarch's embellished skirt (image by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Europe)*
**[Golden Joinery](http://goldenjoinery.com/#about) or kintsugi for clothing, by Painted Series** is a really nice example of repair as a design strategy that adds value to used things.
I really enjoy the hectic **embellishments by Justyna Wolodkiewicz** and the one on the **pink skirt by Anya Hindmarch** There's loads out there. One reason why I like this is because I imagine picking cleverly from waste materials will allow for a lot of cool designs. They can also be combined with electronics perhaps? I really like the 3D textures you can add with this.
**Coral Love Stories by Kasia Molga (and Erik Overmeire)** below is such a beautiful combination of fashion and electronics and thermochromic pigments. It's very subtle, unlike some other sources of inspiration but I just think this is beautifully done and tells an important story about shringking coral reefs.
<div style="padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/211299558?color=00d554&byline=0&portrait=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>*Coral Love Story by Kasia Molga (with Erik Overmeire and Ricardo O'Nascimento)*
And let's not forget the amazing experiments and documentation done by **[Plusea on the Kobakant How to Get What You Want page](https://www.kobakant.at/DIY/)**, such as this beardy sway sensor....*bows*.
![](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47790755952_9b33dd38fa.jpg)
Last but not least, a shop! **[Mooizooi in Haarlem](https://mooizooi.org/)!** This is a social enterprise that collects waste materials from industry, sort it by color, and sell it for almost nothing. I'd love to stop by there and use only this leftover material, for example to make the embellishments like the ones below.
**My own students who have inspired me!**
The students I get to know during the minor Makers Lab continue to inspire, teach and challenge(!) me loads. Some of their experiments were really great!
![](../images/wk0_studentwork.jpg)
Top left is Geert Lens' textile touchscreen entirely made from scratch (2018). He developed a ropemaker to insulate conductive thread, a loom to make the textile, and of course programmed the sensor himself.
Geert also made this glove (bottom left) that vibrates when it senses peaks in electromagnetic fields, such as when a subway train pulls out of a station (together with Anton Westin and Jaap Spruitenburg 2018). The wanted to explore invisible signals in the city and found that some people are extremely sensitive to EMFs, whereas most of us aren't even aware of them.
Melissa de Bie and Elisa van der Burg's and bioplastics experiments to research how they could make the gorgeous tote bag in 2019 (middle).
Kristin Jakubek & Frida Eriksson's skin sensor (with some help of Geert) from 2018 (top right).
Geert's coils that pick up some residue energy from RFID scanners, just enough to light up an LED (bottom right).
### Books
* Radical Matter: Rethinking Materials for a Sustainable Future by Kate Franklin
* Zeroes and Ones by Sadie Plant
* Fray by Julia Bryan-Wilson
* Folding Techniques for Designers From Sheet to Form by Paul Jackson
* Supersurfaces" Folding as Method of Generating Forms for Architecture, Products and Fashion by Sophia Vyzoviti
That's it for now!
![](../images/wk1_solved.jpg)*conflicting commits!*
......
docs/assignments/week01a.md deleted 100644 → 0
View file @ 1d272b5f
# 1. State of the art, project management and documentation
This week I didn't really work on defining my final project idea. I've been sick for a few days, so just tried to keep up by doing the assignment for the week and building the documentation structure...
I'm a somewhat familiar with some of the tools used like a bit of github, markdown, terminal, and other tools for version control like Mercurial. So that helped but haven't used them all together in this way. So I had some fun customizing and browsing around.
## Research
This week's research mainly consisted of learning these tools using the tutorials provided and some google. It was nice, I'm liking this way of documenting! I've decided on a way to organize my files and am looking forward to building this documentation in the next few months. Documenting is something I like doing, because it helps me keep the new skills and insights I've gained fresh and *actually* usable. As in: being able to redo things I did in the past. That said, I can get a bit wordy doing it, trying to get all the details in, but it's coming from a good place ;)
> "Consider the possibility of an honest mess" - Co-Star astrology app
## Useful links
- [Fiore's tutorial](https://vimeo.com/253336757)
- [This tutorial on the class page (especially how to edit the mkdoc :)](https://class.textile-academy.org/tools/tutorials/gitlab/)
- [Getting started with mkdoc.yml file](https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/getting-started/#font-family)
## Setting up the SSH key
Tried to rush it and left the default email in by accident. Whoops!
Deleted the key and generated a new one with the terminal commands provided here and popped it into the settings in Gitlab
[Generating an SSH key] (https://gitlab.fabcloud.org/help/ssh/README#generating-a-new-ssh-key-pair)*
Also Fiore's tutorial has been very helpful here:
- [Fiore's tutorial](https://vimeo.com/253336757)
\* *I notice I'm becoming one of those people who writes documentation but doesn't explain the steps that already feel "normal" to me. Hmmm. I'll have a think to think what I think about that.*
## Customizing text, fonts, colors in the mkdoc
I customized some basic stuff to change the look of the page. I love the font Karla, we use it for everything where I work, so I'm using it here too. I think you can basically look up any Google Font and use it. I liked the idea of having a special font for code, so I specified one for that as well.
[Find a Google Font here](https://fonts.google.com/?query=karla)
Teal is my favourite color so, I used that for now, I found the name of the color codes here:
[Squidfunk's tutorial](https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/getting-started/#color-palette)
\* *I have to say again: I'm really liking markdown and Gitlab*
Ah yes! I will make a favicon but not right now, so just put the line there and will uncomment it once I've created and uploaded one.
```
# This is some of the code I changed in the mkdoc :)
site_name: Loes Bogers
site_description: Loes' Fabricademy documentation
site_url: https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/loes.bogers/
repo_url: https://gitlab.fabcloud.org/academany/fabricademy/2020/students/loes.bogers
site_author: Loes Bogers
docs_dir: docs
site_dir: _site
copyright: Copyright 2019 Loes Bogers - Creactive Commons Attribution Non-commercial
theme:
#uncomment line below when you made a favicon lollll
# favicon: 'assets/images/favicon.ico'
name: material
font:
text: 'karla'
code: 'ubuntu mono'
# try other colors https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/getting-started/#primary-colors
palette:
primary: "cyan"
accent: "purple"
```
And this is the result! Kaleidoscopic, isn't it...
<<<<<<< HEAD
![](../images/wk1_pageoverview.jpg)*screenshot of the page you are looking at*
=======
![screenshot of the page you are looking at...very kaleidoscopic](../images/wk1_pageoverview.jpg)"so kaleidoscopic!"
>>>>>>> 127d0712541a8ce4763395f2f8c08f56b9c3add2
## Working offline
Since I'm working on a book project where I'll be using some of these tools as well, I also tried cloning my repository into the GitHub Desktop app using the URL provided in the back-end of the project using the SSH dropdown.
![screenshot of the URL to clone the project](../images/wk1_pullingURL.jpg)*screenshot of dashboard*
It's pretty straightforward, you go find the files locally and them edit them with an editor. And it tells you whether you have any commits that need pulling (when changes were made somewhere else) or pushing (when you make changes locally but haven't updated the master repository yet). Nice and easy! I also loved learning Mercurial on the command line though (forever grateful @Zaerc) I'm used to Brackets from back when I did Fabacademy. [Oh sweet memories from 2015](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/finalproject.html)
But for another project I'll be using MacDown, which gives a nice simultaneous preview! Pretty nice too. Let's see which one I'll end up using.
![screenshot of editing using Macdown](../images/wk1_markdown.jpg)*screenshot of Macdown editor*
### Adding images offline
I really prefer to work with my content offline actually, particularly images. I remember now that images need to be compressed to no more than 100kb, so I have to do that even for a screenshot. I use Photoshop for this and export for web. Which is fine, but it's quite some file hassle because I always forget and then I have to go back in and do it later. It's nicer to do that all locally and commit using the desktop app. At first my images didn't show up at all. I'm wondering if the makers of the templates put a limiter on large images? That would be so clever.
## Updating the info on the index page
Coming soon
\ No newline at end of file
docs/assignments/week02.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 2. Digital bodies
# 2. Digital bodi-odi-odies*
**pronounce in Australian accent, quote by drag performer [Courtney Act](https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Courtney_Act)*
![mannequin by Loes Bogers](../images/wk02_finalresult.jpg)
*Final result, Loes Bogers*
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
For this weeks' assignment, I've done the research and practice work without separating them, to see if I can keep the thinking and doing more connected. I loved the week's theme of not thinking of the body as a white canvas, but instead understand how any perception of, or idea about bodies is already cultural and, if I may add: implicated in body politics. It resulted in three experiments and a realized physical model made out of paper. In summary I have:
## Research
1. Generated a 3D mesh of a body using *MakeHuman*
2. Generated a 3D mesh of a body by *scanning*, using *SizeStream* and Capture app for iOS
3. Manipulated a 3D mesh (using *Rhinoceros*)
* by chopping limbs using the *MeshBoolean* commands
* by rotating and making repetitions
* by adding a platform using the *MeshBooleanUnion* command
* by reducing the amount of faces and vertices of the mesh
* etc etc
4. Translating the design into flat pieces using *Slicer*
5. Cut the designs using a *laser cutter* and assembled a paper model.
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
**Inspiration: 3D representations of the body**
I enjoy the art works below because they somehow ask critical questions by what they embody: e.g. what is the relationship between enlightenment, consumerism and pollution? Do we treat our bodies with respect or as a tool? What is expected of women? What is our relationship to sexuality?
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
More sources of inspiration (more conceptual) are found throughout the research below.
## Useful links
![](../images/wk02_inspi.jpg)
* Top left: Nick van Woert, bottom left: Dongwook Lee, center: Iris van Herpen en Studio Drift, and on the right: Charles Ray (2x)*
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
**About my model the rolemodel**<br>
I decided quite quickly who I wanted to be the model for my mannequin. It is modeled on a scan of Mixen: a super bright and wonderful person, friend and parent. I've known them for almost a long time. I love talked about topics relating to the body, gender, politics with them. Especially over a bowl of porridge, which they serve with peanut butter or apples caramelized in butter. I would love to dedicate this assignment to them and hope I won't disappoint.
The way I've come to know Mixen: the will only wear one label: that of *feminist killjoy* and they wear it with pride. I learn from them every day. They're able to create a welcoming space for everyone without making themselves smaller for anyone, and I love that about them. That is why I want to model a torso based on their 3D scan that is fully lifesize, and not a mm smaller.
## Code Example
I would like to capture what I perceive to be the essence of Mixen, how they stand, carry their body, the volume of it, its strength as a whole, without necessarily replicating them exactly.
Use the three backticks to separate code.
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
## Research 1: Are digital bodies standardized bodies?
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
```
![](../images/wk02_nike.jpg)
*The mannequin at Nike's London flagship store that sparked outrage earlier this year. Image by Nike.*
## Gallery
Let's start here: How is it possible, that in 2019, a sports wear brand like Nike manages to spark a total online outrage by introducing bigger mannequins at their London flagship store? The consumerist glamour fantasy hasn't been real for a long time now! Walk out of the Nike store, onto the highstreet where it's located and you might see that actually, it is pretty common to have a body like this. Western European and Nothern American norms and culture tells us it's ok to judge a big body, mercilessly. Wow. Unlike some other commentators, Dr. Nikki Stamp explains this issue very well in *The Guardian* in her piece ["Berating Nike for Plus Size Mannequin is no War on Obesity, It's just War on Bigger Bodies"](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/12/berating-nike-for-plus-size-mannequins-is-no-war-on-obesity-its-just-war-on-bigger-bodies).
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
How did we get here? And more importantly, how do move on?
## Video
**Albrecht Dürer's synthesized ideal nudes**<br>
In the 15th and 16th century, Albrecht Dürer investigated Renaissance concepts of perspective and the right proportions of the human (nude) figure in his Four Books on Human Perception. Dürer's work is considered seminal in the field of art and foundational for the practice of life or figure drawing. His development of the “ideal nude” is the result of calculating the average of many bodies and synthesizing them into one body. John Berger explains in *Ways of Seeing*:
### From Vimeo
> Dürer believed that the ideal nude ought to be constructed by taking the face of one body, the breasts of another, the legs of a third, the shoulders of a fourth, the hands of a fifth - and so on […T]he exercise presumed a remarkable indifference to who any one person really was. In the art-form of the European nude the painters and spectator-owners were usually men and the persons treated as objects, usually women (Berger 2008, p. 56-57).
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_-_Studies_on_the_Proportions_of_the_Female_Body_-_WGA07263.jpg/364px-Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_-_Studies_on_the_Proportions_of_the_Female_Body_-_WGA07263.jpg)
### From Youtube
*Studies on the Proportions of the Female Body by Albrecht Dürer, 1528. Bamberg State Library. Image taken from Wikimedia commons.*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
That's not a far cry from standardized sizing systems and even big data around the body. To measure = to know = to control. I don't want to take this direction even though I'll be using tools that allow me to take and use measurements of a 3D body scan immediately.
## 3D Models
**Standards and Deviants: the Measure of Man and Woman**<br>
> The average woman stands 160.5 cm tall and weighs 62.5 kg. The average man is 175.5 cm and weighs 78.4 kg. If these standards do not apply to you, you are not normal by design standards.
(Pater in *The Politics of Design*, p. 181).
In his book *The Politics of Design*, Pater discusses designer Henry Dreyfuss's implementation of body measurements in product design on a large scale, which increased usability and safety of designed objects. His *The Measure of Man and Woman* (1959) is still a go-to textbook for design students, apparently. However, the data Dreyfus used was based on a dataset with measurements of young military men: quite a specific slice of the population.
Ruben Pater describes *standards* and standardized models of human bodies as being useful for mass production, but as also creating a false sense of truth: such as projecting only a binary view on gender (i.e. man *or* woman), ignoring other gender types suh as genderqueer, androgynous, transgender, agender and other gender identities. Often these models can be seen to be biased towards West European body types (Pater mentions e.g. average height of Bolivian females being 142.2cm compared to Dreyfus' standard of 160.5cm) or conversely, they are based on stereotypical and racialized representations.
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
**Data Bias in a World Designed for Men**<br>
In her book *Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men*, that came out in 2019, Criado-Perez describes an overload of design problems due to gender bias in the design world, from toilets to clothing to urban planning. Amazing book. Watch the video for a teaser relating to women's clothing and toilet use, then go buy the book.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/C6vAoD3HA9I?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
## Experiment 1: MakeHuman - an interface critique
Sexualized and racialized bodily stereotypes still abound and not only in fashion and product design. The world of technology and software development echoes many of the stale ideas around the female bodies, able bodies and bodies of color.
I did not go into history there, but started exploring this week's tools. I figured that asking some critical questions about the imagery in splash screens, and labels and classification systems used to structure and add meaning to interfaces of the software is worth mentioning as part of the research. Interfaces have politics too? I'd say they do, yes! And it's quite interesting to unravel. If you want to try it out: helpful list of prompts and provocations to confront an interface with is listed in [Hangar's Interface Manifesto](https://interfacemanifesto.hangar.org/index.php/Main_Page). I created a powerful fictitious person named *MakeHumanAngry* with MakeHuman, and they proudly wear a women's sports wear crop top, but they aren't amused...
![](https://media.giphy.com/media/mBSb5MaP46sxtkdACO/giphy.gif)
*GIF by Loes Bogers via GIPHY, using screenshots of MakeHuman software*
**Imaginaries of the virtual** <br>
The splash screen of the *MakeHuman* software is a typical "virtual" fantasy of three fit and slender human figures, bodies that I would associate with my own 14-year old body. They are in an embrace where the arms of the left and right figure covers that of the middle one's breasts, who is facing the camera. They don't have any primary sex organs however. Which aligns with the fact that after the splash screen, a trigger warning appears: be cautious as you might see bodies. And they might be..... NUDE! We would not want to offend anyone with unsollicited anatomical truthfulness. A correctness that the interface doesn't care so much about effectively as you will later have the option to blow up your avatars genitals as big as your fantasy requires.
**Blumenbach's racial classification system, still here today**<br>
The interface also uses biological theorist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach's outdated and very problematic racial classification system from the 18th century. It's the one with categories like like "caucasian", and also the one underpinning the later *eugenics*, a branch of pseudoscience that was used to justify the Holocaust. **News flash**: they're not real. They signify nothing besides an imagined superiority of Western European/American white folks: it's a construct created to divide. As an interface design alternative, one might just observe and describe the features themselves, rather than grouping them according to a system that perpetuates racial stereotypes. Find out more about it in this nice article: [Why Do We Keep Using the Word "Caucasian?" by Jolanda Moses](https://www.sapiens.org/column/race/caucasian-terminology-origin/)
**Your weight/body fat/breast size might be deemed off the charts**<br>
Each bodily feature can be adjusted with a scale (size of arms, proportions, muscle mass, facial recognition, body fat etc). It's worth considering where these extremes stop. There's a limit to how fat or skinny a body may be apparently, even in 3D virtual world.
**Gender stereotypes in avatar's outfits**<br>
Yup, they're there too. Go pick "women's sports outfit" and your avatar will be sporting the cropped top (a top that leaves the stomach bare) you see on the avatar below. Then go and look at the men's ones.
Download *MakeHumanAngry* (made with MakeHuman) here:
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper">
<iframe title="A 3D model" width="400" height="200" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/c165c545d9bd4cd5866809f971c3c48d/embed?camera=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/angry-c165c545d9bd4cd5866809f971c3c48d?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Angry</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/loesjebo?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">loesjebo</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
##Get The Body You Want!: Creating a 3D mesh of someone's body by scanning it
**Capture app for iOS**
I used this app for iOS, that creates a point cloud from a scene you capture by slowly moving your phone. It didn't work on my good ol' iPhone SE, so I used my sister's newer model, thanks sis. I made a capture of myself and my sister's child on my lap. Of course they didn't really want to sit still (11 months old). But you still get the idea. The .usdz file was a little hard to manipulate or even view. There's not so many tools yet for this Apple-native 3D file format, so it's still a bit hardcore. [This tutorial](https://medium.com/@alberto.taiuti/usd-z-deep-dive-for-arkit-part-one-11bcf24a3deb) explained a bit more about the filetype... I managed to view it by opening it with TouchDesigner though, it looks like this:
![](../images/wk02_scan_capture.jpg)<br>
*3D scan of myself and my sister's child made with Capture for iOS, Loes Bogers*
**SizeStream**
More useful to me was the [SizeStream SS20 body scanner and software](http://sizestream.com/ss20-classic/) we have at work. Colleagues at the Fashion Research and Technology group use this machine to create a database of measurements to optimize e.g. the design of uniforms. The process of scanning is so straightforward, it's a bit silly to document, but here are the steps and below is a video that shows how it's done. Even the voice instruction and music you hear is really how the interface guides you lol.
* Step 0: find a model and ask for permission to use their data. Specify how you'll use it.
* Step 1: ask them to step into the scanner and hold handle bars,
* Step 2: open the software
* Step 3: press the big button to start scanning
* Step 4: wait until the lady sings and download your files in the program folder
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eyi-lCUl_w0?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**A scanner that takes your measurements** <br>
You get a 3D file and a textfile that holds the measurements defined in this particular software. The file is often not perfect, e.g. when somebody is moving during scanning or when they are wearing loosefitting clothes, or when they have a atypical body that is not delimited in the software's classification system. It will literally not recognize the person if they are not *standard* enough. Not much has changed since white privileged males their pencil-drawn studies of the human form: they are still preferred (near)-nude, as passive as possible and to not deviate from the norm. Unruly bodies ~~not welcome~~ I mean not accounted for.
Fortunately things like the file can still be repaired. A far cry from healing from centuries of patriarchy, sexism and body shaming under the guise of building generalizable knowledge but hey.
**Body language of the SizeStream**
What is kind of nice I think, is that it requires you to grab the handlebars next to your hips. I think it's a nice and strong position to take, not taking any notice of the kind of desirable positioning that for example a male gaze might require, lol. This position also suits the personality and body language of my model quite well.
**Repairing the 3D file**
I repaired my file using the [Netfabb Service](https://service.netfabb.com/service.php) where you can upload your .obj or .stl and it tracks down naked edges and messy meshes and repairs them so you can print your 3D file nicely if you wanted to. And we're ready to go! My model is ready to be boxed in:
![Screenshot of the 3D scan](../images/wk02_scan.jpg)<br>
*A Screenshot of the 3D scan*
## Research 2: What is accuracy beyond inert matter?
What I personally find more interesting are studies that also acknowledge the fact that bodies act, they move, they morph, they change, they have agency. They're not passive things that exist in a void. Capturing that can also tell us a lot about the body but asks us to think more flexibly about accuracy and ways of representing the body.
**Étienne-Jules Marey and Eadward Muybridge's movement studies**<br>
I immediately think of Marey and Muybridge's movement studies from the early 19th century. Their research and methodologies are still so current. They were the first to study movement with the use of the then novel technology of photography. They studied for example the precise movements of birds in flight and horses galloping, that are hard to study with the human eye alone. Their images are famous and both actually also invented their own tools to do their studies, such as the [*sphygmograph*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphygmograph) (pulse meter wearable from 1863) and the [*chronophotographic gun*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tienne-Jules_Marey), a high-speed camera from 1882.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Boys_playing_Leapfrog.jpg/440px-Boys_playing_Leapfrog.jpg)<br>
*Muybridge's Boys Playing Leapfrog 1883-1886, Wikimedia Commons*
What these two do quite interestingly is adding the factors of **time** and **space** to the capture of a body, rather than abstracting and decontextualizing it as if it existed in a vacuum. This is however still a rather positivist approach to understanding the body, that separates what can be known about the body from the experience of it. It also assumes that there is something of a god's perspective: an eye that can see at all times at ones, from all perspectives at once.
## Experiment 2: Time and Space in Rhino?
To try out some of these ideas, I went into Rhino to refamiliarize myself with this lovely toolbox. With which commands do I command my model into shape? Or rather, with which commands do I allow myself to see them anew?
The lovely person who modeled for my model cultivates 1001 angles on themselves on a daily basis, to create a space to work and to enjoy and make life manageable by lubricating intercultural communication, and (project a suggestion of) meeting the standards of themselves, family, housemates, friends, supervisor(s), neighbours, school staff and so on.
**Outcome: you get a statue! You get a statue!**
It sounds like this person deserves a statue for this. Here's what the object ended up looking like:
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper">
<iframe title="A 3D model" width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/73dbc0f8f4b8435b9719951812e66f0b/embed?camera=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/statue-73dbc0f8f4b8435b9719951812e66f0b?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">statue</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/loesjebo?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">loesjebo</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
</div>
**Manipulating the scan in Rhinoceros**<br>
The process was something as follows. I started by boxing in the body, in order to "chop" off the body parts I imagined not needing (this changed later on). For this I used the *Box* command, combined with *Rotation*, *Move*, *Mirror*, *Scale1D* (for stretching the box longer for example) and some other basics. I use "ortho" or hold shift for most commands, to work in straight lines. It gives me more control. When the model is finally boxed in, I could cut the body parts in the boxes using *MeshBooleanIntersect*.
Note to self: what I forgot about is that you can turn a Mesh into a NURBS object (a solid again) and then manipulating the 3D model with Boolean commands is easier and gives more options. Remember to group the objects. Thanks @Cecilia.
![](https://media.giphy.com/media/W6QmYUsvlozy9WAvFI/giphy.gif)<br>
*GIF by Loes Bogers*
What you see in the GIF below is part of the process where I thought it would be a good idea to chop the head and arms off. Totally changed my mind on that. It actually takes away a lot of the interesting details in the body language doing that, so I went back to an earlier model :)
I used the *rotation command* to rotate the 3D model with small increments. Keeping the *copy* box ticked allows you to replicate as you go. You can see I tried some different versions.
![](../images/wk02_rotate.jpg)
*Screenshot by Loes Bogers*
After playing around quite a bit I ended up with this marble-ous torso figure ready to be printed to life and handed out. It's quite interesting how adding a socle or supporting base and rendering in pure white immediatly gives this classical statuesque feel. Maybe it's the regal hairdo, I'm not sure.
![](../images/wk02_fails_win.jpg)
##Research 3: Cultural Representations in Numbers: What is a Measuring System Made of?
Also, the way the body - and how it is captured and measured - is inscribed with culture is not addressed in Marey and Muybridge's work. For that we look elsewhere, such as in....
**Virtual Drag by Alison Bennett, Megan Beck & Mark Payne**<br>
This project is a virtual reality experience featuring 3d scans of drag queens & kings, set in really crazy fantasy environments. We see once again that so much can be queered in the virtual. I would love to finish this week by showcasing all these experiments in an environment created in Unity. For the wishlist.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/vM9aJl2CrCw?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Orlan's MesuRAGEs**<br>
This artist does amazing work using her body as a material. In this series of art work, the artist measures streets or buildings using her own body physically and literally as a unit of measure: the ORLAN-corps, whilst raging against the male power that is represented in the way big institutions such as museums are built.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3F77c6sk95E" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Lucas Maassen's - Meten is Weten**<br>
Somewhat related is designer Lucas Maassen's workshop [Meten is Weten](https://educatie.hetnieuweinstituut.nl/workshops/meten-weten) at Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam in 2016 (I did not attend!), where he questions measuring systems with kids. A lot of measuring systems are historically based on the body (e.g. the measurement in *feet*), but where do they come from, and whose bodies are they based on?
![](https://educatie.hetnieuweinstituut.nl/sites/default/files/styles/width_1024/public/dsc_3733_2000px.jpg?itok=iw2FckJW)<br>
*Photo by Petra van Ree*
## Experiment 3: Beyond Numerical or Cartesian Accuracy, toward Material Truthfulness?
To allow them to be unruly, I thought to think of a technique that prevents them from being captured with standardized measuring systems with any precision. How could I abstract Mixen in a truthful way, without re-presenting her with the kind of razorblade precision that measure-controls her down to the mm? In the time I have left, with the limited skills I have, can I find a way of re-presenting a body by rendering it in a way that is clearly not meant to be realistic or truthful? Render the body in a way that points to its inherent artificiality, and showing the digital material it is made of?
There's a nice challenge in finding some abstraction without losing all the personality. It's also somewhat convenient, because the scan was taken while wearing clothes and suspenders, which adds some details that are hard to recognize and therefor a bit distracting. What I ended up creating is a render of my 3D model that magnifies the fact that it is made up of connecting vertices at a resolution that may or may not trick the eye. This is the 3D design I ended the week on:
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper">
<iframe title="A 3D model" width="400" height="200" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/da7886cbd431414496b42399dcb04956/embed?autostart=1&amp;camera=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/mannequin-da7886cbd431414496b42399dcb04956?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">mannequin</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/loesjebo?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">loesjebo</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
###Design process: abstracting the model in Rhinoceros
So how do I go about reducing this model. I started browsing the *Mesh* menu and indeed found some interesting tools, like *Mesh edit tools* and within that *Reduce mesh*, our winner!
It lets you reduce the amount of polygons in the mesh by specifying an absolute number, or by putting in a percentage. So I played around with it until I found a sweet spot.
What I realized is that my mesh was huge. I was trying to import it into Sculptris earlier, (I had an idea to "clean" up the scan) but it was way too big. It was originally 29952 faces! That's a lot. For reference: in the overview image, the first gray picture on the left is the model reduced to 80% of the faces (5990 in total) and the loss of detail was hardly visible to the naked eye looking onscreen. Good to know for the future.
At 95% I started losing details in the face. And at 99% (300 faces) it started getting interesting and abstract. I also lost the - already "damaged" - foot though. But this is kind of what I was going for. So I changed to absolute numbers. The top right 2 gray images show 300 faces (left) and 100 faces (right). In purple is what I consider to be the sweet spot of 200 faces.
![](../images/wk02_reducing.jpg)<br>
*Playing around with reducing the number of polygons, in the end I reduced the model to 200 faces (in purple)*
###Material choices *before* fabrication design
I'd prefer not to go overboard on material use in creating this assignment, as I have no idea whether I'll be *using* the mannequin intensively at all. So I'll try to reduce the amount of materials required to produce the torso while still making a full-sized torso that hopefully comes out nicely. The default material provided by is 4-8 sheets of corrugated cardboard, with dimensions of 1160 X 960 mm and a thickness of 3mm.
Stacking slices makes for a nice solid mannequin with a lot of detail but easily eats up more than 20 cardboard sheets. So you will see I've opted for the folded panels technique using Slicer (see below), and estimated I'd get better results using 300gms colored paper because it allows me to fold the vertices using tongue connections (see below). I got my go-to heavy duty paper: [Florentino 300gms at Van der Linde in Amsterdam](https://www.vanderlindewebshop.com/nl/catalog/papier-karton/gekleurd-papier/van-der-linde-gekleurd-papier-en-karton/florentino-gekleurd-papier-300-grams/g+c+bg+a).
###Translating 3D model into flat design plans with Slicer
I installed [Slicer for Mac](https://apps.autodesk.com/FUSION/en/Detail/Index?id=8699194120463301363&appLang=en&os=Mac&autostart=true) and imported my .STL file. The orientation was wrong so I changed the *up*-axis to the Z-axis (not Y) on import and then clicked the rounded arrow button a few times to get the thing up straight.
I played around with the different techniques and settled on the *folded panels* technique and made some decisions about my material (see above). Then I put in the dimensions of my material and looked at the plans and the errors. My pieces were way too big for the material so I had to add a lot of seams.
There's quite a nice basic tutorial written by Fabian Morón Zirfas & University of Applied Sciences Potsdam that I looked over [here](https://fh-potsdam.github.io/doing-papercraft/slicer/)
![](../images/wk02_slicer_toobig.jpg)<br>
*the amount of space piece 1 would need (see dark gray reference box for size of the material I'm able to buy, woops haha)*
## Cutting the design plans
After I ran a test it became clear that the slots I had for my design were not going to be big enough to give the structure any integrity and would only work as orientation markers. I tried getting the design sliced with bigger slots but the very narrow vertices cannot accommodate tabs or slots well. I spent the whole morning but was unable to resolve the issues using this technique. So was ready to opt for taping down the seams on the inside, using the slots as a guide.
![](../images/wk02_cuttest.jpg)
*Cut test for slots (see size of glasses for reference)*
Paulina who was cutting before me had some issues with the machine so I didn't get a chance to cut on Monday. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise! In the evening I stubbornly tried to optimize the designs by using tabs instead of tongues, and also enlarging the tabs. For some reason the software wouldn't let me do it earlier today or kept complaining about model issues. This time around I was able to make a cutting layout that could actually work! OMG yes! I think the trick was to just start all over and import the .stl file again. For some weird reason Slicer just seemed to need a fresh start.
![](../images/wk02_bigtabs.jpg)
*put it on the tab please*
###How to Use the BRM Laser at Fablab WAAG
This is the same laser I'm used to at work but an older model so some stuff is different. For example, I need to use much higher settings to cut this paper than I would at work (Speed 100/Power 20, compared to 16 or so). NOTE: I only did a test here, because of some issues with someone else's assignment I decided to cut my assignment at work where we have the same laser, just a newer version.
![](../images/wk02_exportai2.jpg)
*untick all boxes and get less headache later...*
**Cutting at WAAG: step by step**:<br>
1. Export design to Illustrator 2, and ***untick all the boxes***
2. Or use a .dxf
3. Copy the file to the desktop or the LaserCut program will crash
4. Import the file (not open)
5. On machine: 1) turn power knob to the right, 2) turn power button on, and 3) turn on the water cooler and 4) switch on laser head (just before you start cutting, because: noisy).
6. Calibrate the height of the laser head using wooden block provided
7. Position material, and set origin or anchor (hit esc if machine doesn't respond)
8. Delete double lines Go **to Tools - Unite Lines**
9. On laser software: put in settings (do test first!) I tested for 300 grams paper on speed 100, power 16, 18 and 20 and settled on the latter.
10. Download file: del all to delete old file, download new file to machine.
11. Run a test, check check check, turn on the laser head and GO! Stay with the machine.
**Problems**<br>
The laser software didn't recognize the colors in my design, so I had to redo my designs before taking them to the laser. I usually like working with the pure RGB colors to specify cut jobs (cut, engrave or ignore). I didn't manage that today, but will see if the laser I use at work will recognize the layers.
I saved a copy with all data in Illustrator, then I deleted the annotations layer (I will mark them in pencil after cutting so I can recognize which is which). Then put all the lines on one layer, and saved another copy for cutting.
**Eliminating double lines in Illustrator - THIS WORKS!**<br>
I got a lot of double lines when cutting tests. Even though the laser software can reduce some. I couldn't resolve it completely. So tried to anticipate it in the Illustrator files. I found this tutorial, and it works! Zero double lines after doing this. Just remember to ungroup the vectors after because the laser software does not like...
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/hcIKxlJTPxM?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**The Final Cut**<br>
So in the end: I will cut only the outlines and the fold lines and kept the canvas frame for reference because the measurements can get messed up when taking the design into the laser software. It's easier to compare when including the canvas edge, rather than selecting only the elements. Recipe for the ultimate ;-P cutfile:
1. Space elements away from edge if needed
2. Save a reference copy with all data
3. Delete annotations layer (unless you want to cut the numbers on the pieces, but I don't).
4. Cut everything
5. Delete all layers beside one (doesn't matter which)
6. Paste in place
7. Select an outline (blue), go to the "Select" menu, then "Same", then
8. Group the elements
9. Open "Pathfinder" tools under "Window", and press "Outline", reset the stroke in a pure RGB color
10. Ungroup the elements again (this is important!)
11. Repeat step 7-10 for the other colors in the drawing that need different kind of cutting job. Separate e.g. scoring/dotted lines from engraving or cutting.
12. Save as Illustrator 2 file (or Illustrator 8, or other, as your machine requires).
13. You should now have a *cutfile* with one layer and only ungrouped elements, and a *reference file* that still has all layers separated and still has the annotations layer so you can find out what's what.
**Change of plan, cutting at work**<br>
I had to do another cuttest because I changed to the different machine and ended up cutting at speed 400 power 22. Some of the element curled up so I had to be smart about layering and order of cutting, because once they curl up the focal length changes so you will not get nice cuts anymore. I made sure the machine cut the insides and then outsides by separating the layers and ordering them, and changing these settings:
![](../images/wk02_smartsettings.jpg)
*Be smart about settings loesy goosey*
## Assembling the model
Ohm this process was crazy. It already was intimate to make this 3D model of a friend, but it got real intimate right about now! Cutting took an hour, but assembling took me the whole rest of the day, another 8 hours.
Armed with sticky notes, painting tape, duct tape, a ruler and a pen, I set off to assemble this design using the slicer app for reference to see where the panels were. When I got further into the assembling process I found myself also writing which body parts they belonged to because it was getting really confusing really quick! I taped down all the little splices because they were easily damaged. I started with painting tape, because I wanted to be able to fix mistakes, but in the end duct tape was much better for this.
The tabs give guidance and hold the mannequin together to some extent, but they're always located in the middle giving little support to the edges. They were quite strong though as the tab is made slightly bigger than the hole, but it's also very easy to manipulate the paper too much (ugly!) because you have to pull at it a lot. So I ended up trimming them with tiny scissors.
![](../images/wk02_assemble1.jpg)
**Order of assembly**<br>
I made the separate limbs first and then put it together. The size of the mannequin was a little too big for the strength the paper could give. A smaller model would have been much sturdier. But in the end I filled it up with the left over paper from cutting and it's standing firmly now! Probably not fit to travel though. It was quite amazing how it went from very floppy (in the middle of the process) and feeling it gain coherence and structure as I advanced. It also reminded me a lot of how confused I can get while sewing when you have to keep pulling things inside out. I find it easy to get confused about what body part I'm working on haha. I assembled in this order, constantly referring to the slicer 3D model to see which parts should connect:
1. Left arm: 19, 20, 23, 24 and 25
2. Right side of belly: 1,3,14,21 and 21
3. Chest/belly: 4, 5 and 12
4. Head: 13, 31 and 32
5. Back: 6, 7, 10, 11, 15 and 17
6. Right arm: 27, 28 and 29
7. Last bits:
* 9 = near left shoulder
* 8 = near chest (left)
* 2 = underneath bottocks (I didn't use this)
* 16 = near right shoulder
* 30 = near chin/shoulder (I didn't use this)
8. Connect the above elements starting from the head down
![](../images/wk02_consentual.jpg)
*Entirely consentual assembling going on*
**An ikea moment**<br>
And..... done! With I had to stuff the mannequin a little with the left-over paper, but here they are. Gorrrrrgeous. And surely there had to be some mystery leftover pieces! They can be placed at the head and neck but it doesn't really help. The slicer made some sub-optimal constructions for the neck. And there's also a hole in the back (which can be fixed easily by designing another vertex for it). I missed that when working on the flat designs.
![](../images/wk02_selfiefinal.jpg)
## Files
A zip with all the files for cutting and assembling can be downloaded [here](../files/wk02_allfiles.zip)<br>
# References
Berger, John. *Ways of Seeing*, London: Penguin Books, Penguin Modern Classics, 2008 edition.
Criado-Perez, Caroline. *Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men*. Vintage Publishing, 2019.
"Interface Manifesto", *Hangar*, 2015: https://interfacemanifesto.hangar.org/index.php/Main_Page
Moses, Yolanda. "Why Do We Keep Using the Word 'Caucasian?', *Sapiens*, 1 February 2017: [https://www.sapiens.org/column/race/caucasian-terminology-origin/](https://www.sapiens.org/column/race/caucasian-terminology-origin/)
Pater, Ruben. *The Politics of Design*, Amsterdam: BIS Publishers, 2016.
Stamp, Nikki. "Berating Nike for plus-size mannequins is no war on obesity – it's just war on bigger bodies", *The Guardian*, 12 June 2019: [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/12/berating-nike-for-plus-size-mannequins-is-no-war-on-obesity-its-just-war-on-bigger-bodies](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/12/berating-nike-for-plus-size-mannequins-is-no-war-on-obesity-its-just-war-on-bigger-bodies)
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docs/assignments/week03.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 3. Circular fashion
![](../images/wk3final1.jpg)<br>
*One of the final designs made with the modules, Loes Bogers, 2019*
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
## Research
##Assignment must-haves
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
1. Zero waste! Design on a grid if you want to do this. See Jessica Stanley's [example.](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/jessica.stanley/assignments/week03/)
2. Make it modular: same module should enable the creation of many different garments
3. Create a garment
4. Take nice pictures
4. Upload .dxf files
4. Add design to opencircularfashion website.
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
**Personal must-haves**
## Useful links
1. Volume!
1. Color!
1. A big garment!
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
**Cecilia's Tips and tricks**
## Code Example
* There should be a logic to this to I guess. Write it up, document it REAAAAAAALLY well. Test your instructions with someone else.
* Make a "pattern", like a knitting pattern.
* To make a garment: design the modules into the dress pattern, you can design finished edges.
* Rhino can make nice arrays
* Grid: triangle, hexagon, square? This determines your structure.
* Use decorative elements: what do you want it to look like?
* Material: determines width of cuts and arrows.
Use the three backticks to separate code.
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
## Inspiration
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
```
###Drag aesthetic of Kimchi and Trixie Mattel
![](../images/wk03_kimchi.jpg)
![](../images/wk03_trixie.jpg)
## Gallery
Here are two of my fav drag queens who featured on RuPaul's Drag Race: Kimchi (top) and Trixie Mattel (bottom), and Violet Chachki (bottom right), who is probably not my favourite, but this pink tassled ensembluh is pretty amazing.
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
What I love love love about Kimchi is her fearless choice of geometric garments. I mean she goes big and chunky and pulls it off so well. I think she self-tailors almost all of it too. And the color palette with the pastels, especially the minty green with pink. It's a win.
## Video
Trixie on the other hand, way less avant-garde and instead more country-barbie on steroids just knows her hot pinks and I love how she uses big shoulders and jackets for added curv and swerv. She makes ugly even uglier: utmost respect. I'm all for the camp.
### From Vimeo
![](../images/wk03_darwinklaar.jpg)<br>
*Images by Studio Brak, taken from [Klaar's instagram](https://www.instagram.com/darwinklaar/)*
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
Some inspiration after-the-fact came from Paulina (thank you!!!) whose friend Darvin Klaar designed these gorgeous outfits for his graduation project. Love.
### From Youtube
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
###Technical inspiration
## 3D Models
The very very basic technique of [increasing and decreasing](https://www.anniescatalog.com/crochet/content.html?content_id=753&type_id=S) like is done in crochet to gradually increase the width of the grid you are crocheting.
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
This church I pass by everyday actually has a gorgeous pattern! The way it goes from small elements to bigger ones is also a way to increase and decrease in width. One of the things I'd like to do.
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
![](../images/wk03_church.jpg)<br>
*The church I pass by every day, Loes Bogers*
**Tesselation and interlocking inspiration**
* See documentation of of [Jessica stanley](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/jessica.stanley/assignments/week03/) from last year: it's male/female AND zero waste.
* You can encode messages in the textile too! Eg. Jessica's binary.
* [Rei Kabakubo-Comme des Garcons worn by Rihanna](https://www.wmagazine.com/gallery/2017-met-gala-comme-des-garcons-red-carpet-rihanna/all). OMG yes.
* [Post-Couture Antwerp](https://www.postcouture.cc/). Look at their double interlocks. It helps to make things really wearable. Like a tiewrap.
* [Ernst Heinrich Häckel's biological drawings](http://www.openculture.com/2017/11/ernst-haeckels-sublime-drawings-of-flora-and-fauna.html)!
![](../images/wk03_interlockinginspi.jpg)
*Other beauties by (left to right): Katie Roberts-Wood, Matija Cop and Stephane Rolland AW16 Haute Couture*
**Personal preferences:**
* Volume volume volume, I want big shapes
* zero waste all the way, using waste stream of lab
* semi-intuitive assembling and modeling on the body
* modules should enable fast improvising, module should give lots of options to play, like legos! But still have a nice look to it of course.
**Personal dislikes**
* net-like structures
* crazy tiny pieces (horror assembling)
* very thick structures that need a lot of material to cover a small area
## Research
![](../images/wk03_paperprototyping.jpg)
*Lots of sketches and try-outs, Loes Bogers*
**Sketching and paper prototyping**
I tried out a bunch of things in paper and was immediately trying to make even the paper version go 3D, by finding options to increase width and decrease width, like you can do with crochet for example. Somewhat successful, definitely settled my ambition to go for volume. This phase was really necessary to wrap my head around the technique, and the paramaters to think about.
<br>
![](../images/wk03_ceciexplains.jpg)<br>
*Cecilia's explanation of making a module in Rhino :)*
## Test 1: keep it simple, explore materials
I designed a very simple module first to just understand what playing with assembling already gives me without making the design more complex. Start simple, expand:
![](../images/wk03_design1.jpg)<br>
*The first design: rectangles with both slots and tabs for each direction*
**Same module, different materials**
I tested my basic square module with some materials from the waste stream at our university lab, like swatches left behind by students, and a foam we use for thermoforming:
* *denim (100/22)* - nice dark blue and light blue using inside and outside, frayed edges, hard to assemble!!! Lies flat.
* *dense felt (100/22)* (white) - gave brown burn marks, I don't like that. Lies flat.
* *loose felt (100/22)* (salmon) - looks nice, feel nice, really hard to assemble and easy to tear apart. Lies flat.
* *fake leather (100/22)* (green) - keeps integrity very nicely! Lies very flat, few burn marks, nice clean cut, totally keeps its shape, falls heavy down the lines of the body. Can be very nice.
* *organza (100/12)* (hot pink) - love the color, love the transparency effect. Hate how much it frays during handling. This is not for me at all. Also cutting at a diagonal didn't solve this. I dont' have a high pain threshold for fraying fabric.
![](../images/wk03_playing.jpg)<br>
*Playing and assembling with the same module cut from different materials, Loes Bogers*
**Oh a potential winner!**
* *the EVA foam (100/22) or Ethylene-vinyl acetate* - this is thermoformable hobby foam - a property that could be nice to explore later too - and it's alive! Even using plan rectangles it starts to curve a bit, and playing with directions, alternating between slotting the tabs in from the back or front already gives curves, and creates tubes shapes. Greaaaat!!!! It also feels very nice on the skin. It's a bit stinky to cut, and there's slight burning but I can try reduce it with the settings. The tabs do change shape a little when manipulating it, but it also adds a nice irregularity to the computational vibe I guess? I can live with it. It can stand some diffuse strain, but not pulling hard at one point.
![](../images/wk03_swatches2.jpg)<br>
*Testing with EVA foam and loose felt, Loes Bogers*
## Test 2: Increasing and decreasing
For the second tests I wanted to continue with the fake leather and foam and try to make modules that I can use to increase and decrease to make nice shapes around the body. I took the church as inspiration but went for a somewhat simpler diamond shape.
![](../images/wk03_design2.jpg)<br>
*The second design, increasing in height, Loes Bogers*
I started with only one manipulation: by only increasing the size of the module on one axis and keeping the other the same. I cut it and just started playing with it. I thought changing both the x AND Y axes could be the next step. But then a happy accident happened...
![](../images/wk03_tests.jpg)<br>
*Swatches: (clockwise) denim outside and inside of cloth, loose felt, fake leather, EVA foam (white and pink). The white, pink and green swatch are cut in the second iteration of the design, you can see how they start curving. Loes Bogers*
That step never came! I unintentionally started rotating the pieces, thereby accidentally creating increase on the x-axis AND the y-axis, which magically worked out really well!
![](../images/wk03_1module_3options.jpg)
*Explanation of what happened and how it accidentally has some kind of mathematical logic to it...???*
**Laser tricks**
* pieces flying away? Turn the screw of the laser head to reduce the airflow from the blower in the laser head (at my lab at work). Perfection, no fire. Do not try this without consulting your lab manager
* pieces flying away? Put a piece of cardboard under your material, spray it generously with water, and stick you fabric on (temporarily).
* Don't use speed 400 for small designs, it never catches up to speed so you're using pseudo settings. Test cut with a module, not a 10mmx10mm square.
**Design tricks**
* Path finder > Outline to take out double lines. You save yourself laser time but it's also harder to select single shapes because they the logic of the lines changes. Only do with final files.
* Great way to make arrays that transform along the way (scaling and moving): in the menu bar: Effect - Distort & Transform - Transform tool. Also see [this tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVQPzMRGwl0), by Project Lady (amazinggggg name btw) for further instructions on adding organic-looking warps after. Did not get to it for now but would be very interesting to play with.
![](../images/wk03_applications.jpg)<br>
*No shortage on ideas: a veil comb, a bikini, part of a sleeve*
## Redesigning the module
After assessing all my swatches carefully, I made some decisions for the next iteration.
1. use mathematical formula instead of intuition: 122% on y 2. decided on no rounded corners because: zero waste
3. settled on design with 2x slots and 2x tabs (looks nicer without additional cuts that remain unused. I tried this with the pink foam already (see pics)
4. made half modules for finishing seams. 5. made nr 5 a square because difference impossible to see by eye
6. only using 1-8 so left out 9 and 10
7. scaled the size of the set so that the nr 5 is 40x40mm for ease and speed of cutting and assembling an entire garment. The smaller piece looked beautiful but is very fragile and hard to assemble.
8. increased slot size by 10% due to material thickness (will test first)
**Ordering material** I ordered 4 metres of pink 2mm EVA foam (90cm width) to make sure I have enough for the jacket. In the future I would like to work only with leftovers generated in our lab however. We use these sheets for the vacuum thermoforming machine. We cut the big sheets into smaller ones that fit the size of the vacuum window but there's always a lot of waste that is offered as free material for students. We only had enough for testing at the moment though, not for an entire garment. I ordered at Marion Hoop Design's [Webshop](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=marion+hoop+design+foam+fuchsia). Boerenbonthal used to have it but it's gone out of their collection. Hoop is currently one of few retailers to stock this material.
My design did not arrive on time! Mawwww, I didn't manage to finish on time but will catch up later. I cut up the material I had left and just started making shapes with it.
![Design process GIF, Loes Bogers](https://i.imgur.com/kY7ReZt.gif)
*A GIF overview of all the design steps for future reference*
## Making a plan for assembly... hmmm
I was thinking of making a pink bomber jacket - or similar - because it has nice round shapes but still accentuates the smaller parts of the body like wrists and waist. So lots of curves and swerves. But I changed my mind and want to model somewhat intuitively, and explore what the material wants to do. So the design is yet to be decided.
## Test 3: hopefully final!
**Set orientation**
I was also using pieces in all directions, front, back, everything. I had to really choose and order and now every piece has one front and one top, and if it's rotated or turned, it won't work. The tabs are left and up, the slots bottom and right.
**Machine tricks and settings**
I also gave RGB red to the outline, leaving the inner cut lines black. I kept having issues with pieces flying away and this is just the best option in the end: separate inner and outer lines of the module over two layers that are cut separately, starting with the inner lines.
Settings in LaserWork:
* \> cut optimize > then tick *inside to outside, find cutting pot*, and *order of layer*.
* Speed 150, power 25
* Delete overlap with a tolerance up to 0.5 mm
**Zero waste?**
Not entirely, because of the fact that I have 7 pieces. I cannot nest them seamlessly. But it's pretty darn close. I made the cutfile the size of the pieces that are pre-cut at my lab (for use in another machine). It comes on a roll of 90cm wide but that's much harder to keep flat, and also it won't be what I have in the future if I want to create more modules with waste materials.
![](../images/wk03_cutfile.jpg)<br>
*Cutfile for the six modules, Loes Bogers*
![](../images/wk3basket.jpg) Round and round we go, tinkering with the modules, Loes Bogers, 2019.
## Assembling
In the end I tinkered a lot with the modules to see how I could combine them to create various shapes. I made big sheets combining different modules, by going bigger or smaller per row to understand what kind of shapes it would create. I didn't quite realize how long it was going to take me to create a big surface, and I ran out of material so I settled on a garment I could make with the amount of modules I'd cut.
**The mad hatter**
I quite liked the crazy crowns and hats that came out but thought they were really a bit to straight, considering the work I'd put in to try make curves and 3D shapes.
![](https://media.giphy.com/media/S8O6BQcPNN0I9LEkGj/giphy.gif)<br>*Mad hatter experiments with the modules, Loes Bogers, 2020*
**Shoulder piece/choker/headpiece in one**
I thought that the curvy shape it was making could work really nicely as a sort of necklace/choker/harness that follows the curves of my neck and shoulders. And it turned out it also works as a headpiece. Very maleficents.
![](https://media.giphy.com/media/Lnbx3LU39qhjw68tcE/giphy.gif) <br> *Option 3: a maleficent inspired headpiece, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## The not-so-ultimate ikea guide to DIY this
### Design files
To make this piece you need to cut these amounts of modules 3-6 (modules 1-2 are too small and fragile, module 7 is a bit too big for this), or more/less depending on your size. I'm a size UK10, EUR38.
| Row | Amount | Module |
|-----|-----------------|---------|
| 1 | 21x | module 3 |
| 2 | 21x | module 3 |
| 3 | 21x | module 4 |
| 4 | 21x | module 4 (turned 90 degrees counter clockwise) |
| 5 | 21x | module 5 (orientation like row 4) |
| 6 | 21x | module 6 (orientation like row 5) |
| 7 | 21x | module 6 (orientation like row 5) |
Find the .ai design files [here](../files/wk03_modules.ai). These were cut with the settings speed 150, power 25.
![](https://media.giphy.com/media/WtVPTtZZzHF7xLk7tx/giphy.gif)<br>*option 1 and 2: a shoulder piece or a choker, Loes Bogers, 2020*
### How-to
The design for the choker, the shoulder piece and the head piece are all the same. Starting from the left ear, you want to start with a row of 21 x module 3, and then to that line start attaching the other modules following the table above.
For a headpiece you might want to mount it on a plastic head band/tiara, or secure it to your hair or wig with bobby pins.
![](../images/wk3howto.jpg)
## Tutorial by Cecilia
**Source of inspi that are not interlocking textiles**
Ceci suggested to look for inspiration outside the pinterest board. Don't look at modules! Get inspired by literally anything else, nature, armours, any system with structure. We thought of different things, like:
* Armours
* Moroccan architecture
* Mandalas
* Snowflakes
* Portuguese tile patterns
* Architectural structures (yes! this is what I got :))
* indonesian bone carving
* kaleidoscopes!
**How to keep it flat**
* You can make a *male* and a *female* (I prefer tab and slot!), or male/female at the same time. You can also make three different elements
* Think in *directions* (3, eg. triangle, 4 eg rectangle, or 8 eg star.
* By creating *excess*, material sticking out you can create dimeanions. But that's sort of decorative 3D, not structure.
**How to go 3D**
Real 3D is always done with triangulation. The shape doesn't really matter, the shape of the *centerpart* is what determines #directions and ways of interlocking. Everything outside the centershape is excess and decoration.
![](../images/wk03_ceciexplains2.jpg)<br>
*Image of flipover sheet with Cecilia's explanation*
You can use the edges of the center shape, or the corners. Think also about playing with material properties like: colors patterns, transparency, combining thicker and thinner textile. Play with different sizes of the modules. You can also layer up if your holes permit!
You can use leather, felt etc, rigid materials. But also organza and thinner matterials *can work* can have led to beautiful results. The key is playing around with paper and test cuts. There's not really rules for it.
Also think of creating *empty space*! Don't succumb to horror vacui, the empty spaces will give room for options and add-ons.
And lastly, also think about *movement*, loose parts can move when you choose the right material, and have a garment really flow.
\ No newline at end of file
......
docs/assignments/week04.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 4. Biochromes
# 4. Biochromes\*
\* ...and a love affair with cabbage
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
## Research
## Results
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
**Bio-based dyes**<br>
The students in the Amsterdam lab collaborated to make a shared repository of dyed fibres (yarns and swatches). We individually made an overview of dyeing with a particular material: I worked with CABBAGE and we all died several cottons, hemp, sugar cane, algae, silk, mohair, linen, felt, and cheesecloth.
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
![](../images/wk04_collage.jpg)*A love affair with cabbage, Loes Bogers 2019*
## Useful links
**Dying silk with bacteria**<br>
And lastly, dyed a piece of silk using Serratia marcenscens grown and nurtured by Cecilia and her collaborators at the Biolab. We cooked the growing medium together, sterilized together and each dyed our own piece of silk:
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
![](../images/wk04_bacteriasilk2.jpg)*Silk died with Serratia marcenscens, Loes Bogers 2019*
**Inks**<br>
We made a range of inks based on the dye recipes (some modified, others not) and experimented with it on paper, using several modifiers.
## Code Example
![](../images/wk04_stains1.jpg)*Paper stains with homemade inks, Loes Bogers 2019*
Use the three backticks to separate code.
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
## Dye, ink, pigment: a basic lexicon
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
```
**What's what?**<br>
Here's what I picked up from [Cecilia's lectureand slides](https://class.textile-academy.org/classes/week04/), and her lab tutorial.
* *Dye* is basically a liquid bath, its soluble in water, and goes into the fiber (which you pen up first by *scouring* them if you're dyeing plant fibres).
* *Ink* is a more dense liquid, also soluble in water, also goes into the material.
* *Pigment* is a powder, it's not soluble (in water) and goes onto the material
## Gallery
**The play and the actors**
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
* *Vehicle/solvent*: the thing that gets the color out of your dye stuff! If only you could squeeze color out of everything you see, but no. If you want to dye textile, you're probably better off soaking your dye material in something it can release its color into. For example in water or ethanol (high percentage alcohol) - which we used for dyeing - or oil or gel.
## Video
* *Binder*: in some cases, the color might need a bit of extra help to merge with the vehicle and prevent it from separating. A binder helps, such as arabic gum. For dyeing, more often referred to as *mordant*.
### From Vimeo
* *Additive*: with salt, vinegar or minerals you can do extra bonus stuff! Like stabilize or even out the distribution of dye in the water and fibres (salt), intensify the color (mordants like alum, copper, iron), preserving, thickening, or modifying the color (magic!). You can modify for example PH sensitive dyes by adding more acidic modifiers (citric acid, vinegar), or more alkaline liquids (like soda ash dissolved in water, and sometimes tap water itself cam be alkaline, as I discovered.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
* *Mordants (or dye fixatives)*: are used as a bridge between the color you extract from the dye matter and the fibre. It's like the glue you need to keep them together. You can use iron liqueur, copper liqueur, alum powder (dissolved in hot water). Mordants can effect the shade of the dye too (soda for example is alkali). So keep this in mind. Mordants can be used before dyeing (pre-mordanting), it can be added to the dye bath itself (meta-mordanting, like Bela did with her Lichens), of after the bath (post-mordanting)x§
### From Youtube
* *Recipes*: will give you starting points for ratios between all of the above, and the do's and don'ts. Start with a recipe, deviate widely and systematically! <3
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
* *Unbleached fibres*: are so hard to get! It's a pity because bleach is bad...
## 3D Models
* *Animal fibres*: get your protein! Like silk, wool, mohair, camel, alpaca, angora. These don't need to be scoured before dyeing, they tend to dye well in bright, deep colors. The protein binds well with mordant - which then bonds with the dye - and responds to acid and alkaline modifiers. Do not boil animal fibres! Keep them simmering at 80 degrees celcius. Do not shock them in cold water when rinsing.
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
* *Vegetable fibres*: get your cellulose! Cotton, jute, hemp, algae, linen, sugar cane etc. These need to be scoured to open up the fibres before dyeing. You can boil and shock these, they won't be bothered. Not all veg fibre is sustainable! e.g. viscose is a plant, but the processes used to create it are highly chemical.
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
* *Scouring*: is done with scouring agents such as sodium ash (sodium carbonate/natrium carbonate). These are used to prepare vegetable fibres for dyeing, basically to clean them by removing all the waxes, pectins to makes the textile material hydrophilic or water absorbent.
* *Stabilizers*: like salt, helps color distribute evenly in the water, and in the fibres you dye in it.
* *Modifiers:* substances that change the hue of the dye. *PH modifiers* change color by changing the PH toward more acidic (vinegar, citric acid, alum), or more alkaline (sodium carbonate). *Metal modifiers* can also alter color: copper makes the hues more blue/green, whereas iron makes them duller/darker in tone.
##Dyeing process in steps
### 0. Make skeins
Prepare the yarn by twisting it 4 times around forearm and close it with a knot you will be able to undo. We did about 20 for each fibre. The yarn won't tangle as easily.
![](../images/wk04_skeins2.jpg)*Twisting and turning using the technique of Cecilia's nonna, Loes Bogers, 2019*<br>
### 1. Scour your vegetable fibres
Soak them in hot water with 2 tablespoons of sodium carbonate for at least an hour to clean and open up the fibres.
### 2. Weigh the dry fibre
Do it, weigh it. Combine fibres cleverly: animal with animal, vegetable with vegetable. Animal fibre should never boil! So keep them separate and safe. Add up the numbers and calculate how much scouring agent and/or mordant you need.
### 3. Scouring (the vegetable fibre)
Add up the weight of each vegetable fibre that goes into one pot, and calculate the amount of scourin needed.
Our cottons, sugar cane, algae, hemp and linen went into another pot. We wrapped it all up in a cheescloth that we could then also dye.
The total was 520 grams of dry fibre to which we added 4 tablespoons of soda ash (sodium carbonate) for scouring (first dissolve in hot water, then add to pot). Cover the fibre with hot water and boil for at least an hour. The fabrics Cecilia brought (organic stretch jersey and cotton twill) were already pre-scoured with soda ash in a washing machine, so we only mordanted them.
### 4. Mordanting (all fibres)
*Vegetable fibres*
After an hour or scouring, we rinsed the vegetable fibres, filled the pot again and added the mordant. We added 10-15% of alum (60 grams dissolved in hot water) and let it boil for another hour.
*Animal fibres*
Our silks, mohair, felt and wool went into one pot. A total of 92 grams of fibre. We added 10-20% of the dry weight in alum (21 gr), that we first dissolved in hot water, and then added to the pot. 5 grams of cream of tartar was added to keep the wool shiny and soft (8%). Fill up the pot until the fibres are covered with hot water of 70-80% celcius.
Be sure to dissolve the mordant before adding it to the pot. Only THEN you add the fibres to the pot.
Simmer for at least an hour at 70-80 degrees Celcius. Keep an eye on the temperature with a thermometer.
Then take the fibres out and rinse in WARM water. **Animal fibres don't like to be shocked with cold water!**
### 5. Dyeing: each on their own now!
We separated the fibres so everyone had 2-3 skeins of each fabric. We all picked a dye material that we died all our fibres in and then modified in different ways. We worked with:
* Avocado pits & Madder [Bea](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/beatriz.sandini/assignments/week04/)
* Lichens [Bela](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/bela.rofe/assignments/week04/)
* Red cabbage (I did this one!)
* Alkanet (Sara)
* Turmeric [Paulina](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/paulina.martina/assignments/week04/)
* Hibiscus [Carolina](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/carolina.delgado/assignments/week04/)
### 6. Documenting and archiving
This is the basic info to document my colors. I created 5 colors with my dye.
![](../images/wk04_overview.jpg)*Cabbage dye overview, Loes Bogers 2019*
**Dye stuff**
* Name: Red Cabbage (organic, AH)
* Origin: unknown
* Date: 16-18 Oct 2019
**Recipe**
* Amount : A little more than half the cabbage, finely chopped (it was a big one),
* Vehicle/solvent : Ethanol (when the cabbage looks bland and uniform in color but the water is dark, it's done!
* Dyeing time : one hour, and some overnight
* Binder : -
* Stabilizer: Salt (a tablespoon)
* Modifier 1: Acidic PH modifier, vinegar solution (125 ml on 300 ml tap water)
* Modifier 2: Alkaline PH modifier, tap water
* Modifier 3: Alkaline PH modifier, sodium carbonate (soda ash) dissolved in water (2 pinches on 300 ml hot water)
* Thickener: -
##My love affair with cabbage
###1 hour dye
I dyed my fibres for an hour in a pot that I kept simmering. I had to add more water because the pieces sticking out already started oxidizing. The color was initially a nice dark blue, that eventually turned a bit more toward purple/lilac tones.
![](../images/wk04_choptodye.jpg)*From chopping to dyeing, Loes Bogers, 2019*
####A simple rinse turned into a modification
I took the textiles out and rinsed them in lukewarm water. This turned the fibres baby blue instantly. The water here is a bit alkaline, so I basically already did my first modification by accident, just by rinsing the fibres. I rinsed one set of fibres and put them away to dry. I didn't rinse in water anymore after that, I just took the fibres out to let them dry without rinsing. Cabbage is very agile! I'm going to ask her if she will be my spirit dye stuff ;-) Of course the down side is that this material is not color fast at all, so washing or color continuity is out of the question. But the effects are magical magical, pure alchemy.
![](../images/wk04_babyblues.jpg)*after a rinse in tap water, Loes Bogers, 2019*
####Modifying with soda ash (alkaline PH modifier)
I made a solution from 2 pinches of soda ash in hot water. (Only 1 pinch had no effect on the color). I tested it on a piece of jersey that almost immediately lost nearly all it's color, turning into a very pale green. Again, I didn't rinse in water but took it straight from the dye. This is when I decided to leave the rest of the fibres overnight before modifying with an alkaline modifier again.
####Modifying with vinegar (acidic PH modifier)
I also tried an acidic modifier on the one hour dyed pieces. For this I made a vinegar solution (125 ml to 300 ml water), which turned the one hour dye fibres into a nice pinkish lilac. Lots of mermaid effects because I can't help it. I just gave them a quick dip of a few seconds before taking them out again to prevent them from losing all their color. Magic!
![](../images/wk04_pinks.jpg)*making pink at least for a little while...., Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Overnight dye & another soda dipping
The overnight dye turned the pieces beautifully dark (at first, purple-ish later). I took one set out of the dye and let it dry without rinsing. I dipped a sample in my soda solution from the day before, and this time I got a gorgeous turquoise/petrol color (my favourite!!!!) So I chopped the neutral set of fibres in half so I could make another alkaline modification here. B-e-a-u-tiful.
![](../images/wk04_overnight.jpg)*The result of the overnight dye, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk04_turquoise.jpg)<br>*Gorgeous turqoise tones, Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Post-mordanting
Cecilia mentioned that cabbage is known to lose its color. There's definitely no washing these fibres or its all gone. Even just time and air will make the colors duller. We tried some mordants to see if we could post-mordant the fibres dyed in cabbage. In theory you can bind colors better by post-mordanting, could be by spraying it with a mordant solution and ironing it a few times. Sadly, the mordants we had at hand (alum, and tannin from the tara tree) were too acidic and would definitely modify the beautiful hues I was trying to capture. Luckily I tested them with PH papers before dunking all my gorgeous babies in there.
![](../images/wk04_postmordant.jpg)*PH strips of the alum and tara tree solution: acidic, Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Modifying with vinegar *again!*
Waking up on Friday, I came down to see the beauties to notice that the unmodified dye and the alkaline modification (pink) had both changed, and were now very close to one another in color. So I thought I'd try a little something, and dipped a piece in vinegar (maybe a bit harsh, I forgot to dilute). It immediately turned bright fuchsia pink! Before it had stayed a little in the lilac/purple hues. I thought this was nice, another modification. So I chopped the earlier alkaline modification in half and dunked it in a vinegar solution, adding a nice pink set to the collection. Let's see if it stays!
##Inks
Ink follows similar process as dye. You have a vehicle, a binder and potentially additives like modifiers. I made some cabbage ink using ethanol as a vehicle. It needed to be quite strong though, so we had to add more cabbage (thanks Bea!).
**Vehicles**: water | ethanol | oil | gel
**Binders**: arabic gum, only works with water-based inks
**Additives**: salt | vinegar | minerals (to stabilize, intensify, modify, thicken and preserve).
![](../images/wk04_collections.jpg)<br>*our bacteria and inks, Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Regular inks: water-based
1. Extract the color into water by boiling
1. Boil down the ink a lot
1. Add salt and/or arabic gom to stabilize/thicken
1. Add alkali or acidic modifiers to change color
###Marker inks: ethanol-based
1. Extract the color by stirring it with ethanol (e.g. cabbage)
1. Add more ethanol and stir some more until concentrated enough.
1. Add salt to stabilize
1. Add alkali or acidic modifiers to change color
###Printing inks: oil or gel-based
I didn't work with these myself. But I think oil or gel-based inks are generally made with pigments and oil/gel. To get pigment you can let dye/ink dry out and scrape the residue. You can also precipitate the ink/dye by adding (?????). Will have to check how this process works again.
What kind of oils and gels?
### Experiments
Here are some experiments I made on aquarel paper. First I added lines of modifiers that I let dry, and then painted stripes of different inks on top. You can see how they all respond differently.
![](../images/wk04_colorcards.jpg)<br>*color cards with modifiers, Loes Bogers, 2019*
From top to bottom in this order:
* Hibiscus | water
* Cabbage | ethanol | vinegar
* Cabbage | ethanol | soda
* Beetrood | ethanol
* Lichen | water
* Turmeric | ethanol
* Avocado pits | water > dissipated
And from left to right:
* Vinegar
* Soda
* Arabic gum
* Copper liqueur
I also drew some more freeform shapes using a wet-on-wet technique to play with the interactions between ink, modifiers and ethanol. Below you see hibiscus ink (bordeaux red) and turmeric (yellow), modified with copper in the top right, creating greens. I added some soda in the bottom left, it traveled quickly and left purple stains all over, beautiful. The blue-ish dots are made with some vinegar.
![](../images/wk04_stains2.jpg)<br>*Free-form experiments with hibiscus and turmeric and modifiers, Loes Bogers, 2019*
And this drawing is lichens (the brownish tone), sprayed with copper using a toothbrush, leaving a light, minty green tone. while it was still wet I added some drops of the cabbage/vinegar ink to create some deep turquoize stains that traveled very beautifully too.
![](../images/wk04_stains1.jpg)<br>*Free-form experiments with cabbage with vinegar, lichens & copper, Loes Bogers, 2019*
##Bacterial dye
###Biolab basics
No food and drink in the lab! You don't want to eat the stuff flying around here. Wear a coat, consider gloves and goggles always. Tie up your hair to avoid contaminating your plates.
Once you start working with the bacteria themselves: close doors and windows to stop airflow. Don't talk, don't move. All airflow moves bacteria around and into your plates.
Sign in and out and clean up your dishes. Through away the water after.
###Meeting Serratia marcenscens
We met Serratia marcenscens! A red/orange beauty that gives us pink (in acidic solutions) if you treat her well and feed her peanut butter. They used to keep a purple one too but sadly it died when the freezer broke over summer. You have to keep her alive by giving her new food every few days (replating).
![](../images/wk04_thebacteria.jpg)*Serratia marcenscens at the biolab, Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Growing media, or: what to feed Serratia
Plate some growing media mixed with crunchy(!) peanut butter. Nuts and seeds can do wonders with some bacteria. We prepared these growing media:
* 500 ml of LB broth (LB): stays liquid, use 20g/L, with 3/4 tsp of peanut butter;
* 250 ml of Nutrient Agar (NA), jellifies when cooled down: 28 g/L, with 1.2 tsp of peanutbutter;
* 500 ml of Plate Count Agar (PCA), jellifies when cooled down: 23 g/L, with 3/4 tsp of peanut butter;
* 250 ml of Vegitone (VA): jellifies into dark green jelly: 62.5 g/L and 1/2 tsp of peanut butter (it was old and chunky! Might not work well);
* 500ml of Water & Peanut (WP), tap water with 1/2 tsp PB (or sterilized water, depending on local quality)
![](../images/wk04_biolab.jpg)*Learning the biolab basics, Loes Bogers, 2019*
*PH value of the growing media*
As SM is a PH sensitive creature, it's good to know the PH value of the stuff you're working with (like I saw when rinsing my dyed cabbage fibres!). None of the foods are very alkaline, only the LB broth is a little more acidic.
We measure the ingredients with a precision scale (stabilize before using), by putting it on a piece of paper for easy pouring into the bottles. We then mixed all of this (shake well!) and labeled the bottles as well as the lids. You can smell them to sense if they're clean, if they smell funny: wash. Label them differently so you can identify them from the top.
###Sterilizing the food and the substrate
Then we sterilized the food bottles. The lid should be loose! Otherwise it can explode in the pressure cooker. You close them after sterilizing.
*Autoclave tape!*
Stick a bit of autoclave tape to the top. It has diagonal lines that turn dark if you sterilized correctly. Handy....
*Handling the pressure cooker*
Close the lid, seal the lid (locking it), and turn the knob to position 2. When the little pin firmly comes *all the way out*, the cooker is under pressure and you can start the timer for 15 mins.
Bring the water in the pressure cooker to the boil and let them steam *under pressure* for at least 15 minutes. Let them cool and take them out. If you're impatient and cannot wait to let them cool: first release the steam before opening the cooker!
###Folding and sterilizing the fabric
We each got a piece of silk that we folded or crumpled up to create patterns/symmetry in the dyeing pattern SM will create for us. Add a couple of stitches to keep it all together. We sterilize the substrate because otherwise you might be growing just about any bacteria that ever touched your silk. We want to constrain the growing to Serratia. Silk dyes really well, it's protein-based because it's an animal fibre.
![](../images/wk04_folding.gif)<br>*My folding improvisation, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Put the fabrics in **glass petri dishes**, or in a heat-resistant **autoclave bag**. Again, stick some autokleeftape on to assess whether it sterilized correctly. Sterilize for at least 15 mins under pressure in the pressure cooker.
###Plating
Take care when taking everything out. Make sure nothing accidentally opens when you take the petri dishes and foods out. Seal the food bottles tight. We started off by each plating some food from all the growing media, so we can keep our own Serratia's alive for a while. Plating basically means preparing petri dishes with food in a sterile way, before you add the bacteria you want to grow (see inoculating).
####Keeping it sterile
Use new petri dishes and tape the bag closed if you don't finish a bag. You can use these only once. During the plating: don't talk, don't move! Airflow spreads bacteria and will contaminate your scene.
Make an empty table and douse the area around the gas burner with ethanol. Keep this area wet with ethanol throughout the process. This will create a *sterile bubble* when the flame is on. Keep all your movements and lids, tools, dishing inside this bubble at all times and you should be ok :) Easier said than done.
Steps:
1. Collect your petri dishes so they're close to you
1. Put the food bottles within reach, they're hot! Use a glove.
1. Get comfy an light the gas burner
1. Keep the rim of the bottle in the flame for a second to sterilize the area you will pour with
1. Lift the lid of the petri dish (open it as little as possible and work quickly), pour in some liquid to cover the bottom.
1. Close the petri dish and move on to the other ones.
1. Keep the area doused with ethanol, but remember to *point the tip of the bottle away from the flame at all times!*
1. When you're done, label all the plates with:
* name of the bacteria (SM)
* name of the growth media (PCA, NA, VA, PW, LB)
* date
* your name
![](../images/wk04_sterilebubble.jpg)*Cecilia in her sterile bubble, Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Inoculating
**Two techniques to dye with bacteria:**
* Grow bacteria directly on the fabric (what we're doing)
* Extract the color and dyeing with that (will learn later)
When growing directly on the fabric, you first soak the silk with a liquid growing medium - we used LB broth. Work in a sterile matter within the sterile bubble, similar to how we did the plating. No moving, no talking! Then you inoculate, or: add the bacteria to your sterile plates/fabrics.
![](../images/wk04_inoculating.jpg)*Incoculating: putting the bacteria on their food plates, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**The steps:**
1. Keep the *inoculation loop* in the flame until it turns red to sterilize it. If the bacteria is grown in a liquid growth medium, like water, you can dilute it with sterile water and use a sterile spray or pipet.
1. *Cool* the inoculation loop by dipping it into a bit of jelly where no bacteria is growing.
1. Scrape a bit of bacteria from the petri dish and spread it all around the plate, or on your fabric and in the liquid food around it.
1. Try not to break the jelly but really scratch the surface only!
1. Label the dishes if you haven't done so already
1. Seal the plates with *parafilm* stretch it all around until it overlaps by holding one end with one thumb and pulling the rest around, letting go of the paper bit by bit.
1. Let the incubate for 3 days.
1. Kill the bacteria by sterilizing it using the same process with the pressure cooker (add new autoclave tape!)
1. Harvest the bacteria. I missed this step so looked at Bea's [wonderful documentation](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/beatriz.sandini/assignments/week04/#7-checiking-the-results) to look up how she did it:
>Grab some lab glass tubes, very thin ones, that can easily fold when heated up. Then do a L shape tip.
>Then add etanol to your bacteria dishes and gently scrape the surface. The colorant will come out with the etanol and you can save that for using either as a dye bath or as a ink.
>
>– Bea's documentation
It's Christmas time!
![](../images/wk04_bacteriasilk3.jpg) *Unpacking my bundle..., Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk04_bacteriasilk2.jpg) *Whoa!, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk04_bacteriasilk1.jpg) *Detail of the bacteria pattern! Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Keeping our bacteria alive
TBA
<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
>>>>>>> ADD THESE THROUGHOUT!
## Lecture notes
What are biochromes? Colors present in natural sources
###Context
Color is everywhere, sources of color are present in every environment. But we forgot how to use and extract pigments. this class is about understanding the materials and behaviors of the things around us, and the locality of it. The local water will have particular results, but that's the beauty of it. You will learn how to control the PH a little bit. Color is alive, it's full of symbolism but culturally dependent. We've used it since we lived in caves! 13-14 thousand years.
Newton's treatise on optics. Separating the color spectrum with a prism and analyses how color functions. Before this we mapped out colors as dots, with recipes. But newton created theory of color, analytical model, using the color wheel etc. Mapping colors is a whole challenge in itself. Different methods have been developed to catalogue color.
**What is color?**<br>
Wavelengths & frequency and how the human eye perceives it.
####Sources of color
*Organic*: (contains carbon):
* Plant
* Animal
* Organism
*Inorganic* (no carbon):<br>
* Minerals
### Inks
Soluble, dense, into material. Three components:
* *vehicle* - what you use to suspend the pigment
* binder - e.g. arabic gum, acts like a glue between textile and ink
* additive - eg. salt, vinegar for stabilising, intensifying, modifying, preserving, thickening
**Process:**
1. combine dye
1. boil/stir
1. ???
You can use soot from a candle to make dark ink!
Logic per color
PH sensitive pigments
**Documenting**<br>
1. *Dye stuff*:name (latin!), origin, date
1. *Recipe*: quantities, time, vehicle, binder, stabilizer, modifier, thickener
1. *Catalogue*: by material, by colour
You can map colors schematically, but there's also value in expressive examples of ink, like drawings, blotches etc. This is a great reference: [*Make Ink* by Jason Logan](https://www.bol.com/nl/f/make-ink/9200000090031652/) Tips for documenting:
* Find the Latin and English name
* Mention (the form of the) raw material (e.g. chips or powder)
* Make series that allow you to compare
### Dyes
Types of dyes: acid, basic, direct, mordant, vat dyes, reactive dyes, disperse dyes, azoic dyes (toxic), sulfur dyes, food dyes.
Mauve was the first synthetic pigment, discovered by accident. If you don't question the consequences you might poison people, like used to happen with arsenic dyes that was used to dye fabrics green. The fact that it's natural does NOT make it safe.
Dyes are not mentioned in tags inside clothing. Nobody is talking about it. Color is so important, what color are you wearing? How polluting is it? We often don't know. Water pollution is a serious consequence in the fashion industry, because it gets loaded with chemicals.
Bleaching is one of the most damaging processes for the environment.
### Fibres & Pigments
*Animal fibres*:<br>
wool, silk, angora, mohair, alpaca, camel. They host color really well.
*Natural fibres*:<br>
Cotton, linen, ramie, hemp, sisal, jute, viscose. These often need to be combined with tannins or other, to open up the fibres
so the mordent can bond better.
*Proces:*<br>
Different for animal and vegetable fibres:
1. Prepare the fibre, to open up the fibres (animal fibres)
**Mordants**<br>
Less toxic: alum (a mineral, brightens up the color), iron, copper (is great for blues and greens). They brighten the color. Alum is the best for people with allergies and also works very well.
With copper: wear gloves! Use copper pipes: hammer them first to break potential coating that is on it.
Iron: use rusty nails to make iron liquor. Iron is a mordant but also a color modifier. It saddens the color, makes it darker, more grayish. Adds a bit of yellowish tone.
**Modifiers**<br>
* Acidic: brighten up colors
* Alkaline: move more towards colder colors
* Copper: will give /blueish hue
* Iron: yellowish hue
###Natural Dyes
* Avocado
* Cabbage
* Onions
* And more
How do you know how concentrated your iron/copper liquors are? You can't, you need to compare it with a synthetic one.
###Bacterial Dyes
Bacteria are single-celled organisms and they're EVERYWHERE. There are different levels of biosafety. You cannot do everything in a home-brew lab, you'd need a different licence. So compounds are strikingly similar to the pigments found in plants.
Why bacteria? They make patterns! They're collaborators in creating visual patterns. There have been research papers etc published on this since the 80s, but the fashion industry never really voiced the fact that this has been an issue the industry was facing, so it's not been addressed and explored.
Reference: [the Bioshades Website](https://bioshades.bio/) you can download workbooks, and even facilitator's workbooks. text
They teach workshops worldwide with patented processes, to campaign for bacterial dyes and have debate about this with biologists, bio-scientists and people from the fashion industry.
##Inspiration (given by Cecilia)
* Natsay Audrey - Fabric Futures
* Victoria Geaney - with biotech lab
* Pili
* Karin Fleck - Textile lab Vienna > how can we upscale this to industrical level?
>Color is life; for a world without color appears to us as dead
>– Johannes Itten
##Safety
Don't use any utensils you use for dyeing also for eating or cooking after! You can chop stuff but once you are working with mordants etc etc you are definitely not going to put them in touch with your food tools.
##Further research (there's so much!)
* Algae dyes (for screen printing!)
* Dyes from recycled garments
* Soy mordants
* Earth pigments
## Bonus section & recitation
Bonus is a bonus
\ No newline at end of file
docs/assignments/week05.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 5. E-Textiles and Wearables I
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
##Results
## Research
![](../images/wk10_blackdiamondswatch1.jpg)*An analog capacative sensing swatch with a black conductive alum crystal I grew in week 9 (documentation from the future!), Loes Bogers, 2019*
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
* I used hard/soft connections with conductive thread and perfboard, pushbuttons and conductive fabric.
* I made and documented a switch using snap button
* I made and documented an analog sensor using capacative crystal I grew in week 9
* I worked out the Soft Serial communication to read an analog sensor with an FTDI cable (I'd done this before)
* I made and documented a digital sensor using a bikini clip which I integrated into a project: a choker that sounds an alarm when you try to take it off.
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
![](../images/wk05_working.jpg)*Swatch with a digital switch using snaps, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Useful links
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4F35IlK6YNA?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
*A choker that beeps when you try to take it off (using a switch made of a bikini clip), Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Code Example
Use the three backticks to separate code.
## Basics, research, inspiration
I'm so excited about this week! I have worked with electronics before but have little experience with soft circuitry and e-textiles. So am very happy about the opportunity to learn more this week (by doing!).
I went through my sewing kit looking for some textile related hardware that might be conductive. I found this nice metal bikini clip, checked it with the multimeter and BOOM! Found my switch.
![](../images/wk05_potentialswitches.jpg)*potential switches from my sewing box that didn't make the cut. Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Other learning yearnings**
*Atmel ATtiny for programming*
I would like to try building and programming the circuit using an Atmel ATtiny85 chip instead of the bulky Arduino UNO. I have all the materials for it and would like to practice being able to solder such a chip onto textile. I've seen the ATtiny chips used in a lot of wearable projects, so even though it's not part of the assignment, I figured it will come in handy to know how to do this later. I have a TinyProgrammer tick i can use: just plug the DIP chip's legs into the programmer. More below.
*Home-made and bought lilypad stuff lying around*
I previously used some of the [open source Lilypad designs](https://www.sparkfun.com/lilypad_sewable_electronics) by Leah Buechley and recreated them in our lab. It would be nice to reuse some of those, like the TinyLily's I made - using ATtiny chips - with the sewing holes, or the one with the snap-on buttons, or the little LED lights I made with on-board resistors. Oh and I even made some battery clips that I could use now! Let's see. I also have some Lilypad components I bought, like this buzzer. Oooh I want to work with the buzzer as an output.
*Tools we want*
And I found [this page](http://toolswewant.at/category/tools/) via the Kobakant website where soft circuiteers imagine and share ideas for tools they'd like to have for their practice! Ohhhhh man that is so inspiring! Because I'm not a designer, but I do have maker skills and affinity with these kind of practices I've been thinking about the option of making tools during this course. On this page there are so many ideas! Some of them are built already, others are just sketches.
![](../images/wk05_toolswewant.jpg)*Screenshot of the Tools We Want website, 2019.*
I think I might be able to make a better contribution there because I enjoy solving problems, learning about technical stuff and working on concrete things. It gives me more grip on understanding *why* I'm doing something that makes me feel comfortable. This is my applied streak I suppose. I also love working with artists because they tend to make very weird problems to solve that I'd never come up with but that are very interesting to work on.
##Digital 1: Digital switch made with snap buttons
I made a simple circuit and added a switch to it that I made with snaps you can hammer together. Conductive materials used: conductive thread, conductive textile, the snap buttons, a coin cell holder, and a big LED. Dielectric materials: felt and neoprene. I used clear nailpolish to set the ends of the conductive thread. These were my tools: snap buttons, a hammer, a multimeter, needle, conductive thread, pins, pliers and a pair of scissors.
![](../images/wk05_tools_snap.jpg)*Tools used (minus pliers and scissors) Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk05_frontback.jpg)*Front and back of the swatch, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I did some tests to check whether the snap buttons would be conductive and laid out the circuit and started sewing it together.
* I pushed the LED through the fabric and bent the holes into circles with pliers for sewing at the back.
* I pushed through the legs of the coin cell holder and bent them flat, I then sewed through the holes while passing the connections (this was a bad idea!)
* I hammered in the snap button on the back: I wound conductive thread around the circle a few times before hammering the back snap onto the fabric to be able to make a connection to the LED
* I hammered in the snap button on the front: I made sure the legs went through a long piece of conductive fabric, before hammering it to the felt.
* I sewed the felt/conductive fabric switch to the neoprene backing and made a trace to the battery holder.
* I sewed the LED on and the other end of the coin cell holder.
* I checked all the connections with the multimeter, seems great
* I put in the battery and.....nothing.
**Short caused by the battery holder**
I checked the anatomy of the coin cell and the coin cell holder. The + side of the battery is the smooth side AND the entire edge along the side of the disk. Only the textured back is GND.
![](../images/wk05_batteryfix.jpg)*Fixing the short caused by the batteryclip with a bit of electrical tape, Loes Bogers, 2019*
So I realized that the way I sewed on the coin cell holder was connecting to both the + and the - part of the battery, causing a short. I fixed it by putting a littl bit of tape on the side of the battery to make sure the GND part of the circuit was not accidentally also connected to the + side on the edge of the coin cell. Succes!!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C4Mrw149P7k?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Digital switch swatch working, Loes Bogers, 2019*
##Digital 2: Bikini clip switch
###Testing a bikini clip/switch
I found this metal bikini clip that I cut off a bikini once. It's really nice! My multimeter says I can use it (beep beep). Great! Off I go to prototype the digital circuit. Emma Pareschi, our electronics miracle worker at the Amsterdam lab provided us with the basic schematics that helped me quickly put together a circuit with a the digital switch and an LED. I'm not sure why she's opted for a pullup resistor here, maybe because the Arduino has an internal pullup so it's easy to switch between. But I'd say it makes more sense to use a pulldown that keeps the buttonState LOW unless pressed. I know you can change it in the code too, so whatever. But basically it would mean putting the resistor on the other end of the button, the one that connects to GND. @Emma can you explain why you use a pullup and not a pulldown? Does it matter?
###Using Arduino Uno
Prototyping this with an Arduino was a breeze. I started with a Blink sketch, and then added the code from the Button example that come with the standard install of the Arduino IDE under File >> Examples.
**tone() and noTone()**
Then I proceeded to try get some sounds from the buzzer. I looked up the [Lilypad Buzzer hookup guide on Sparkfun](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/lilypad-buzzer-hookup-guide/all) and learned about the tone() and noTone(functions). Copied the code, and added my blink and button code to the sketch. I found out later that these functions are not supported on ATtiny however. I has a sad.
```
LilyPad Buzzer Example, modified by Loes Bogers
SparkFun Electronics
This example code shows how to hook up a LilyPad Buzzer to play a simple song
using the tone() function and setting variables for each note.
Buzzer connections:
* + pin to 5
* - to -
const int buttonPin = 8; // the number of the pushbutton pin
const int ledPin = 10; // the number of the LED pin > has PWM
const int buzzerPin = 5; // the number of the buzzer pin
int delayTime = 100;
int delayTime2 = 150;
int delayTime3 = 200;
// Notes and their frequencies
const int C = 1046;
const int D = 1175;
const int E = 1319;
const int F = 1397;
const int G = 1568;
const int A = 1760;
const int B = 1976;
const int C1 = 2093;
const int D1 = 2349;
int buttonState = 0; // variable for reading the pushbutton status
void setup() {
// initialize the LED pin as an output:
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
// initialize the pushbutton pin as an input:
pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);
// Set the buzzer pin as an OUTPUT
pinMode(buzzerPin, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
// read the state of the pushbutton value:
buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);
// check if the pushbutton is pressed. If it is, the buttonState is HIGH:
if (buttonState == LOW) {
//To use LED uncomment sentence below
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
//play notes (delayTime in this case is how long it's played)
tone(buzzerPin, C);
delay(delayTime);
tone(buzzerPin, E);
delay(delayTime2);
// tone(buzzerPin, C);
// delay(delayTime);
// tone(buzzerPin, G);
// delay(delayTime3);
// tone(buzzerPin, F);
// delay(delayTime);
}else{
//stop sound
noTone(buzzerPin);
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
}
}
```
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w8ZGU7MSt2Y?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*The entire circuit prototyped with an Arduino Uno*
###Using an ATtiny85 DIP and Sparkfun TinyProgrammer
**About the ATMEL ATtiny85 Microcontroller**
There's many Attiny chips, and the 85 sits in a series with comparable chips: the ATtiny 25, 45 and 85. The 85 has the biggest memory (8Kb flash, 512 bytes of RAM, compared to 2Kb/128b for the 25 and 4kb, 256 for the 45). They have the same size
The ATtiny85V has an operating voltage from 1.8-5.5, whereas the ATtiny85 (without V) has an operating voltage from 2.7V - 5.5V which means it will work when you power it with a power supply somewhere within that range. This makes it pretty good for e-textiles that you might want to power with a 3V coin cell, or a 3.7 LiPo battery. It consumes more power as you increase the clock speed, the 85 can run at 20mHz speed but also consumes more.
Any version has a 1Mhz and 8Mhz clock built into the chip, but you can go 16 mHz or up to 20Mhz when using an external clock also called crystal (a small component you would have to add to the circuit to achieve a faster processing speed). You need higher speed for e.g. communication between boards. It supports two protocols that are common to have boards talking to each other: 1-SPI and 1-I2C. You could also make do with the lower ones for simple circuits, it's still pretty fast.
More info and datasheet [here](https://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/ATtiny85). Datasheets are a bit dry but are interesting to find out more about the chip: which pin can do what, if it has any internal pullup resisters you can use etc. For example, the datasheet gives this info on the pinouts and how to use the reset pin. It also details a technical drawing of the device with all measurements, this can be handy if you are designing your own traces that need to fit exactly with the chip.
![](../images/wk05_pinouts.jpg)*ATtiny 25/45/85 pinouts as listed in the datasheet*
It's important to know that these numbers are often NOT the same as the pin numbers you would call in Arduino. For that it's good to look up a tutorial page where they're often listed both alongside one another. Confusing but it is what it is.
![](https://cdn.sparkfun.com/r/600-600/assets/f/8/f/d/9/52713d5b757b7fc0658b4567.png)*Pinout image from the Sparkfun [hookup guide](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/tiny-avr-programmer-hookup-guide/attiny85-use-hints), the Arduino pin numbers are highlighted in turquoise. The red ones indicate which pins you can use for analogReads, the green ones (PWM pins can do pulse width modulation, for e.g. making sounds or fading LEDs.*
**Tools and instructions**
*Chips need programmers: Sparkfun's TinyProgrammer stick [Sparkfun's TinyProgrammer](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11801)*
This simple IC is great because it's supported quite well by the Arduino community which means it's easy to program and prototype with. You do need another device to program it though. An Arduino board tends to have a programmer and a chip or IC (integrated circuit) on board, which means you can do the programming with one device. The ATtiny is just an IC so we use a separate programmer. I'm used to working with [Sparkfun's TinyProgrammer](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11801), and the open-source FabISP. They work the same, just the wiring/connecting is a bit different. I'll document below and also how to connect if you use SMD Attiny chips. Mainly for my own reference for later but who knows it might be useful to others. It's easiest for me with the programmer stick, because you can just plug in the chip and even prototype on the programmer stick. So I'll use that this week.
*Programming an ATtiny85 SOIC (SMD) with the TinyProgrammer*
The chip used is a through-hole IC, but they also come in surface mount packages to be soldered onto a PCB. If you want to program those you can do it by using e.g. this [Pomona Test Clip with 8 contacts](https://nl.farnell.com/pomona/5250/test-clip-8-pos-1-27mm-soj-soic/dp/2406243?st=pomona%20testclip) for surface mount attiny's. Wire them us as pictured below:
![](../images/wk05_wiring_programmer.jpg)*How to wire the Pomona testclip to the programming stick, to program surface mount ATtiny chips (SOIC)*
*FabISP Programmer*
If you don't have a TinyProgrammer or are against buying hardware you can build, you might already have a FabISP or similar (or want to make one). I documented my learning process of making one [here](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/04electronicsproduction.html). If you are wiring this guy op to an ATtiny, wire it like this:
![](../images/wk05_isp_ribbon_ictestclip.jpg)*How to wire a FabISP to a testclip to program an SMD ATtiny85*
*Programming an ATtiny with an Arduino-as-programmer*
The book Arduino Wearables:Stitch Your Way To Fashionable Electronics by Tony Olsson details a very comprehensive how to on programming an ATtiny with an Arduino Uno. I would recommend this book for a technical intro, the explanations are very clear. For imaginative and beautifully crafted projects I'd say Kobakant is absolutely leading but they don't explain all their swatches in as much detail. Using an Arduino board as a programmer can be useful because it doesn't require extra hardware to be bought or made! The overview below are a few screenshots from the book.
![](../images/wk05_arduinoasprogrammer.jpg)*Section from the book Arduino Wearables by Tony Olsson, p. 285-288.*
**Drivers and installs for ATtiny boards**
I bought mine from Sparkfun years ago, they still have it. [This tutorial](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/tiny-avr-programmer-hookup-guide/programming-in-arduino) explains well how to set everything up so you can start programming the chip in Arduino.
**Choosing settings in the Arduino IDE**
Like the tutorial explains, it's important to choose the right board, processor and clock when programming the ATtiny. In my case:
* board: ATtiny
* processor: ATtiny85
* clock: 8 mHz (internal)
The clock is how fast you let the chip run (the frequency or speed at which it cycles through the code). By default, this chip can run on 1 mHz or 8 mHz (it has internal crystals or "clock" devices for that built in). The 1 mHz is too slow so I go for 8, if your blinks are going slower than you set in your code, check if you left the clock on 1 mHz by accident. Don't use the 9, 16 or 20 mHz (external) clocks unless you are also adding a crystal/clock to your circuit with the same value. If you don't know what that means: you're on the safe side sticking to internal clocks, they work fine unless you want to do advanced communication between boards.
**Disconnect everything before programming**
You might get a lot of errors when trying to program the chip while keeping the rest of the circuitry connected. The pins you use to connect components to are the same pins that are being used to program the chip, so they might interfere with the uploading process.
**Connecting and programming the chip (orientation matters)**
When moving the chip around always keep track of the orientation! There's a mark on the chip to tell you which side is which. See also Sparkfun tutorial.
**Prototyping and breadboarding with the chip (and the programmer)**
You can prototype small circuits diretly on the programmer stick, the headers next to the legs of the IC correspond to those pins and are marked conveniently as well. RST, 3, 4 and GND on the left, and VCC, 2, 1, 0 on the right. I needed to use the breadboard too so it was quite a wiry mess but I enjoy that, and it worked out fine.
####Adapting the code to work with ATtiny
**no Tone() for ATtiny: stealing some code**
I was not getting any sounds from the circuit when I used the ATtiny as IC. I double checked the wiring and code, but it seemed like it should work exactly the same. So I started using the Google and found [*Technoblogy* by David Johnson-Davies](http://www.technoblogy.com/show?20MO) who documents lots of experiments and projects using ATtiny chips, including one where he's found a way to use an ATtiny85 with a buzzer. Thank you David!
This code is a bit lower level, programming the chip directly instead of using a library that obscures what is actually happening from the average user's view. I've been able to figure out what is happening in some parts, but will have to ask Emma to help interpreting the note() function he wrote. I was still able to use it though, so moving on....
```
/*
Code from http://www.technoblogy.com/show?20MO
Playing Notes on the ATtiny85
31st January 2018
Modified by Loes Bogers
November 2019
This article describes a simple function for playing notes on the ATtiny85.
I've called this function note, and it can be used to play notes on the ATtiny85 pins 1 or 4.
The note function uses Timer/Counter1 in the ATtiny85,
leaving Timer/Counter0 free for delay() and millis().
It doesn't use interrupts, so the sound output is unaffected by other interrupt-driven processes,
and it includes a lookup table for the well-tempered scale divisors, so you don't need to remember frequency values.
It's an improved version of my earlier article Simple Tones for ATtiny.
For a similar routine for the ATmega328 or ATmega32u4 see A Lightweight Alternative to tone.
The note function takes two parameters:
A note number, from 0 to 11, representing the note in the well-tempered scale,
where 0 represents C, 1 represents C#, and so on up to 11 for B.
The octave, which can be from 0 to 7 with a 1MHz clock,
0 to 10 with an 8MHz clock,
and 0 to 11 with a 16MHz clock.
*/
const int Output = 4; // Can be pin 1 or 4
// Cater for 16MHz, 8MHz, or 1MHz clock:
const int Clock = ((F_CPU/1000000UL) == 16) ? 4 : ((F_CPU/1000000UL) == 8) ? 3 : 0;
const uint8_t scale[] PROGMEM = {239,226,213,201,190,179,169,160,151,142,134,127};
void setup(){
}
void loop() {
for (int n=0; n<=12; n++) { //n = 12 is number of notes in octave.
note(n, 4); // start at note 4
if (n!=4 && n!=11) n++; // if note is not for and not 11 add one to n (plays 8 notes)
delay(100); // delay between each note
}
note(0, 0);
delay(1000); // time in milliseconds before loop starts again
}
void note (int n, int octave) {
int prescaler = 8 + Clock - (octave + n/12);
if (prescaler<1 || prescaler>15 || octave==0) prescaler = 0;
DDRB = (DDRB & ~(1<<Output)) | (prescaler != 0)<<Output;
OCR1C = pgm_read_byte(&scale[n % 12]) - 1;
GTCCR = (Output == 4)<<COM1B0;
TCCR1 = 1<<CTC1 | (Output == 1)<<COM1A0 | prescaler<<CS10;
}
```
**USB disabled: shorts shorts shorts**
My computer kept complaining that the circuit is drawing too much power and the USB port had to be disabled. Oh craps. I had to do some debugging until I found the issues. Also the buzzer stopped buzzing and started behaving very erratically making shreeking sounds.
*Potential problem #1:*
The Lilypad buzzer is an inductive buzzer...
>[...] meaning that is will act as a short to ground if you are not actively driving it. We recommend you put both I/O pins to low (0V) when the buzzer is not used. [Lilypad Buzzer specs sheet](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8463)
So I changed this in the code, by adding a ```digitalWrite(buzzerPin, LOW);```
command. If it wasn't the issue then it's at least good practice.
*Potential problem #2:*
Faulty wiring. I am shorting my circuit everything I connect the switch ends together because the switch is directly between VCC and GND. The + wire should be connected to VCC not directly, but via the 10K pullup resistor. Errrp my bad. This solved the issues though and I have a working circuit using the components I'd intended. Wahoo! Ready to start crafting it into a textile swatch or project.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ubQqr7vtk6Q?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*The entire circuit with an ATtiny, powered via USB (5V), Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Powering the circuit
Now, powering this stuff with a USB cable (5V) is usually fine, but will it blend with say, a 3V coin cell, is what I want to know. The Lilypad Buzzer datasheet says yes, as the operating voltage should be 2.5-4.5V. The ATtiny85 datasheet says 1.8-5.5V for the ATtiny85V and 2.7-5.5V for the ATtiny85. So let's take the latter to be on the safe side. ([ATtiny85 Datasheet](https://html.alldatasheet.com/html-pdf/175195/ATMEL/ATTINY85/151/1/ATTINY85.html), and the [datasheet of the buzzer used on the Lilypad Buzzer](http://cdn.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Components/General/CCV-084B16-CUI-datasheet-29139.pdf)). Ok now that I know this I will try power the buzzer and IC with a 3V coin cell. Went back to simple tone sketch I stole, and...Success!
```
/*
Code from http://www.technoblogy.com/show?20MO
Playing Notes on the ATtiny85
31st January 2018
Modified by Loes Bogers
November 2019
This article describes a simple function for playing notes on the ATtiny85.
I've called this function note, and it can be used to play notes on the ATtiny85 pins 1 or 4.
The note function uses Timer/Counter1 in the ATtiny85,
leaving Timer/Counter0 free for delay() and millis().
It doesn't use interrupts, so the sound output is unaffected by other interrupt-driven processes, and it includes a lookup table for the well-tempered scale divisors, so you don't need to remember frequency values.
It's an improved version of my earlier article Simple Tones for ATtiny.
For a similar routine for the ATmega328 or ATmega32u4 see A Lightweight Alternative to tone.
The note function takes two parameters:
A note number, from 0 to 11, representing the note in the well-tempered scale,
where 0 represents C, 1 represents C#, and so on up to 11 for B.
The octave, which can be from 0 to 7 with a 1MHz clock,
0 to 10 with an 8MHz clock,
and 0 to 11 with a 16MHz clock.
*/
const int ledPin = 0; // the number of the LED pin > has PWM
const int Output = 4; // Can be pin 1 or 4
// Cater for 16MHz, 8MHz, or 1MHz clock:
const int Clock = ((F_CPU/1000000UL) == 16) ? 4 : ((F_CPU/1000000UL) == 8) ? 3 : 0;
const uint8_t scale[] PROGMEM = {239,226,213,201,190,179,169,160,151,142,134,127};
void setup(){
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
for (int n=0; n<=12; n++) { //n = 12 is number of notes in octave.
note(n, 4); // start at note 4
if (n!=4 && n!=11) n++; // if note is not 4 and not 11: add one to n (plays 8 notes)
delay(100); // delay between each note
}
note(0, 0);
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH); //visual feedback from LED, to see if program runs
delay(1000); // time in milliseconds before loop starts again
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
}
void note (int n, int octave) {
int prescaler = 8 + Clock - (octave + n/12);
if (prescaler<1 || prescaler>15 || octave==0) prescaler = 0;
DDRB = (DDRB & ~(1<<Output)) | (prescaler != 0)<<Output;
OCR1C = pgm_read_byte(&scale[n % 12]) - 1;
GTCCR = (Output == 4)<<COM1B0;
TCCR1 = 1<<CTC1 | (Output == 1)<<COM1A0 | prescaler<<CS10;
}
```
###From schematic to soft circuit
This is the schematic of the circuit I cobbled together. I ended up switching the buzzer from pin 1 to pin 4, which is located on the left side of the IC, because it allowed for an easier layout of the conductive traces. Translating a schematic into a working circuit with a breadboard and jumpers is known territory for me. Making a soft circuit on the other hand: super new! And really quite challenging that I had a lot of fun with and made sooooo many mistakes haha.
![](../images/wk05_schematictodesign.jpg)*Schematic and first design sketches, Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Concept? Who said anything about a concept?
As I had to start thinking of the form factor I realized I really didn't have a concept to put these things together at all. I just wanted to work with these components I had lying around. But if you like a story: I made a pink choker that represents the way we use social media. We use it to present ourselves nicely and pretty to the world. It's clear for everyone that it's always passively watching us and capturing us in the background (the red light in the choker), but it's not until we try to take off this leash or try to leave social media that we get alarmed, and continuously nudged into going back into the walled gardens with nosey neighbours. But yeah to be honest: just wanted to explore these particular materials.
###Deciding on a form factor and material
I initially thought to put these things into a swatch, but the bikiniclip so strongly demanded a strip as a connection, that I considered a long, stretched out design, that then became a choker.
I only had thin floppy textiles at home – I tend to do electronics development late at night... – and now I see why so many projects, like Jessica Stanley's for example, use (fake) leather or felt. Something relatively stiff and thick yet bouncy is pretty nice to embed electronics in because you don't loose all the form and softness. The rigid and pointy electronics needs some cushioning. So I went back to a leftover of the pink EVA foam I used for the circular fashion week. It was not ideal: you can't make mistakes with stitching, because you can see the holes forever, and it *can* tear if you're not careful. But it didn't and I'm pretty happy with it as a prototype. I used a standard spool of smooth [stainless steel conductive thread](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13814) that comes on a bobbin. It has a diameter of 0.12 mm and a resistance of 27 Ω/m.
###Sketching up the design
It took several iterations to figure out a way to lay out the traces without crossing them. I wanted to keep it simple and in one layer for now. I was able to do this by moving the buzzer from pin 1 to pin 4. These two are the only pins on the ATtiny that can be used for the buzzer, as described in the Technoblogy article listed above.
**The actual prototype (with improv)**
And then there's reality. I thought I'd planned the design quite well but of course I had taken the hard-soft connections for granted with my previous electronics design experience haha. There are standardized connectors, headers and what not for *everything* in electronics world. They are so ubiquitous that they become invisible. So I had to do a little improvising along the way. I tried to limit the amount of hardware to embed. I could have used a battery clip but decided to try making a soft connector instead.
![](../images/wk05_finallayout.jpg)*Front and back of the prototype put together. Left to right: clip to GND, battery pouch, detachable buzzer, IC socket and ATtiny, LED board (upside down, facing outward), pullup resistor, clip to sensorPin, Loes Bogers, 2019*
DRAWING HERE
**Final code of the circuit**
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
/*
Buzzer ATtiny Code from http://www.technoblogy.com/show?20MO
Playing Notes on the ATtiny85
31st January 2018
Modified by Loes Bogers
Nov 2019
This article describes a simple function for playing notes on the ATtiny85.
I've called this function note, and it can be used to play notes on the ATtiny85 pins 1 or 4.
The note function uses Timer/Counter1 in the ATtiny85,
leaving Timer/Counter0 free for delay() and millis().
It doesn't use interrupts, so the sound buzzerPinPinPinPin is unaffected by other interrupt-driven processes,
and it includes a lookup table for the well-tempered scale divisors, so you don't need to remember frequency values.
It's an improved version of my earlier article Simple Tones for ATtiny.
For a similar routine for the ATmega328 or ATmega32u4 see A Lightweight Alternative to tone.
The note function takes two parameters:
A note number, from 0 to 11, representing the note in the well-tempered scale,
where 0 represents C, 1 represents C#, and so on up to 11 for B.
The octave, which can be from 0 to 7 with a 1MHz clock,
0 to 10 with an 8MHz clock,
and 0 to 11 with a 16MHz clock.
*/
const int ledPin = 0; // the number of the LED pin > has PWM
const int buzzerPin = 4; // Can be pin 1 or 4
const int buttonPin = 2; // the number of the pushbutton pin
// Cater for 16MHz, 8MHz, or 1MHz clock:
const int Clock = ((F_CPU / 1000000UL) == 16) ? 4 : ((F_CPU / 1000000UL) == 8) ? 3 : 0;
const uint8_t scale[] PROGMEM = {239, 226, 213, 201, 190, 179, 169, 160, 151, 142, 134, 127};
int buttonState = 0; // variable for reading the pushbutton status
void setup() {
// initialize the LED pin as an output:
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
// initialize the pushbutton pin as an input:
pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);
// // Set the buzzerPinPinPin pin as an OUTPUT //not necessary, programmed globally?
pinMode(buzzerPin, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
// read the state of the pushbutton value:
buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);
// check if the pushbutton is pressed. If it is, the buttonState is LOW:
if (buttonState == LOW) {
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
digitalWrite(buzzerPin, LOW); // set to low to avoid shorts
} else {
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
for (int n = 0; n <= 12; n++) { //n = 12 is number of notes in octave.
note(n, 4);
if (n != 4 && n != 11) n++; //
delay(100); // delay between each note
}
note(0, 0);
delay(1000); // time in milliseconds before loop starts again
}
}
void note (int n, int octave) {
int prescaler = 8 + Clock - (octave + n / 12);
if (prescaler < 1 || prescaler > 15 || octave == 0) prescaler = 0;
DDRB = (DDRB & ~(1 << buzzerPin)) | (prescaler != 0) << buzzerPin;
OCR1C = pgm_read_byte(&scale[n % 12]) - 1;
GTCCR = (buzzerPin == 4) << COM1B0;
TCCR1 = 1 << CTC1 | (buzzerPin == 1) << COM1A0 | prescaler << CS10;
}
```
###Hard-soft connections
**IC socket made of perfboard**
I used a piece of perfboard to make a socket for the IC. It has holes so is easy to sew onto the fabric. I went through the holes 5-6 times, which fills up the hole but still allows you to press the IC in nice and firmly making nice connections whilst being able to remove it easily if you want to reprogram it or replace it (or wash the garment). I saw similar techniques on Kobakant's [listings for hard/soft connections.](https://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=1272). The foam material is so thick that the legs don't pierce through on the other end, which is extra nice because it's invisible and I can keep the legs intact for programming.
![](../images/wk05_hardsoft.jpg)*Left: the IC socket and LED pcb, sitting next to a burn mark I'd made replacing the resistor with a jumper, middle: connection with the bikiniclip using a bit of conductive fabric, and right: detachable buzzer pad with push buttons. Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Bikiniclip connections**
I only figured out as I was sewing the bikini clips onto the pink foam that they would not make an electrical connection if I'd just attach them! Haha I needed the thread to somehow touch the clip, which it doesn't do with a standard seam. So I put a small strip of conductive textile inside the fold around the clip before stitching it to attach the clip. Connection sounds good so I'm happy.
**Detachable buzzer**
I made the buzzer detachable, using push buttons because this module gets damaged if you wash it according to the [Lilypad buzzer specs] (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8463).
**Coin cell battery pocket**
I added some conductive textile to make bigger surfaces to connect to the battery's + and GND. And used them in combination with the conductive thread and pushbuttons. They're called *bottoni automatici* in Italian. Isn't that glorious? Automatic buttons. It reminds me of a time when a push button was seriously new media, and a revelation after all those non-automatic bone and plastic buttons that needed manual handling :D The battery connections could be tighter, but if you wear this on your neck there's a bit of tension that pushes the battery against the pads.
I was getting a lot of shorts because the pushbuttons of the pocket were touching the sides of the battery thereby creating shorts (and very weird beeping sounds from the buzzer). Emma suggested I sew on a bit of rubber band to separate them. Good idea! Not so elegant but a fine prototyping fix.
I should have researched better and I would have found these [Twelve Ways To Hold Your Coin Cells at Kobakant!](https://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=7064). I will make one of these for the second part of the assignment and do it proper. A bit of additional research also led me to this tutorial ["How to Work With Conductive Fabric"](https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Work-With-Conductive-Fabric/) which is packed with how-to's and tips on everyting e-textile. I'd like to try making a swatch with traces from conductive textile instead of the stitching technique.
![](../images/wk05_batterypouch.jpg) *Not the best solution, but an improvised one that works. Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Resistor and SMD LED on a tiny board**
I bent the legs of the resistor to make sewable loops. And I had made some tiny PCB's with an LED taken from the open source files of the [LED modules](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13902) that you can buy as part of the lilypad line. You can find the schematic and design files under "documents", I modified them to match the components I had, milled and soldered them. What I'd forgotten was that I used these for a different purpose at the time 3 years ago. I had to do a lot of debugging before I realized there was a 1K resistor on the LED board. Which is HUUUUUGE for this circuit, and prevented the LED from lighting up. Also, the front and back of these boards are not connected, you have connect them if you want the front and back pads to be connected. Hahahahaha classic mistake. I undid all the stitches, removed the resistor and replaced it with an SMD 0Ω resitor that acts as a wire/bridge/conductor. And presto! Everything works.
![](../images/wk05_ledconnection.jpg)*The devil, the details: you know how it is. This is the LED board that was stitched on at the back an not making a connection to the front where the components were. Loes Bogers, 2019*
####Front-back-middle?
I spent quite some time thinking about the inside and the outside of the choker, but I would definitely look for more options in a next iteration. I decided to keep the components all on the inside, away from view, and just show the traces to the world. The LED lights up nicely coming from behind the fabric, it gets a bit diffused which I think is very nice. Of course my stitching needs to be way better for this to look nice.
###The art of needlepointing
Ok so I realized that my needlepointing is rather sloppy. I try, but I'm either accidently messing up and putting buttons the wrong way around, or not taking care of my thread allowing it to know, or I'm basically just impatient. I do see that it's a huge part of the aesthetic you can achieve though and would like to improve this and learn some different stitches.
Next time I'll only hand stitch sitting down with a glass of wine and a nice friend or music, and try to really enjoyyyyy doing this repetitive but important job carefully and nicely. It's a kind of finesse that I would really hope to one day bring to my electronics projects.
For now: look at these stitches, they are not that bad! Don't look at the other ones please. I used a little rotary pointy tool to draw even dotted lines that helped with stitching in a regular rhythm. But still: Ceciia could you bring us your needlepointing bible?
![](../images/wk05_rollingpin.jpg)*Left: me trying to sew on some pushbuttons neatly (tongue pressed between my lips and all), middle: me finding out that I sewed it on upside down....right: maybe this tool will save my traces? Loes Bogers, 2019.*
###Debugging tips and tricks
Yeaaaasssss my favourite part haha. I get to practice my mindfulness and sense of humour here because this never goes as expected. I used to get so frustrated! Now I understand a little better that it's just part of the process and it's actually a nice puzzle somtimes. I was very hopeful it would work right away. Which is partially did. I was getting a buzzer, and it would stop as the clip connects. But I got a lot of shorts with the battery pocket, like I described (I *heard* weird sounds at times and *saw* that the LED was not turning on when expected. It took half a day to figure out why the LED wasn't coming on. It was because the top and bottom of the board were disconnected and I was connecting the back whereas the front has the components on them. Hot tip: *do not seal your connections with hotglue until everything works, it's impossible to probe your circuit with nailpolish or hotglue everywhere....*
If something is not working or behaving weirdly, I use these debugging strategies I learned from Emma during Fabacademy:
*Debug the connections*
1. Measure each connection all the way across (using continuity mode), ALSO check that the other traces or not accidently also connected to the trace you're trying to check. Check two things: 1) check whether traces/pads that should be connected are connected, and 2) check whether traces/pads that should be separate are indeed not connecting anywhere. You cannot check this enough in my experience.
*Debug resistance, current and voltage*
1. Measure voltage of the battery to see if it's full enough
1. Read datasheets and check the operating voltage (your power source should accommodate the operating voltage of all the components used).
1. Measure voltage across the chip (should be same as voltage of battery)
1. Measure voltage on pins on the IC that should be high according to your code (should give same voltage as the battery).
1. Feel the components: is stuff getting hot? Do you smell something burning? Your circuit is drawing too much power and you probably have a short. Disconnect the power immediately and debug. Check whether you've burned any components one by one.
1. If you are powering your project with a laptop, it will disable the USB ports if it's drawing too many Amperes (to protect your computer from frying). This should tell you you need to look for shorts.
*Check the code:*
1. If all seems right, also check the code. Did you connect the right components to the right pins mentioned in the code?
1. Did you make sure your code is not stuck in a loop? Sometimes I write something and I don't realize it can never reach certain states or conditions. For each control statement, write in a feedback loop so you know where in the code you get stuck. E.g. make a led blink once or twice or three times, as it loops through the parts of the code. Or use the serial monitor and print messages to the serial to know what the code is doing and where it might get stuck.
For example: I might try to connect a buzzer but am not sure how to connect it. In my code I'll write a command to play a note on the buzzer, and also turn on an LED. If the buzzer doesn't play a tone but the LED turns on I know that the program is running correctly and I probably have to look at the way I connect the component or how I drive it in the code. If there's no tone AND no light, it probably means the program never reaches that part of the code.
**Ugh, despair. Why didn't I record the results right away?**
I didn't document the working piece straight away when it was working. And when I tried to do it this evening. It was buggy again. More debugging for me :(
I found that it was the connection to the power supply (the coin cell battery) was the issue. When I power the choker with the lab power supply it works perfectly (see video).
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4F35IlK6YNA?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
So I took off my improvised battery pouch, and replaced it with a hard battery clip to fix the problem.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N0gbRPfFFjw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*And it's workinggggg also with only the coin cell, Loes Bogers, 2019*
****
##Analog sensor: black diamond capacitive sensing rock
I grew some alum crystals in week 9 - Textile as Scaffold. I missed this electronics week so I'm working on week 5 from the future. I made these beautiful crystals with the addition of some bare conductive ink. The documentation is [here](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/loes.bogers/assignments/week09/)
And I made this baby work! I wrote some code for Attiny85 using softserial to see how it's reading and it's beautiful. I had the sending and receiving pin the wrong way around at first but that was easily fixed.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-kNWvzDM0sc?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
```
//Code taken from these tutorials and modified by Loes Bogers
//https://www.instructables.com/id/Capacitive-Sensing-for-Dummies/
//https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Smoothing
#include <CapacitiveSensor.h>
#include <SoftwareSerial.h> when using ATtiny and FTDI cable
#define rxPin 1 // if using FTDI cable and attiny > connect to TX of other device
#define txPin 0 // if using FTDI cable and attiny > connect to RX of other device
SoftwareSerial serial(rxPin, txPin); //if using FTDI cable and attiny
//send at pin 4, receive at pin 3, 1-10M ohm resistor between
CapacitiveSensor cs_3_4 = CapacitiveSensor(3, 4); // 1-10 megohm resistor between pins 4 & 3, pin 3 is sensor pin, add wire, foil
const int numReadings = 10; // size of array/number of readings to keep track of (higher = slower)
int readings[numReadings]; // the readings from the analog input
int readIndex = 0; // the index of the current reading
int total = 0; // the running total
int average = 0; // the average
void setup() {
// initialize serial communication with computer:
// Serial.begin(9600); //start serial communication via USB cable
serial.begin(115200); //if using FTDI cable and attiny
cs_3_4.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(0xFFFFFFFF); // turn off autocalibrate on channel 1 - just as an example Serial.begin(9600);
//initatialize readings array setting all values to 0
for (int thisReading = 0; thisReading < numReadings; thisReading++) {
readings[thisReading] = 0;
}
}
void loop() {
// subtract the last reading:
total = total - readings[readIndex];
// read from the sensor:
readings[readIndex] = cs_3_4.capacitiveSensor(30);
// add the reading to the total:
total = total + readings[readIndex];
// advance to the next position in the array:
readIndex = readIndex + 1;
// if we're at the end of the array...wrap around to the beginning
if (readIndex >= numReadings) {
readIndex = 0;
}
// calculate the average:
average = total / numReadings;
// send it to the computer as ASCII digits
// Serial.println(average); // if using Arduino serial
serial.println(average); // if using FTDI cable and attiny
delay(10); // arbitrary delay to limit data to serial port
}
```
*Basic code for capacitive sensing with a black diamond, Loes Bogers, 2019*
##FTDI cable and soft serial for Attiny
Attiny cannot just write to the serial the way an Arduino UNO can, it doesn't have UART. But you can designate any 2 pins as RX (receive) and TX (transmit), and connect an FTDI cable to it. I have a [TTL-232R-5V cable from Farnell](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiCmuXgqpnmAhVP4ncKHTL1B7YYABAAGgJlZg&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESQOD2tiG4wFpIijcjbezQf1TpzpW1UCDQloiGTyGls9IPkhgoEnmkyQ_3yWNKi0BYGwm9PdE3MAOL8ymX8S-DY-g&sig=AOD64_3_4kluOTjbSLdEXpBf9BiWpR2YdA&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjTlN7gqpnmAhXDL1AKHciGBtoQ0Qx6BAgZEAE&adurl=&bg=!IiGlITlYQkx731BU_RYCAAAATlIAAAAHCgBLX5I5nWbc1Yk7OzAUaVk9k_alV6ix5mAy9MtC7Ehnd6I79c8HYezbERdSkLG-8JsFcShX-34-URsr1GAowkWwlcDgpFFRVv0HcqyjmQDeYa6y6FITxcZqpVNaRGU-uuHgk8nAmap84jBasw1ghuJaMcdNH4TS4KtIrhP7i1kuTfGqf54QrvnAye8zZFdaIR0cEesxMixzabPfsNB9jsZD5D7i8r1cCjEXvv1IOtp4VXpLgD2fIlQfUHtP2_7vAfejJvv_MfgpwEGdIJyAhEeT6Cm9CP2sl6XOouIfUOjDkYyuBk9nKiIr5hjRuAVqpA0ABmEKS3Y56tB-uJ3a1ih4D_0UcJ-hiyynolf5JcPi1Q1U83_9I7XcMcHXX_kyLIfD6oh6Ef57Ha4aZmGw) (also comes in a 3.3V version which is nice for wearables). You have to install a bunch of drivers to use them, which can be a bit of a pain but I already have them installed. You can find the [drivers here] (https://www.ftdichip.com/Products/Cables/USBTTLSerial.htm). If you're not sure you can check whether the drivers are installed by plugging in the FTDI cable and checking under \> Ports in Arduino IDE to see if another serial port shows up. Which it did!
![](../images/wk10_driveinstall_check.jpg)*Seeing if the cable shows up, if it does you already have the necessary drivers, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Then you can use the Software Serial library in the Arduino sketch by adding ``` #include <SoftwareSerial.h> ``` at the top of the sketch. You can write to the serial using similar commands, just not capitalized like you normally would.
```serial.begin(baudrate);```
```serial.println(values);```
**Connecting the FTDI cable to a circuit**
I just used the FTDI cable for calibrating in the prototype stage, so it sufficed to connect it with some jumpers and a bread board. Note: TX is always connected to the RX of another device, and RX to TX.
* VCC to VCC
* GND to GND
* TX to the pin designated as RX in the ATtiny code!
* RX to the pin designated as TX in the ATtiny code!
![](../images/wk10_ftdicable_schematic.jpg)*How I wired up the FTDI cable to a circuit with a capacative touch sensor and an attiny, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I set up the serial connection for an analog input swatch I still had to make for week 5.
```
//https://www.instructables.com/id/Capacitive-Sensing-for-Dummies/
//https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Smoothing
#include <CapacitiveSensor.h>
#include <SoftwareSerial.h> when using ATtiny and FTDI cable
#define rxPin 1 // if using FTDI cable and attiny > connect to TX of other device
#define txPin 0 // if using FTDI cable and attiny > connect to RX of other device
SoftwareSerial serial(rxPin, txPin); //if using FTDI cable and attiny
//send at pin 4, receive at pin 3, 1-10M ohm resistor between
CapacitiveSensor cs_3_4 = CapacitiveSensor(3, 4); // 1-10 megohm resistor between pins 4 & 3, pin 3 is sensor pin, add wire, foil
const int numReadings = 10; // size of array/number of readings to keep track of (higher = slower)
int readings[numReadings]; // the readings from the analog input
int readIndex = 0; // the index of the current reading
int total = 0; // the running total
int average = 0; // the average
void setup() {
// initialize serial communication with computer:
// Serial.begin(9600); //start serial communication via USB cable
serial.begin(115200); //if using FTDI cable and attiny
cs_3_4.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(0xFFFFFFFF); // turn off autocalibrate on channel 1 - just as an example Serial.begin(9600);
//initatialize readings array setting all values to 0
for (int thisReading = 0; thisReading < numReadings; thisReading++) {
readings[thisReading] = 0;
}
}
void loop() {
// subtract the last reading:
total = total - readings[readIndex];
// read from the sensor:
readings[readIndex] = cs_3_4.capacitiveSensor(30);
// add the reading to the total:
total = total + readings[readIndex];
// advance to the next position in the array:
readIndex = readIndex + 1;
// if we're at the end of the array...wrap around to the beginning
if (readIndex >= numReadings) {
readIndex = 0;
}
// calculate the average:
average = total / numReadings;
// send it to the computer as ASCII digits
// Serial.println(average); // if using Arduino serial
serial.println(average); // if using FTDI cable and attiny
delay(10); // arbitrary delay to limit data to serial port
}
```
*Code using Software Serial, an ATtiny and capacitive sensing*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-kNWvzDM0sc?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*The readings coming in, plotted to the serial plotter, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dIWBhHkzgtQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*The capsensing rock fading an LED, Loes Bogers, 2019*
```
//https://www.instructables.com/id/Capacitive-Sensing-for-Dummies/
//https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Smoothing
#include <CapacitiveSensor.h>
#include <SoftwareSerial.h> when using ATtiny and FTDI cable
#define rxPin 1 // if using FTDI cable and attiny > connect to TX of other device
#define txPin 2 // if using FTDI cable and attiny > connect to RX of other device
SoftwareSerial serial(rxPin, txPin); //if using FTDI cable and attiny
//send at pin 4, receive at pin 3, 1-10M ohm resistor between
CapacitiveSensor cs_3_4 = CapacitiveSensor(3, 4); // 1-10 megohm resistor between pins 4 & 3, pin 3 is sensor pin, add wire, foil
const int numReadings = 10; // size of array/number of readings to keep track of (higher = slower)
int readings[numReadings]; // the readings from the analog input
int readIndex = 0; // the index of the current reading
int total = 0; // the running total
int average = 0; // the average
int brightness = 0; // initialize delay time at 0
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
// initialize serial communication with computer:
// Serial.begin(9600); //start serial communication via USB cable
serial.begin(115200); //if using FTDI cable and attiny
pinMode(0, OUTPUT); //add LED and 330ohm resistor on pin 1 (PWM pin)
cs_3_4.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(0xFFFFFFFF); // turn off autocalibrate on channel 1 - just as an example Serial.begin(9600);
//initatialize readings array setting all values to 0
for (int thisReading = 0; thisReading < numReadings; thisReading++) {
readings[thisReading] = 0;
}
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
// subtract the last reading:
total = total - readings[readIndex];
// read from the sensor:
readings[readIndex] = cs_3_4.capacitiveSensor(30);
// add the reading to the total:
total = total + readings[readIndex];
// advance to the next position in the array:
readIndex = readIndex + 1;
// if we're at the end of the array...wrap around to the beginning
if (readIndex >= numReadings) {
readIndex = 0;
}
// calculate the average:
average = total / numReadings;
// send it to the computer as ASCII digits
// Serial.println(average); // if using Arduino serial
serial.println(average); // if using FTDI cable and attiny
brightness = constrain(average, 0, 700);
brightness = map(brightness,0, 700, 0, 255); //map value range to PWM range
analogWrite(0, brightness);
delay(10); // arbitrary delay to limit data to serial port
}
```
*Code to fade a LED with the crystal capacitor, ATtiny85 and Software Serial, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Preparing an integrated swatch**
I had to change the schematic and code a little bit when I added the LED to the circuit, because I had no PWM pins left to put it on so had to move stuff around. I moved the TX pin from pin 0 to pin 2 so I could free up pin 0 for the LED to fade. Pin 3 and 4 stay there because I need ADC for analogReads of the capacitive sensor.
To be clear, the schematic above was changed a little. With the code above (that has the LED in it as well), THIS is the circuit for it:
![..](../images/wk10_schematic_swatch.jpg)*The updated schematic that works with the code posted above (RX pin moved from pin 0 to pin 2, LED pin on pin 0), Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Hard-soft connections for IC and power pads**
## Gallery
Then I went on to prepare the hard-soft connections a little bit. I had issues with the power supply and IC before, they seem to be the hardest to get right. I wanted to add bigger connector pads for my alligator clips to power the swatch and hand cut them from some conductive textile with heat 'n bond, there were plenty of leftovers to do this with.
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
![](../images/wk10_solderingleads.jpg)*Preparing the power connectors by adding a bit of solder to the textile and thread first, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Video
For the IC, I thought I could maybe work with the crimp beads I found. They're basically small metal cylinders that you can squeeze shut with plyers. I prepared the IC socket by pusing it through the neoprene and putting some solder on the legs, then I put some solder on the crimp beads, and finally I soldered the crimp beads to the legs. What a figdety job, but it worked. The beads are a bit wider than the distance between the legs but since the Attiny85 has only 8 legs, you can bend the legs outward to make sure they don't touch.
### From Vimeo
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9H7R-O76xE0?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
*Designing the swatch*
### From Youtube
I drew a basic layout of the design, of where the components would be, and how the traces might run, but basically freehanded the rest. I used a beautiful black and gold conductive wire. It's gorgeous, but also breaks easily. The metal strands snap easily when you pull at it. So this only really works nicely with the right size needle and a fabric that is a bit more loosely woven of perforated, it's just too easy to snap the conductive strands of the wire leaving your traces broken. Gorgeous though. I did switch o stainless steel for the black diamond part of the circuit, partially because I was fed up and partially because I wanted to know if it was easier to connect to the IC/crimpbead-connectors. Definitely easier.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
![](../images/wk10_swatchcollage.jpg)*From schematic to swatch, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## 3D Models
Then I thoroughly checked all connections, which seemed in order. In the video below you will see slightly different behavior compared to the test with the breadboard. That's because originally the diamond was two rocks attached to each other but one broke off in the process of stitching the swatch. That 50% of the surface gone, so the circuit is a little less sensitive and needs to be recalibrated to be optimized again. But everything seems right and it works!
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7gEK2OXGa2U?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
*Swatch with a conductive alum crystal as capacitive touch sensor, fading an LED, Loes Bogers, 2019*
docs/assignments/week06.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 6. Biofabricating
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
![](../images/wk06_favresults.jpg)*Some results of the week. Left: potluck foam with and without egg shell powder as filler, middle & left: piercing alginate plastics, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Research
*Warning: this is a long read. We did a crazy amount of techniques this week. Summing it up: "Eggs eggs eggs! All I want is eggs!" – [Trixie Mattel & Ginger Minj](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE2Kp4GVBPs))
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
![](../images/wk06coffeemycelium.jpg)*Attempt to grow mycelium on coffeeground: contaminated (left), and looking quite well (right), Loes Bogers, 2019*
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
##Results and conclusions
## Useful links
This week, we cooked and cast gelatin-based bioresin, biofoil and biofoam, and agar-based biofoil, as well as gelatin/agar-based biofoil. Using a variation of color additives and fillers (rice starch, wheat starch, tapioca, ground egg shells)
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
We prepared alginate plastic that we cured with calcium chloride, and lastly we grew some mycelium that we hope to cure and dry into fake leather (not vegan though!).
My favourites? The egg shell/gelatin potluck foam, my alginate earring and button (and piercing and hand stitchingalginate in general). And the *process*! What a sensual week this was. I did not know what I wanted from these unfamiliar goos and mushes so felt a little lost, but eventually embraced and appreciated the fact I did not need to control the output for this week, just play, explore, and document findings.
## Code Example
![](../images/wk06_sheets.jpg)*Some later results, the sheets I made with Bela and Bea, wowwwww.... Top and left: agar/gelatine foil with (cooked) tapioca, blue foodcoloring and blauwhout. Bottom: Agar and gelatine biofoil with foodcoloring. Loes Bogers, 2019*
Use the three backticks to separate code.
*Conclusions and more questions/urges*
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
* Making/growing materials is not like making instant soup. It takes a good amount of time and each period or gesture requires dedication, due consideration, and careful observation (I found out after the fact, unfortunately).
* Time is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get or: how my voluptuous, satisfying blobs turned into dry wrinkled raisins (with some exceptions!)
* Making materials is a very sensual and satisfying, yet stinky experience. And then everything starts to shrink.
* I am now known as the left-over queen
* ~I couldn't cast a bioplastic sheet to save my life~. Nope not true! I *can* and did cast some beautiful sheets with Bela and Bea! <3
* Making a bioplastic bottle appear out of an erlenmeyer bottle is a pretty good party trick
* Further research urges: practice casting larger sheets so I can give myself surfaces and options to further craft with. Larger egg shell foams (formulate a non-potluck recipe). Making some of materials conductive, then insulating the conductive materials with alginate plastic.
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
```
##Context and biomaterials basics
## Gallery
This paragraph is a mix of lecture notes from the [lecture by Cecilia Raspanti, slides and info here](https://class.textile-academy.org/classes/week04AAA/) and my own reflections.
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
**The Plastic Issue**
## Video
How long does your product need to function? Let the material follow function. A throw-away cup does not need to live longer than 45 minutes, why is it made of a material that takes forever to break down?
### From Vimeo
"Plastic is a substance the earth cannot digest." The 8 issues with plastics:
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
1. It never goes away
1. Its breakdown pollutes ground water
1. Threatens wildlife
1. Poisons our food chains
1. Affects human health
1. Attracts other pollutants
1. Piles up in the environment
1. Costs billions to abate
### From Youtube
Source: www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
So what we need are good alternatives. What I notice this week is that it's not easy to make or grow a material that lets itself be controlled easily. You can kind of see how plastic got very popular, you can quite literally bend it to your will, so when working with a design or engineering mindset, this is a pretty docile material. There's real urgency to developing techniques that allow us to use bio-based materials for a range of applications that also have aesthetic value. It seems like it's also still pretty experimental and/or relatively unknown amongst designers and industrial engineers. On the other hand, we can also learn to love the resistance of the materials we are trying to lead. Some will follow, others won't but this can have a beauty of its own we might start to be able to recognize (again). And maybe that will even make us realize how precious plastic really is.
## 3D Models
**First things first though, some definitions:**
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
1. *Bio-based* materials: They are made of organic or inorganic materials. Are they biological? Then they are bio-based.
2. *Bio-degradable* materials: Can they be broken down by microbes under specific conditions that we - humans - create?
3. *Bio-compostable* materials: Can they be composted *within* 180 days?
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
There are different ways of categorizing: by what they imitate (leather, plastics etc), or by how they are made. You can also categorize them under RAW ingredients and MADE materials.
**Not new media, people**
ALL of these are heritage techniques, they were used long before we started making plastics (polymers). Credit always, and be specific about your modifications and local specifity of the conditions under which you are cooking the materials, or specificity of your local ingredients. Room temperature in Amsterdam and New Delhi are not the same. Also tap water may or not have a neutral PH value, can be alkaline, which can breakdown some materials but not others.
**#backtoschool: What is plastic?**
Basis is of plastic is always a **polymer** with then added:
* plasticizer (for flexibility)
* filler (to avoid shrinkage)
* stiffener (e.g. fibers to structure and reinforce)
* expanding agent (to create foams)
* color/pigment (to modify color)
**Processes that can be used in combo with plastic**
It's versatile.
* Machine it and assemble it
* Glue by polimerisation
* Stitch together later
* Casting or machining
* Manual or machine cutting
* Milling, drilling, turning
* Heat shaping
* Impressing 3D patterns
* Casting, mould casting
* Profiles tubes, rods
* Digital extrusion
* 3D mould
**Basics for bio-based & bio-degradable materials**
We want stuff that is bio-based AND bio-degradable but ideally also bio-compostable (within 180 days).
Gelatine, agar, alginate, casein, cellulose, chitine or starch based plastics are a good start. These are the polymer replacements. Each have their own properties that can often be seen as both pros and cons.Also look for alternatives to modify the properties of the bioplastic, such as:
* Glycerine = plasticizer
* Egg shells, chalk = avoid shrinkage
* Fibers and natural debris = stiffeners
* Green soaps = expander (foaming)
* Natural dyes & pigments (like we did in biochrome week!)
And let's not forget these basics:
* Some nice people to play and share recipes, pots and mixtures with!
* A nice space that can get messy, with a lot of space for drying;
* Patience and time.
![](../images/wk06_people.jpg)*The bare necessities and/or totally joyful luxury, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Documenting**
* Tools
* Ingredients
* Procedure
* Properties
The recipes are taken from Cecilia's lecture slides (see link above) that also mention the tools needed. I only copied the ingredients list and mentioned additives, the rest can be found in reference slides.
##Gelatine Plastics
The gelatine plastics will shrink a bit. More water means more shrinking. Additives might help. Gelatine bio foil and bio resin are strong but sensitive to heat. Gelatine silicon is super stretchy and totally compostable.
###Transparent/opaque bioresin and biosilicon: using cabbage as colorant
**Basic bioresin Recipe:**
* 48g gelatin powder
* 8g glycerine
* 240 ml water
Mix all ingredients at 60 degrees until smooth, then boil at 100 degrees for 5-10 mins, until it's like a syrup. This will make it harder but more brittle.
**Basic biosilicone Recipe**
* 48g gelatin powder
* 24g glycerine
* 240 ml water
Bring water to the boil. Add glycerine while stirring slowly, add gelatine. Gently mix, to avoid bubbles. Simmer for 15-20 mins at max 86 degrees (our stoves tend to be lower than the display suggests, so go a bit higher or use a thermometer). Let it thicken into syrup-like consistency.
*Additives:*
* Natural abbage ink (ethanol-based, neutral, modified with vinegar and modified with soda), and played with additional PH modifiers citric acid powder and soda ash that I sprinkled on top.
* Coffee cream to make mixture opaque.
I made 6 separate mixing bowls. I added coffee cream (a teaspoon) half the bowls to make them opaque, the rest would stay transparent, then I added the purple, pink and turqoise colorant. The blue/green one is the bioresin.
![](../images/wk06_gelatin_silicon_resin.jpg)*The young ones in all their 2 mins old plump and juicy well-defined beauty. Image on the right (left to right): neutral cabbage ink, acidic cabbage ink, alkaline cabbage ink, Loes Bogers, 2019*
*Casting and releasing*
I cast both recipes into the lids of petri dishes and dried them while turning every now and then.
I released them from the mold when they cured a little bit. The acidic pink one was a lot harder to release, it remained snotty and wet, especially where I'd sprinkled the citric acid, it tore a little.
I kept a few pressed under a petri dish with weight on it to try keep them flat. These kept their form quite well, but some were a bit hard to release. The PH modifier gave interesting results and pretty much kept working as long as the plastic was still wet. The soda had more effects than the citric acid though, the pink faded very quickly.
**Shrinkage and deformation**
*Biosilicone*: it took quite some days to dry, and probably took even longer because I kept them pressed underneath some heavy books, probably the water couldn't evaporate so well. Apparently this is also how they tend to get moldy. These casts shrank about 25% without deforming much, compared to the foam and alginate experiments. They stayed relatively flat. I thought they'd cured enough after 3 days, but the baking paper I kept the samples between after the first days (when I pressed them under books) left an imprint, probably better to press between entirely smooth surfaces.
*Bioresin:* also took a long time to dry and was still going after 5 days. At this point it was already a bit firmer and had slightly more tendency to curl up. These shrank about 20% up to now (so less than the silicone).
The transparent bioresin mix worked quite beautifully for me. I let it settle a while to thicken before I casted it onto ridged silicon and textured surfaces that left a beautiful imprint also after shrinking. It turned very rigid and strong. The textures play very nicely with the light. Could it be flat one day?
![](../images/wk06_agarfoil.jpg)*Transparent sample with texture, bioresin, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Texture and feeling**
Still cold and rubbery (after 5 days) the bioresin a bit more rigid but rubbery still. Let's see what happens in the next week. These have a nice bouncy elasticity.
The bioresin has a bit of texture: the soda ash I sprinkled on top immediately made a chemical reaction and started foaming a bit.
**Color changes**
The natural dye faded quite a lot in terms of saturation and definition: it became more "blurry" and less saturated. Still lovely pastels I think. Also the difference between the opaque casts (with the coffee cream) turned a little more transparent so the difference was not so big, in the end they looked alike quite a lot. The pink acidic ink lost a lot of color.
![](../images/wk06_gelatin_silicon_resin_3dys.jpg)*bioresin and biosilicon matured for 4 days (left to right: acidic cabbage ink, neutral ink, alkaline ink. Time shows we're not all that different at the core, in the end. And we all get old, unless we're made of plastic, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Molding**
The bioresin started to grow mold after a week. I'd kept them pressed flat so they didn't get a lot of fresh air. The silicone still looks fine even under the same conditions.
###Gelatine-based biofoam with acrylic paint and food coloring
**Basic biofoam recipe:**
* 48g gelatine powder
* 12g glycerine
* 240 ml water
* 10 ml soap (we used LIDL dishwashing soap)
* Additives: acrylic paints (blues) and food colorant (red) for coloring
Bring water to the boil, add ingredients until dissolved. Then add a squeeze of soap and make it foam with a whisk. Keep whisking at max 68 degrees for 15-20 mins.
The foam was probably left too long before pouring so it started separating. One layer of foam and one layer of jelly. It was nice to play with and make shapes. The colors are very bright with these synthetic paints. The back was even more beautiful than the top: glossy and nice marble effect in the colors.
![](../images/wk06_foams_fresh.jpg)*foam samples, freshly cast and released on day 1 (left: pouring side, right: what the jellified bottom looks like), Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Casting and releasing**
I mostly cast into petri dishes again, but also kept the left overs from the mixing pots (the smaller, thicker ones). I released the casts from the petri dishes as soon as they would let go from the sides when pulled a little so they would not get stuck. I released the mixing pots at the end of the day, some still had stirring sticks in them so they have some damage. I did not plan this :)
**Color behaviors**
You can see quite well that the pigment had time to sink to the bottom in the mixing pot. Because there was more in it, it cured less fast, allowing the pigment to move a little longer. The colors are very deep and dark. You can see the speckles of pigment in most of them.
The thickness of the mixture even before curing allows you to create really nice shapes that blur together really nicely, especially when seen from the back where it also got a glossy jelly layer. It reminded me of planets and the galaxy ;)
[![wk06_foams.gif](https://s5.gifyu.com/images/wk06_foams.gif)](https://gifyu.com/image/kJfW) *Front/back view from some biofoam samples where I played with shapes*
**Shrinkage: 20-35%**
When drying, *some* of these morphed a lot, curling up at the sides and getting a slightly dried out look. All samples shrank in thickness and size. What I don't understand completely is why they shrank different amounts, and why some stayed flat and other curled a lot.
The red sample colored with food coloring shrank less than the ones with acrylic paint. The dotted one kept its shape really well so I was able to measure the exact amount of shrinkage. This was one that had a pretty even mix between red and blues poured in dots across the surface. Cecilia had put a weight on it earlier, and when I noticed the others had started to curl up I kept that one pressed until a week later.
The food coloring in the foam did not leave stains (unlike the other places I've used it later on....)
**Texture and feeling**
The thicker foam buds (from the mixing pots) feel squishy and soft. The thinner samples got more rigid, much less squishy but still a bit flexible.
*Changes in rigidity after 5 days*
The way these feel changed a lot of the course of a week too. I'd kept them in a box in my bag for two days after they'd dried in air for 5 days. They'd become pretty rigid. After two days in the box they seemed a little softer again.
###Potluck gelatine-based foam with and without egg shell filler
You can keep adding liquid and heat and keep manipulating gelatine-based plastics (it's not heat- or waterproof), so we made a potluck gelatine left-over pot. It turned out to be very foamy so there was probably a good amount of foam leftovers in.
<div style="width:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:49%;position:relative;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/darE9MFoJKGMuTnMic" width="100%" height="100%" style="position:absolute" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/darE9MFoJKGMuTnMic"></a></p>*Melting leftover gelatine bioplastics, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Casting and releasing**
I cast into petri dishes. The thinner samples both with and without egg shells were rather hard to release. They need longer or they get a bit damaged in handling (which happened to the plain foam one). The thicker one came out pretty soon and pretty easily.
Damaging the foam a little might be a factor in keeping it a little more flat though. It breaks the integrity of the surface so perhaps releases some tension when the material starts shrinking. That's my hypothesis anyway. This reminds me a bit of what people do when they make *flexures* or *living hinges* from rigid sheet material. They carve it strategically so e.g. wood or acrylic can bend. People 3D print them too, so why not casting them? See e.g. [here](https://www.matterhackers.com/news/living-hinge:--design-guidelines-and-material-selection), [here](https://www.core77.com/posts/66075/How-to-Design-Living-Hinges) and [here](https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/six-examples-of-non-polypropylene-living-hinges).
**Shrinkage without filler**
I cast one in a petri dish that got wrinkly but otherwise stayed very nice and soft but shrank quite a bit (35%)
**Less shrinkage with egg shells as filler**
To the other part I added dried and powdered egg shells as a filler (36 gr of eggshell powder to 100 gr foam), which turned into a lovely fluffy lightweight brick-like texture with little shrinkage (10%). It turned a bit harder after curing a few days.
**Texture and feeling**
The thinner sample is a bit more rigid and brittle but flexible. It feels a bit like the flooring sometimes found in outside playgrounds: strong but a bit bouncy. Thee surface feels a bit like sanding paper.
The thicker sample feels more squishy and foamy, the egg shells feel a bit like the surface of a brick. So like a squishy foamy brick perhaps? I need more words here...
Because this was a potluck recipe it's unclear what does what. But adding egg shells to biofoam results in material that is firm yet soft, maybe something to apply in toys or furniture?
![](../images/wk06_eggfoam.jpg)*Eggfoam cast in petri dishes, with eggshell powder as filler (left and center), and without (right), Loes Bogers, 2019*
##Biofoils
###Agar biofoil
**Basic agar biofoil recipe:**
* 4g agar powder
* 3g glycerine
* 400ml water
Warm up the water, add the glycerine, then the agar. Mix gently. If the agar doesn't dissolve add some heat (up to 80 degrees). Our cooker doesn't reach that temperature so I went up and down a bit so it would boil down into a syrup-like texture. This stays very liquid so i also played with some stiffeners.
**Additives used:**
* colorants: alkanet ink (gray samples)
* filler/stiffener: (raw) rice flour, (raw) wheat flour, (raw) tapioca.
**Casting and releasing**
I cast samples onto textured synthetic surfaces (which totally disappeared in the curing process) and poured some into petri dishes. It stays cold and rubbery for quite a while when you can still release it very easily. I left it to dry on baking paper.
**Color behavior**
The alkanet turns gray but stays the same throughout.
**Shrinkage/deformation**
Wow, these just turned into coral pretty much. The thinner samples shrank a lot in thickness and size and deformed into wicked seacreatures. Thicker casts kept their shape a lot better: the thicker round one with the big bubbles was left in a mixing pot and then released, it shrank since then but didn't deform. I did not cast in petri dishes so cannot measure well how much the shrank.
**Notes on the stiffeners: raw or cooked, pre-mixed or thrown right in**
Rice flour and tapioca can be mixed into the recipe raw and they will dissolve without further cooking. Dissolve it into a mixing pot using a little bit of liquid before pouring the rest of the liquid in. Otherwise for sure it will get lumpy (like you would when cooking with starches to make a sauce for example).
I forgot to do this when using the wheat flour and got huge lumps. I thought it was a total fail but actually turned into a wonderful blistery textured surface that I released from the mixing pot and treasured anyway until it started getting moldy. This one stayed wet for days.
**Texture and feeling**
Thicker ones are still moist and cold, squishy/rubbery. The thinly casted foils with rice flour are rigid, and pretty brittle, whilst still a little flexible.
The raw rice flour made the mixture thicker and easier to pour without making elaborate frames, but also shrank loads. This could be because of the rice flour, or because I poured it out onto a bigger surface, and a bit thinner, I'm not sure.
[![wk06_biofoilalkanet.gif](https://s5.gifyu.com/images/wk06_biofoilalkanet.gif)](https://gifyu.com/image/kJYz)*Agar-based biofoils with raw stiffeners (left to right:) wheat flour dumped in without dissolving, rice flour and tapioca dissolved cold and mixed in, Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Agar/gelatin biofoil
**Basic agar biofoil recipe:**
* 4g agar powder
* 3g glycerine
* 400ml water
* colorants used: food coloring (turqoise/blue),
* fillers/stiffeners: raw rice flour, raw tapioca.
**Casting and releasing**
I cast these two mixtures onto textured synthetic surface (a table cover I think). Which made a beautiful imprint and released really well relatively quickly. I think the gelatin/agar mix is easier to pour.
**Shrinkage and deformation**
I left these to dry after releasing them from the surface. They curled and shrank so much! I could try some different variations in the drying process here to see what else it can do.
The imprint shrank with it but it kept its definition (unlike the agar foil with rice flour, which was much less present after drying.
**Texture and feeling**
Brittle and rigid, very little flexibility. The tapioca sample dried a lot slower, but is also surprisingly strong. I can break the rice flour sample easily but the tapioca one is a tough cookie!
[![wk06_biofoil_gelatine_agar.gif](https://s5.gifyu.com/images/wk06_biofoil_gelatine_agar.gif)](https://gifyu.com/image/kJYH)*Gelatine/agar biofoil with food coloring and raw rice flour (left) and raw tapioca (right), Loes Bogers, 2019.*
**Leftover pot thickened with cooked tapioca**
We also made a leftover pot with tapioca that we mixed into the recipe and then continued cooking a little longer so the tapioca was no longer raw. We added some natural inks that we didn't mix and Bela and I had a glorious experience pouring it onto a sheet of acrylic. The next day it turned a light blue. It's now partially rock solid and partically sticky, so it's still curing...
* 300 ml water
* 14 gr tapioca (dissolved in a little liquid before adding to the pot, then cooking it until thick)
* 100 ml agar/gelatine foil mix
* blue foodcoloring & blauwhout in ethanol ink (not mixed together, mixed slightly during slow pouring.
![](../images/wk06_biofoil_cookedtapioca.jpg)*Bela and me trying to cast a large piece of foil with cooked tapioca as stiffener and natural ink. It turned light blue since during the drying process, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YOTeMVYiwQM?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*The blue result, video of releasing process, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**A fresh batch to make some sheets**
Bea and I cooked another batch of gelatine/agar foil to make some thin sheets we could play with and try different fabrication techniques on. Like making interlocking modules with the laser cutter. We cooked a batch that we dyed with food coloring. The stove didn't quite reach 80 degrees like it should so it took quite long to thicken. You can turn up the cooker slightly higher just making sure it's not bubbling and boiling (then I turn it down again, and go up and down like that).
We cast one sheet while the mix was still very liquid, which turned into a beautiful lightweight foil with a very shiny back. A bit similar to the transparent film used to wrap flowers. (Video's below shot by Bea, while Cecilia is releasing the foil.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d6igE9Y31r4?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The other sheet was poured when the mixture was properly thickened and became a beautiful strong and shiny sheet. Thicker than the first one. WHOA! They even sound nice. Satisfaction all around.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZAViJqdUQqk?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**A note on releasing sheets from acrylic**
Using a thinner sheet allows you to bend the acrylic in different directions (slightly), which creates a surface tension that helps the foil release, as shown by Cecilia in the video below. Once a little edge is off the rest is easier. For example the blue tapioca foil was really brittle, so the edges (that are thinner) cracked easily. A stanley knife helped me creep below the thinner edges and allowed me to salvage the foil quite well (see video above).
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9m9aTU8nLKE?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
##Alginate Plastics
Alginate plastic is bioplastic that is heat resistant up to 150 degrees celcius. It can be made using the technique of *spherification* – where you drop liquid that contains sodium alginate into a calcium chloride bath, resulting in perfect balls if that's what you're after. Or through *reverse spherification* – where a high acid/alcohol/calcium mixture such as lactate is dripped into a sodium alginate bath, typically resulting in blobs. But this all depends on your recipe I guess. Related techniques, using the same two components:
1. sodium alginate/water/glycerine
1. calcium chloride (curing agent)
The technique was developed by Unilver in the 1950s(!) as a cooking technique (think: bubble tea!), and popularized in the molecular gastronomy experiments by Adrian Ferra at El Bulli ([source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherification). We use it to make plastic! Righty-o :)
**Additives used this week (more info below):**
* food coloring (red) \> *stain alert!!*
* soot ink (black)
* acrylic paint (bronze metallic and blue/green colors)
* natural ink: alkanet (faded purple)
* food coloring in the dye bath (red and yellow, leaving subtle hues on the lighter opaque plastics)
* egg shell powder as a filler
**Recipe/procedure**
Mix the alginate with water and glycerine using a blender or hand held mixer (different ratios depending on the recipe, see amounts below). Prepare colors in a jar and add colors to each if you want. Let the mixture rest overnight to let the bubbles settle, you can keep it for about 2 weeks in the fridge. Mix the calcium chloride (10%) with water (90%) and put in a spray bottle or wide dish.
![](../images/wk06_alginatestuff.jpg)*Jars with sodium alginate with different colorants, some of my blobs and twirls, Cecilia demonstrating the process, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Casting, releasing**
Fill a small spray bottle with a mixture of 10% calcium chloride and water. Spray calcium chloride onto (textured) surfaces or molds, and cast the mixture on top, spray some more to let it cure. Rinse in water and let dry. It will shrink a lot so play with ways of draying to get different effects.
Releasing is not an issue whatsoever. The film that is created in the chemical reacting will make the plastic separate instantly. The alginate cures with the slightest encounter with calcium chloride, so spreading it takes some skill. Also combining materials is not so easy. When trying to weld different materials together after curing (one), it first needs to be thoroughly rinsed and dried.
**Drying**
Prepare for a wet mess. The alginate keeps releasing water for a long time, so your samples will be bathing in a puddle for a while when drying. I moved them onto kitchen paper on top of baking paper to protect the floor they were on. The constant release of water will continue to stain EVERYTHING if you use food coloring in the alginate. The red food coloring we used was everywhere all of a sudden if you don't pay attention.
The casts go from voluptuous shapes to rather wrinkly shrunken samples. Except when you cast more voluminous sphere-like blobs (such as this white one that I imprinted with a wooden textile stamp). But this will probably change as it continues to dry, it still feels cold and wet. To be continued in the future. The red blobs that look like intestines and stomachs were very plum in the beginning but dried up a lot and became hard and rigid eventually.
![](../images/wk06_alginatemess.jpg)*Let's call it an honest mess. And a wet one at that, Loes Bogers, 2019.*
###**Ingredients alginate biofoil #1:**
* 12.5g alginate
* 30g glycerine
* 400 ml water
* additive: chinese black ink (soot).
*For the curing agent:*
* 10 ml sodium chloride hydrate
* 100 ml water
This shrinks a lot but can be cast into thin sheets. This black beauty was so nice! When casted thinly it is remains transparent but the thicker samples are fully opque and gorgeous. Sphere-like blobs keep a bit of shine. The others just turn raisin.
![](../images/wk06_alginate1.jpg)*Some samples using biofoil #1 (except the white blob, thats alginate bioplastic, recipe #3), dried for 5 days, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I tried combining a round blob of black beauty with some of the alkanet foil by pressing the lighter drops into the black blob. They were attached with a thin string that broke quickly. But the blob got a very nice organic voluptuous shape with holes. I saw a button in it!
I also tried merging some black strings with alkanet but it was a hot mess that came aparts so quick. Rinsing and drying well before trying to do this is probably a better idea but I didn't get to it.
###**Ingredients alginate biofoil #2:**
* 8g alginate
* 20g glycerine
* 200 ml water
* additives: bronze metallic acrylic paint and natural alkanet ink
*For the curing agent:*
* 10 ml sodium chloride hydrate
* 100 ml water
This is a thicker, less liquid recipe that however also shrinks loads. The alkanet gave a very subtle hue. The bronze metallic acrylic gave a beautiful shine where others faded and got matte as they dried.
![](../images/wk06_alginate2.jpg)*Some samples using biofoil #2, Loes Bogers, 2019*
###**Ingredients alginate bio*plastic* #3:**
* 12g alginate
* 20g glycerine
* 10g sunflower oil (both for elasticity and as filler to prevent shrinkage)
* 200 ml water
* colorants: red food coloring and blue acrylic paint as colorants.
* additives: I made one batch with ground egg shells, that I also dyed with avocado/water ink.
*For the curing agent:*
* 10 ml sodium chloride hydrate
* 100 ml water
For thicker sheet foils. Shrank quite a bit but it seems pretty strong. The red food coloring was not mixed very evenly, which gave nice gradients but they faded als the material dried and shrank, which it did a lot. It also kept releasing the colorant with the water, leaving stains on everything when drying. The blue acrylic paint did not stain during the drying process.
![](../images/wk06_alginate3.jpg)*Some samples using bioplastic #3, dried for 5 days, Loes Bogers, 2019*
One nice experiment was a thick blob I made that I imprinted an image onto using a wooden stamp (I sprayed the stamp, not the mixture). It is still curing but very voluptuous and the definition of the imprint holds quite well. This also shrank a lot but didn't turn raisin. I think sphere-like shapes create a kind of tension so they don't shrivel as much.
![](../images/wk06_whiteblob.jpg)*White blob imprinted with wooden stamp after 5 days of drying, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I also dropped a blob into some calcium chloride that I'd colored using some food coloring in red and yellow. The red was very subtle and disappeared, but the yellow held quite well. You can see it in the background of the previous picture. It could be nice to create some depth in coloring by using different dyes in the alginate mixture and in the calcium bath. To be continued.
**Adding egg shells as a filler**
Lastly, I used a bit of the white mixture and added a bit of egg shell powder as a filler because I was kind of hoping to make something that wouldn't totally shrivel. I left some natural and added some avocado and water ink to the other (this one started to cure a bit in the mixing pot, perhaps this is a bit too alkaline already?).
The flat grayish sample (avo colored) is very strong and flexible. You can pull at it pretty hard and it gives a little but doesn't break easily. The other two brownish ones get their color from the egg shells (that came from slightly brown eggs). These have a bit more volume and are more sphere like. They're still cold and moist squishy pillows. They all shrank a lot but way less than all the alginate plastics without fillers. I'm going to start an eggshell business.
![](../images/wk06_egglove.jpg)*Alginate bioplastic with egg shell powder as a filler (on the left: egg shell foam), after 5 days of drying, Loes Bogers, 2019.*
**Bonus batch #0**
There were also left overs from a very liquid bonus batch Cecilia had made to stiffen and form textile flowers. I think it was similar to the first recipe but with more water.
I loved playing with this batch! I made beauuuuutiful temporary pearl necklaces. Sadly they shrank into raisin strings before I could take a picture to pretend this could actually be a product ;) Because this one was very liquid it was also very agile and formed more uneven shapes. Of course the water also makes it shrink. If these pearls could last an evening I'd wear them though.
![](../images/wk06_pearlstoraisins.jpg)*Some samples using biofoil #0: pearls to raisins, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Diary of a leftover queen**
At a certain point I got a bit lost. I wasn't so sure what I wanted from this material. I kind of like the process but was a bit steerless. We also got to a point where we ran out of mixture so I'd have to decide to make more (without knowing what to do, or just leave it at this). My last move was just going through the lab and cleaning our literally every mixing jar and seeing what that would lead to.
![](../images/wk06_leftovering.jpg)*Harvesting leftovers from all the mixing jars, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I harvested some lovely organlike bits by scraping leftovers out with my gloved finger (covered in curing agent). I also rescued a beautiful thin piece of black film from a bottle, and finally managed to pull an entire bottle from an erlenmeyer while keeping it intact. It can even hold water!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Au-Cp7WKxxM?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
###Alginate findings and results
*The sweet spot in the drying process*
I was a bit unsuccessful in making sheets so played more with blobs and things. There's a sweet spot in the curing process where I started piercing some samples to see if I could use them as buttons, sequins, beads etcetera. If you do this too early the goo will still come out, and if you wait too long the plastic is already too hard. When it's still a bit squishy you can poke it with a needle, or hand stitch with some thread, maybe even machine stitch. Very satisfying, and I think there's some opportunities here for manipulating the plastic using all sorts of techniques. Perhaps you could construct garments halfway through and let them dry up and shapeshift into unexpected results.
![](../images/wk06_buttonearring.jpg)*A button and earring drop, hand stitched flat sheet, Loes Bogers, 2019*
##Growing Mycelium or: surfing the Wood Wide Web
In this crazy packed week, we also went back to the biolab where Maud and Sarah presented their work on growing Mycelium. Thanks girls! Really awesome research. Maud documents her process and findings on [this webpage](https://maudb.gitlab.io/dok/projects/grow-mycelium/).
**Mycelium basics: the Internet of the forest**
So Mycelium is not the name of a fungus, but the general name for fungal roots. Good to know. When growing this you want to try grow only roots, and not have them grown into shrooms. The procedure for inoculating is not dissimilar from the process of inoculating bacteria for pigment in the biochromes week. Keep it sterile so you know what you are growing.
It is also known as the internet of the forest because of its role in connecting trees and shrubs, transmitting nutrients and information ([source](https://garnense.com/en/inspiration/mycelium-wood-wide-web)). Say what?! Ok mycelium, you have my attention.
Mycelium as a material can become very dense. When dried it becomes compact and rigid, and could act as a glue for a composite material.
**Feed it**
Mycelium likes food waste, mostly fiberous stuff, like coffee, vegetables, nutrient agar, or also a liquid nutrient broth made with malt, yeast, peptone and glucose (see recipe below). Maud and Sara learned that it doesn't really like dog food. Just so you know. Using a liquid growth medium makes it much easier to "harvest" the mycelium in a clean way.
*Nutrient broth for not-vegan(!) fleather*
* 3g malt extract
* 3g yeast extract
* 5g peptone
* 10g glucose (white sugar)
* 1000ml Amsterdam tap water (or distilled water)
*Note for vegans/veggies:*
Although this was listed under a recipe for vegan leather. It's not strictly vegan depending on your definition. The peptone is enzymatic digest from fresh beef meat. Peptone is dusty! Take care not to breath it in. Especially if you are a vegetarian or vegan.
![](../images/wk06_notvegan.jpg)*Peptone for meatlovers, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Mycelium types alive at our lab**
* tempeh
* gray oyster
* schizophylum mycelium
In inoculated some gray oyster onto coffee grounds and some schizo (grown into agar) into the broth.
A clean mycelium tends to be more white when growing it. After plasticizing and drying in the oven it will be brownish.
![](../images/w06_myceliumresearch.jpg)*Mycelium research by Maud and Sara, image by Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Plating and inoculating**
We mixed all ingredients for the broth and poured it into large petri dishes that we sterilized in the pressure cooker with the food inside. With autoclave tape of course.
We then inoculated the mycelium inside a sterile bubble (see biochrome week about biolab basics). Bits of a square cm of the surface is fine. Put 2 bits into a small petri dish, or 4 or more into a larger one. Trying to only take bits of mycelium and not take whole chunks of agar was my challenge that day. Also try not to drown the mycelium in the broth by moving it around too much.
![](../images/wk06_inoculating.jpg)*Meanwhile, in the sterile bubble...Loes Bogers, 2019*
We'll see how it turns out. After a week you can see if it's growing. After two weeks it's probably finished its food and you can add more. Seal with parafilm and incubate for 5-10 days. You can add more food with a sterile syringe (squeeze it underneath the mycelium) after 5-10 days to continue growing it.
**Results after 10 days**
My results were very mixed. I contaminated my large petri dish during inoculation and it didn't grown properly at all, but the four petri dishes of coffee ground I inoculated were a bit better. Two were looking nice and white and fluffy, but they aren't growing very fast. Two of them were contaminated which you can see by the color. It's nasty green, eww. It also doesn't smell great here right about now. I flushed the mycelium in broth down the toilet and cleaned the dish for a new attempt. Bea and Bela have beautiful pristine mycelium growing in their broth though! Well done girls.
![](../images/wk06coffeemycelium.jpg)*Attempt to grow mycelium on coffeeground: contaminated (left), and looking quite well (right), Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk06brothmycelium.jpg)*Mycelium in nutrient broth: not really taking root, but something else is.... Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Plasticizing**
Harvest the mycelium by taking it out of the broth and laying it on top of some plastic film. Pour a bit of glycerine (or other elasticizer on) and rub it in on both sides. Press it if it's not flat. Then leave it for 24-48 hours to let the glycerine do its work.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rb4FfcJf_QI?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Drying**
Rinse off the plasticizer and let it dry in the oven at 90-150 degrees celcius for several hours. And you might just be rewarded with a beautiful brandy colored fleather patch, suede-like and soft, hmmmm.
![](../images/wk06_myceliumleather.jpg)*Mycelium leather grown by Maud and Sara at Textile lab Amsterdam, photo by Loes Bogers, 2019*
##References and inspiration from lecture
###Algae inspiration
**Eric Klarenbeek & Maartje Dros** - Algae plastic 3D print filament
**Austeja Platukyte** - Foodsafe Algae packaging (fully compostable)
**Amam** - Bioplastics and agar packaging (90% of plastics are packaging)
**Margarita Follert** - Alginate top, packaging in natural colors
**Carolyn Raff** - agar beads: casted, cut and used for embroidery. She also makes amazing textures and patterns.
**Jasmine Linington** - alginate sequins (somewhat waterproof, but not soapproof, soap tends to be too alkaline).
**Stephanie Santos** - agar composite and gold leaf. She used bioplastics as glue instead of sewn seams.
**Catherine Euale** - alginate top, lasercut.
###Gelatine inspiration
**Miriam Ribul** - bioplastics, check out her [issuu book!](https://issuu.com/miriamribul/docs/miriam_ribul_recipes_for_material_a/7)
**
Juliette Pepin** - amazing analysis of different bioplastics. Nice description and comparisons between the materials. Check out her documentation [here](https://issuu.com/juliettepepin/docs/bookletbioplastic)
**Aagje Hoekstra** - Coleoptera (insect shells and bioplastics)
**Mayan Pesach** - Food waste mixed with gelatin, creating beautiful colors!
**Textile Lab Amsterdam** - Material archive
**Maria Viftrup** - gradient going from bio-silicon to bio-resin. To study how materials react to one another where they meet.
**Maria Viftrup** - dye your plastics with bacterial dye!
**Tessa & Maria @Textile Lab Amsterda** - Fish scale plastics: food waste, fish skin, scales, bones and pigments. Super durable.
**Clara Davis** - Laser cut bags and booklet made with modular stitches, no seams. Also made a booklet!
**Great Dalessandro** - bioplastic dress that changes over time, based on the lifespan of each material. Fades and decomposes layer by layer.
###Questions and tips:
* How do you avoid mold?
It depends a lot on the moisture in the air in the environment where you work. If you work in a dry room you experience this less. The amount of water in the recipe is also a factor. Less water will dry faster so less chance for mold growing, but also harder to cast.
* Use everything the same to replicate the same environment, down to the spoon you use to stir the pot :)
* There are no mistakes, look at the mistake with love and discover a new application for it. Someone will be looking for exactly that.
##New leathers
###Microbial leather: kombucha
A fermented tea drink. A symbiotic colony of bacterial yeast (SCOBY), it feeds on the sugars and tea to create layers of cellulose that can be dried up. Treated with different techniques and recipes. Results sit somewhere between leather and paper. There are many different strings of these, they are microbial so they behave similarly but there are also variations in how they behave.
The bacteria turn the environment acidic very quickly but some experiment with adding vinegar. [THR34D5](https://thr34d5.org/research/) has interesting recipes and methods for after-treatments.
Kombucha is sensitive to humidity and water. It laser cuts beautifully. You can easily stitch it wiht sewing machine, dye it with any acidic dye. Lots of pinks and reds! Alkaline dyes don't work so well, ut you can use it with pigments just before drying it.
It smells a bit like honey and vinegar mixed. Things get stinky when you grow big pieces. It grows between 25-30 degrees Celcius best and quickest.
**Kombucha inspiration!**
**Suzanne Lee** - Microbial Leather 3D moulded top and jackets. GORGEOUS! Stamped patterns with bio-inks. So nice.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/86436024?color=6c6e95&title=0&byline=0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Kwasaki Kazuya** - kombucha mixed with digital fabrication. Created a jacket, 3D scanned it, CNC'd a mold and grew kombuha on top of it, for it to grow in the 3D shape directly. Whoa!
**Moya Hoke** - Green tea kombucha suit. She made a molding tray in the shape of a suit! Hilarious. Haha. Made of *coated* metal, would not work in uncoated metal.
**Sammy Jobbins** - lasercut structure.
**Zionium** - green and black tea wallet. Semitransparent so you can see within your wallet! Lovely contrast stitching, really looks and feels like leather. But if you stitch this, moisture can access the material. Hmmm.
**Emma van der Leest** - kombucha and pigments bag for Biocouture London. Laser cut and laser engraved, speckled with powdered pigments to color the surface before drying.
**Emma Sicher** - kombucha and food waste, e.g. little sugar bags.
**Barbara Arteaga** - Kombucher: electrospinning machine, to spin cellulose from kombucha instead of growing it in layers.
###Fish skin leather (spoiler alert: not an innovation)
The Inuits have been working with this forever. Hundreds of years of experiments with local materials happening there. Boom. Be aware of your surroundings, see what is already easily found around you.
**Maria Hees** - carp leather dyed and naturally tanned. Tanning chemicals tend to be very polluting. Can be done with tea, bark and nuts or tara pulver, whatever contains large amounts of tannins.
**Nienke Hoogvliet** - salmon skin stool. Leather is probably stronger than the metal frame.
**Nienke Hoogviet** - laser cut salmon leather sequins
**Jurii Kasao** - jelly fish leather dried on 3D mould into the shape of a bag.
###Mycelium leather
****: very soft and thin material. Thickness depends on amount of substrates and how long you let it grow. Also a recipe for a composite.
**Maurizio Montalti** - mycelium leather bag & shoes (high pressurized).
**Maurizio Montalti **- Mogu: Industry of natural processes
**Aniela Hoitink** - Mycelium Dress. Patches grown in petri dishes. No seams
**Gradozero** - Muskin (mycelium leather). It feels amazing, like a thick suede: hairy and smelling good.
**Mycoworks** - Check out their [resources page!](https://www.mycoworks.com/resources-1)
###Fruit leather
Starting with food waste. Rotterdam students went to market and looked at stuff disposed at supermarkets. Often vendors have to pay to dispose of e.g. fish waste. Also for fruit waste.
**Fruit leather Rotterdam** - samples and concept bag
**Aurore Bourguignon** - Fabtextiles - coffeewaste bag
**Barbara Sanchez** - Fabtextiles booklet on issue
###Algae leather
Using algae without turning it into powder first.
**Violaine Bue**t - the master of algae leathers and seaweed layers. Woven algae strips into fabrics.
**Tjeerd Veenhove**n - Algae fibers and yarn. Algae covering sea in China so the light could not come through. This is not great for the sealife below the surface. Let's take out the algae and use it.
**Julia Lohmann** - leather stretched into architecture. She stretches it out onto large constructions, masks, collargs etc. She uses giant algae, and treats/tans them the way you would leather.
**Nina Edwards Anker** - Chlorophyta algae dried into shape, crunched up transucent lamp shades by Studio Nea. Lovely.
###High-tech lab grown materials
**Lab grown skin** - "Pure Human", Tina Gorjanc made bags grown from Alexander McQueen's skin.
**Modern Meadow** - Zoa's lab grown leather. Apparently very nice.
**Elisa Brunato** - cellulose extraction sequins. Beautiful! Uses crytallization of cellulose to create reflective material, where cellulose turns into crystals that act as a prism diffracting light.
###Silks
**Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley **- silk spun by spiders from Madagascar, dyed, woven into a cape.
Spider silk is also done by Adidas (industrially engineered, so not natural collected by spiders).
**Bolt Threads' Spider silk **- industrially engineered spider silk.
##Cooperation with nature
**Tamara Orjola** - Forest wool (pine tree fibres), made of "tree waste", the tree sheds them anyway. They can be softened and spun into yarn or by felting it.
**Carole Collet** - Domesticated Roots (lace-like root structures). I love love love this project so much.
**Sarmite Polakove **- Bark fabrics: studiosarmite.com produced quite soft material. When you cut wood and take layer between the bark and wood, which can be cut into strips or just used as a whole (which is difficult to attain). You can use these strips for knitting and weaving. Leather-like.
**Billie van Kwatwijk** - tanned cow stomach leather. www.billievankatwijk.com/ventri. Cow stomach has very beautiful textures. Goes from white to dark brown. These textures cannot be designed.
**Austeje Platukyte** - pine tree resin composites. Very smooth beautiful resins. In Japan they used to use pine tree resin to create lacquers that can be sanded done very finely. Age-old.
**Diana Scherer** - Rootsystem domestication:
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/80612467?color=6c6e95&title=0&byline=0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Shellworks - Ed Jones, Insiya Jafferjee, Amir Afshar and Andrew Edwards**. Carbshell extract (*chitosan*) to create waterproof plastics. Not completely biodegradable. Great patterns and colors, translucencies for different uses. They made their own machines for everything! OMG yesssssss. The recipes are quite well-known. The machines are probably not open-source.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i8WK3amL0Yo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
##Material archives
There are so many out there. They are so interestinggggg.
* Material Archive Amsterdam Textile Lab
* Fab Textiles Barcelona
* Material Experience Politenico Milano
* ZHDK Material
* Material Connexion
* Materfad Barcelona
* Surfacematter London
* Materio
* Materiom
* The Institute of Making
* Mlab, Aarhuns
* many many more, see slides.
These are not only about the materials but also about finishings!
docs/assignments/week07.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 7. Open Source hardware: from fibers to fabric
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
##Result: the Squeegee2000*
*Dutch: *Trekker2000*
## Research
We built a prototype for a sheet casting tool to accommodate our needs and desires to produce large and evenly flat sheet materials made of bioplastics such as the gelatine and agar-based ones, and the alginate plastics we made last week. We tested the machine by casting a sheet with alginate plastic. So far, the machine functions and we made a lovely 2mm sheet with it (which shrank a bit)l but could be improved by finding a better solution for keep the walls together – the silicon glue didn’t hold. And also the wiper or squeegee could have a deeper wiping edge so the strips can act as walls. Excess liquid will creep up, and could be contained if the wiper sinks a little deeper by default. Anyway, details details. Here's our working prototype!
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
The machine could benefit from further iterating but as is already has potential to allow us to research shrinkage, cast the exact same kinds of sheets, comparing recipes etc etc. Even do small batches of production of larger sheets (500x1000mm).
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
## Useful links
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_On_QeLUTkM?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
The process of creating the machine was challenging at first (see below), but as soon as we were on the same page and had a shared understanding of the goals, the technical nitty gritty, and names for things, we took off like a rocket and had a lot of fun even though loads of stuff of course went wrong (and got fixed) along the way.
##Feedback
## Code Example
Mar: precision thickness was an issue for acrylic even just a few years ago, so nice idea to try this for bioplastics!
Use the three backticks to separate code.
Mar: suggested to put a railing to keep the height precise. In the industry they control sheets by iterating and improving the methods for standardizing, so good start. And you're trying different things like textures and stamps so lots more to explore.
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
Anastasia: suggested to also include more technical drawings, maybe imagining how this machine might work in industry (more automated).
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
```
Question: How do you put calcium chloride below?
Answer: We don't, it dries very nicely with a beautiful gloss. It takes a little longer to cure because it only cures from the top, but the results are much nicer. It shrinks more than when you cast on top of a fabric though, this is true. But dat shine doe!
## Gallery
##Brainstorm
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
After seeing the many interesting machines during the lecture, we were of course inspired and a little intimidated. We explored these questions: *when is something a machine?*, *when is something a tool?*, *how important is it to us as a group to create a CNC tool this week?*. In order to come to answers, we studied some machines in the lab and how they worked, how they were similar and how they were different. Which parts are interchangeable and which aren’t?
## Video
We discussed how some machines are easy to "hack" by changing the end actuator (replacing the knife of the vinylcutter with a pen and similarly, inserting a paint brush into the big milling machine). And we got inspired by looking through the industrial processes listed in the book [*Materiology: The Creative Industry's Guide to Materials and Technologies*](https://www.naibooksellers.nl/materiology-the-creative-industry-s-guide-to-materials-and-technologies-22982.html) by Daniel Kula and Élodie Ternaux that Cecilia suggested.
### From Vimeo
**Research and inspiration**
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
These are two machines I found that deal with flat materials, but not quite what we were looking for. But it's nice to see the feeding mechanisms I think. If you figure out the feeding, the moving of the material, you figure out half the machine.
### From Youtube
![](../images/wk07machineinspi.jpg)*A few machines we studied from the Materiology book*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
We also looked up how for example acrylic sheets, but they are formed with heat, so that's quite a different process than the bioplastics we've been using because the set as they cool down or as a curing agent is applied. Still interesting though.
## 3D Models
![](http://www.madehow.com/images/hpm_0000_0002_0_img0007.jpg)*How acrylic sheets are produced, [MadeHow article on Acrylic Plastic](http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Acrylic-Plastic.html), 2006*
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
I was also really into the machines by Shell Works! We watched their video during the lecture.
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i8WK3amL0Yo?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
But our main source of inspiration was actually the week where we worked with bioplastics.
**Desires and abstract ideas, and machine dreams**
Consequently we did a solo brainstorm, writing down our ideas and desires on post-its, in whichever shaper or form they’d come. It was allowed to have more abstract or general desires/interests you wish to address with a machine, or they could already by concrete ideas for machines. We had a bit of everything, said them out loud, and stuck them on a big sheet.
![](../images/wk07brainstorm.jpg)*Impression of all the ideas we cooked up in our brainstorm, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Then we did a dot vote: each person could give an idea one dot, one idea two dots, and one idea three dots. The ideas with a lot of votes were discussed more in detail, and we also assessed how realistic the idea was to do in a week, with the skills and knowledge we already have at the moment. Some ideas had been done before so they were also put aside for now.
More than making the majority vote count, we decided we wanted to end on an idea that everyone was passionate enough about. We would rather work on a machine that we were all at least excited enough about, than work on a machine that excites some a lot, but others very little. We confirmed that we were all pretty excited about the prospect of being able to cast thin sheet materials with a bit more precision, after our experiences during the bioplastics week. A sheetcasting tool it is! And not just a sheet casting tool, but one that potentially has a pattern stamping add-on module to also use our bio-based inks. This could be CNC one day, but for now, we’re all quite interested in making a manual mechanical machine. It’s an interesting challenge also, and analog is boss. If it’s not working you can use your hands, eyes and common sense to fix or adjust it, rather than having to dive into code and circuitry, which is not everyone’s forte.
##Sketching through the machine
Finding the elements of the machine through sketching. We started at the bottom and started constructing the machine in our imagination and on paper, thinking through all the problems we could foresee, and trying to draw out conclusions for each.
![](../images/wk07darwings.jpg)*Impression of the amount of sketching we did, 2019*
They helped us to literally get on the same page. Just not Bea's if you have heavy handwriting (;-) love you girl, amazing tech drawings you do). As we went through all the different parts that needed to be designed and made and assembled, something of a task division also emerged. We needed a watertight box with an acrylic bottom and walls. It needs an escape hatch to pour excess materials out of. We needed a squeegee or wiper to speed up the pouring process or for spreading thicker (slower) plastics such as the thick alginate recipes. But we also need a door to close the escape hatch in case we’re working with very liquid recipes. The walls need to be able to come out so you can fix a (textured) textile to the bottom and cast on top of that. We need 2D casting moulds to make nice textures, and maybe get some large pieces of textured fabrics that can cover the box.
We decided on a size of 500x1000mm casting area, and worked around that measure. We made a rough sketch to scale to see if we could cut all these parts out of the sheet materials we had available at the lab (acrylic sheets and triplex wood), this helped us make a shopping list, and off we went to the woodshop.
##Shopping spree at Houthandel Schmidt
Our local woodshop Houthandel Schmidt is located in Amsterdam’s red light district, so it’s always a lively walk going there. It’s been in business for 150 years already and is located at a beautiful old squeeky narrow building. We feel like craftwomen already.
![](../images/wk07woodshop.jpg)*Us shopping at Houthandel Schmidt: Tens tens tens across the board!*
The main thing we needed were metal rods to keep the wiper height strips stacked in place. We weren’t sure what to call them (in Dutch) though, and it continued to be a source of mixups and laughter. Luckily Cecilia already knew where to find these thingies in the shop so we could just point it out. But seriously though, is it a pipe, rod, a screw, a bolt or a metal stick? Maybe it doesn’t matter if you know where to get it. A conversation at the wood shop:
> “What do you call those metal sticks?”<br>
> “A pipe” <br>
> “Yes but what if it isn’t hollow?” <br>
> “A solid pipe…A rod maybe”<br>
> “Ok, thanks. We already know where they are actually”<br>
![](../images/wk07detailbox.jpg)*The rods/pipes/screws/bolts we ended up using, at work in our tool, Loes Bogers, 2019*
##Measure everything
All your measurements are belong to us. The next day we measured literally everything:
* ~screws, I mean rods~, I mean bolts!
* sheet materials
* energy, fresh air and vibe in the room, brew coffee, take a walk or burn palo santo if necessary.
We found more problems and questions and figured out how we might solve them or which sizing we’d need to adapt. It was a combination of thinking through functions of the machine, sizes of surfaces needed, and techniques for constructing and keeping it all together.
![](../images/wk07palosanto.jpg)*Measurements and palo santo, Loes Bogers, 2019*
##Settling on shared terminology & toolology
Our names for stuff! Very important here. They might not be “correct”, they might not be “the technical terms”, but they work for us until they don't. What use are symbols and proper names if you don’t share them anyway? They are useless even if they’re not. And if you share them, why wouldn’t a different name work just as well?
![](../images/wk07finalmachine.jpg)*the final prototype, pointing at a few of the parts and their naming, Loes Bogers, 2019*
* Absolute base layer: the bottom bottom layer, made of wood.
* Profiled base layer (inner and outer), the wood layer on top of the absolute base layer. Consisting of an inner rectangle, and an outer frame (made of wood strips)
* Rods, pipes, screws or bolts (may be used interchangeably in the context of our project)
* Length - Width - Height (OR thickness!): if you say thickness, we know it means height too.
* Walls: the acrylic sheets that stand upright
* Escape hatch: the front wall that has a wide rectangle cut out so you can push out excess liquid bioplastic
* Closing wall or door: the piece of acrylic that can be inserted to close the escape hatch, in case you are using very liquid recipes that spread easily by themselves.
* Wiper thingy or squeegee: a wide strip of acrylic that rest on the acrylic wiper-height-adjustment-strips mounted inside the walls of the box. By moving it along the strips you can spread the mixture towards the escape hatch evenly. It has the depth marked on it.
* Acrylic wiper-height-adjustment-strips: acrylic strips with holes in them that you can stack up to create the desired height/thickness of your material. Each strip adds 4mm height that you can tweak by using a wider or narrower squeegee.
* Rubber ducking: helping somebody by letting them talk through their problem without actually responding to anything they say. Talking at you is usually enough (and can therefore be done just as well by a rubber duckie). If you do respond you are a rubber duck with a big mouth (like Loes hahahaha).
* Caliper: the useful tool to make very precise measurements by clamping it from the outside, or pushing against inside walls. *Schuifmaat* in Dutch. The digital is easy to read (zero it first!), with the analog: the 0 marked on the bottom ruler is the pointer that points to the position to read on the top ruler.
* Decoupeerzaag (EN: handheld electrical jigsaw), the electric saw to cut through sheet material relatively easily. Different saws required to cut wood vs. acrylic vs. metal/PVC/etc.
* Straight angle = steel square = carpenter’s square = Dutch: *winkelhaak* or *rechte hoek*
* Penetrator - drilling bit to make wider holes to make screws disappear. The technical term is – boooooring – counter sink or counter bore milling bit, Dutch: *verzinkboor*.
* Flowering effect (of badly used penetrator) - when a counter sink milling bit makes flower shapes instead of circles.
* Diameter symbol: ⌀
* Industrial nailpolish a.k.a. Fastdrying acrylic glue that comes in a bottle with a brush.
##Inching in on sizes and settings
After all the rough sketching and measuring, Bea made beautiful softly drawn technical drawings of all our 2D parts. Loes unintentionally botched them up a few times with her heavy hand but Bea was forgiving and has an eraser, thankfully. In this part of the process we nailed down the final exact sizes by thinking desired workspace and construction needs in tandem. We want 50x100cm workspace to cast a sheet so it’s easy to measure how much it shrank and you can make nice stamping templates for it that have a round number for measurements (e.g. 25x25 mm). We also thought about ways of assembling and reverse engineered the design from that:
* Paulina did some tests to find the perfect width of the profile in the bottom layer to support acrylic walls. We thought we’d need to spread acrylic across the sides of the profile, but it wasn’t necessary. With Loes they found a manual way to make a snug fit to keep the walls standing upright.
![](../images/wk07snug.jpg)*Manual precision technique to create a snug 4 mm profile to sink the walls into, by Paulina and Loes, 2019*
* Testing screw, I mean rod, I mean bolt holes (shaft diameter vs. screw wire diameter!) > 5.65 mm for 5.7 mm bolt diameter.
* Finding settings to laser cut 4 mm acrylic. Finding the safe zone that works across the bed, testing with pieces big enough to let the laser catch up to the set speed (min 10 cm test pieces). Speed 18 power 100.
* Tips for resizing array of 7 holes in Rhino file: delete, make new array, center array in the middle.
* Tools have sizes and limits too: successful and unsuccessful tools to saw a 200cm acrylic sheet in two to fit it into the laser cutter (which also has dimensions).
##Analog is boss: improvised and accidental precision is still precision
For this prototype we are proud and digging the improvised and accidental precision that was possible without getting very technical about the engineering and design. Sometimes common sense and a trustworthy reference material is all you need. We realize that actually we take for granted how many things are standardized nowadays. We can just count on the fact that 6mm screws are available, that an acrylic sheet that is advertised as 4mm is actually that thickness all the way across. How did people make stuff before standardization of screws etcetera? Infinitely harder, we imagine, and relying on different measuring materials that are actually very interesting. You can also see the locality (vs. universality) of such a reference material used for measuring and comparing. The standard meter (as a size) for example originated in France, and is defined as a measurement relative to Paris, no surprise:
>”The French originated the meter in the 1790s as one/ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the north pole along a meridian through Paris. It is realistically represented by the distance between two marks on an iron bar kept in Paris. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures, created in 1875, upgraded the bar to one made of 90 percent platinum/10 percent iridium alloy.” [– The Standard Meter](http://www.surveyhistory.org/the_standard_meter1.htm)
Two wonderful accidental and manually achieve precision in our process:
* Finding out that the wooden bottom (10mm) + acrylic bottom (2mm) equal the height of your outside frame (12 mm) by accident = precision <3
* Pressing two wooden sticks together with a 4mm thick piece of acrylic in between and then nailing them to a substrate (while pressing them together) is a perfectly fine improvised way of achieving a nice and tight 4mm profile. It's snug alright. Boom.
##The main work: communication and patience
Expressing what you mean and making sure the other person understands it the same way and can respond is incredibly complex and time consuming. Considering that we are building a machine and with all talented and capable improvisers but we don't have an engineering background or shared lingo to fall back on! We took up sketching, drawing, note taking, doing build tests and demonstrating with stand-in materials as tactics to turn to when talking and listening were insufficient or too energy consuming for the amount of brainpower we had left. But we also talked a lot of course, about what the words we agree to use, division of tasks, checking in on each other, asking for help, giving compliments and cheering along. We also shut each other up quite a few times, hahahahaha.
We brushed upon each others limits here and there. Emotions might have been expressed too. But nothing crazy and lots of cookies. And coaching by Bela :)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r3mjYZjl8Tw?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
##Cutting
Bea did a super job designing the cutsheets for our machine!
![](../images/wk07cutfile1.png)
![](../images/wk07cutfile2.png)
![](../images/wk07cutfile3.png)*Cutfiles for the Squeegee2000, Beatriz Sandini, 2019.*
During the cutting process we ran into quite a few hurdles, that we overcame of course. But it was annoying too. Our design file was made in Rhino, exported as .dxf (trying all possible export settings), and using LaserWorks software to send files to the machine. Some issues and their solutions:
* Error message when trying to send job to engrave TEXT to the machine: “polylines not closed”. Solution: > Tools > Unite Lines
* Error message when trying to send job to engrave LINES to the machine: “polylines not closed.” This makes sense because they’re lines. Instead: we sent a cut job with *engrave* settings
* Error message: “soft dog error”. We hate soft dogs! This error appears and nobody’s sure why. The machine just can’t compute some of the lines. Close and open the program? Nope. Re-export dxf file using different settings? Sometimes. Can you verfiy that the machine can calculate a cutpath that makes sense? No? Probably there are overlapping lines in your drawing that can be simplified. E.g. two rectangles perfectly aligned need only one cut where they intersect, but when you draw two rectangles there will be to on top of each other. Go back to design.
* random diagonal line: we got a random diagonal line cut onto our material (with engrave settings thankfully, so not all the way through). This was NOT in the design! This laserpath should send the laser to its starting point from where it starts cutting, but for some reason it generated Gcode that turns on the laser too early. We’re not sure why.
* Cutlines are not all the way through: we mixing up the speed and power values (a classic!), we set the power value (100) for speed and the speed value (18) for power. Power 18 at Speed 100 only makes a dent in 4 mm acrylic. Don’t move the material! Don’t change the anchor point! Adjust settings and run the job from the same anchor point.
* We tried to cut 10mm thick wood sheets but could not get through well even at power 100, speed 10. So Henk cleaned the lens of the laser for us. This helped and we could cut it well at Speed 12, Power 100.
* We did a cuttest to allow the bolts to fit well, but found out that we measured the smooth shaft, but not the screw wire (which is wider). As a result, the bolts are quite hard to go through at first and then – when they reach the smooth shaft part – are a bit loose. Which is fine when they are in the box, but it makes it very hard to add and remove the height strips if you want to alternate between casting thicker and thinner materials. Bela went to get smaller bolts.
![](../images/wk07laserloes.jpg)*We got to know the machine quite well during this adventure, Bela Rofe, 2019*
##Rhino design tips (now we’ve found all cutting hurdles)
We had many different problems, comes and goes from Rhino to the laser cut software. I believe the main reason was related to how the polylines were constructed and that they were being exported as very complex shapes for the laser cut program to read.
After all making these basic commands showed the best success rate: **Group** all your shapes, then **Explode** (it breaks into single unit objects, polylines or surfaces depending on the object), after that **SelDup**, this will shows the curves you have duplicated, you can just delete those. Now make sure to select the lines you want the laser cut to run all together and command **Join** do this for all the different groups. Having everything selected, go to File > Export selected > DXF option.
At some moment, based on Cecilia’s recommendation, what made the file work was going into **Options** on the export settings and choose for “2007 Polylines” option. But in some other attempts it didn’t make a difference, so not really sure what is the final conclusion here. But if nothing else works, maybe you want to consider trying it as well!!
[Rhino File](https://gitlab.fabcloud.org/academany/fabricademy/2020/students/beatriz.sandini/raw/master/docs/files/week%207/Neatfier_Final.3dm)
##Assembling
Time to assemble! We will list this order on hindsight, because we had to figure out what was a clever way to do it, and had to go back and redo many things that weren’t such a good idea.
1. Manually drill caves for the bolt caps to sink in (bottom of profiled base layer)
2. Insert bolts into profiled base layer from below
Place profiled base layer onto absolute layer and center
3. Hold acrylic walls in place, put wooden sticks for profiled base layer outside them and mark with a pencil to cut to size. Cut to size and file off.
4. Push wooden sticks firmly against profiled base layer with acrylic wall and nail into absolute layer with a hammer. Add screws if width of sticks allows and they don’t splinter. Check that nails and screws are not too long…
![](../images/wk07girlsdrilling.jpg)*Working on the machine! Loes Bogers, 2019*
5. Glue the corners of the walls together with acrylic glue – the one that dries in seconds - hold until firmly attached. Don’t wiggle or move it though. This isn’t a strong connection (yet). THIS STEP NEEDS IMPROVEMENT/ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
6. Spread thin layer of transparent silicon (the one used for bathrooms) across the outside seams of the walls while they are sitting inside the profile. Put a plastic spacer on the wood so you don’t accidentally glue the acrylic to the wooden profile (needs to remain detachable for insertion of textiles). THIS STEP NEEDS IMPROVEMENT/ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
7. Let the silicon dry. Then take frame out, spread silicon layer alongside the inside seams. Finish the outside seams that were inside the profile before. Let it dry. THIS STEP NEEDS IMPROVEMENT/ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
8. If necessary: file off the corners of the acrylic wiper height strips and change in design ;)
When dry, place the walls back into the profile. Add desired amount of acrylic wiper height strips.
Cook up a batch of bioplastic and test it!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GEi8wRmD_qo?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Tools used:**
* Hammer and nails
* Screws
* Handsaw
* Ruler and iron hook
* Electric hand drill
* Counter bore milling bit
* Acrylic glue (fast-drying) > FIND ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
* Silicon for bathrooms > FIND ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
![](../images/wk07counterbore.jpg)*Me and Bea doing tests with a counterbore, and we do it in style! (next to the bin)... Bela Rofe, 2019*
**Notes on assembling:**
* Measure how deep your nails and screw sizes can go before nailing or screwing the boards to the floor. Check that you have nails and screws of that size before you start to assemble ;)
* We cut the wood strips the wrong size because we forgot to place the acrylic sheets in between first. So they were shorter than intended and didn’t align neatly. They could still do the job but it doesn’t look as nice.
* Nails don’t hold as well as screws. You can position with a nail but it’s more secured if you do it with screws instead. If you are doing it proper, maybe design in some screw holes before, rather than improvise after.
* Stop working when you’re tired or you will put rulers upside down and silly things like that.
##Manual drilling and other improvisations
* We rotated two of the wooden strips for additional height on the sides of the box
* We opened holes that turned out a little too small using a rats tail (it’s cheating, we know)
* You can do a lot of the manual labour by making a design and cutting the sheet on the shopbot, including making a profile, adding screw holes, and making the counter bores for the screws to sink in. Can all be done neatly with the shopbot, but we didn’t learn how to use that yet.
* We made a mistake in the escape hatch (it was wider than the closing door could cover). We re-used that part to cover the wood surface outside the escape hatch, for easier cleaning.
* The acrylic glue and silicon didn’t hold sadly. But even without it we managed to cast a sheet quite well. We need to find a solution for it but we have something of a working prototype. Maybe designing snapfit connections for the corners of the wall would work?
* Wood might not be the best pick for material because it absorbs liquid, like the calcium chloride you spray onto alginate. We coat treat the wood with a coating to protect it, or make this from a different material.
We are also creating an IKEA style instruction manual to go with the designs for anyone who would like to recreate it.
![](../images/wk07comicbook.jpeg)*Fragment of the instruction manual being designed by Paulina Martina, 2019*
##Mould and template design process
**Software: Adobe Illustrator**
*Process:*<br>
* Set-up an Artboard to the dimensions of the machine bed;
In this case we removed 2mm from L and W to allow comfort fit
L: 99.8 cm x W: 49.8 cm
* Start with drawing a symmetrical shape (triangle, square, hexagon)
* Duplicate the shape by holding **Shift+Opt** and dragging to the right.
* Create an even row of shapes (depending on the size of shape amount per row will differ per stencil)
* Duplicate down the page using **Command+D**.
* Play with Effects
* Effect > Distort & Transform > Twirl
* Effect > Distort & Transform > Twist
* Effect > Distort & Transform > Bloat
* Save file out as AI or DXF.
* Open DXF File in *LaserCut 5.3* Software.
* Adjust scale of file in *LaserCut 5.3* to match file dimensions in *Adobe Illustrator*.
* Adjust settings for cutting 2 mm ACRYLIC: **SPEED: 40, POWER: 40, CORNER POWER: 20**
![AICutsheetOptions](https://gitlab.fabcloud.org/academany/fabricademy/2020/students/bela.rofe/raw/master/docs/images/Week%207%20Images/OpenSourceHardware_CastingStencils_150KB.jpg)*Bela's casting stencil designs, Bela Rofe, 2019*
##Texture buying trip
We took a trip down the lane, in the rain, to our local fabric merchant; A. Boeken Stoffen & Fournituren Winkel. We showered ourselves in different textured fabrics- imagining how we could use them as texture moulds for our plastic casting. We decided to go with options that were water resistant and strength in texture. Pattern Plastic.
![SelectionofTexturesChosenforCasting](https://gitlab.fabcloud.org/academany/fabricademy/2020/students/bela.rofe/raw/master/docs/images/Week%207%20Images/OpenSourceHardware_Texturesforcasting_150KB.jpg)*Selection of Textures Chosen for Casting, Bela Rofe, 2019*
##Testing
* MACHINE: Squeegee2000
* DATE: 11 . 11 . 2019
* TIME: 16:30 PM
* PLACE: Textile Lab Amsterdam
* CASTING: Bio Foil (Alginate based)
* CURING: Calcium Chloride solution 10%
**Recipe for 2mm alginate:**
* Water - 1000 mL
* Glycerine - 175 gr
* Alginate - 40 gr
* Dyes - Turmeric | Ethanol , Beetroot | Water
On Monday evening Bela and Bea dived into the first test cast on the Squeegee2000. They cast a beautiful 2mm thick sheet (before shrinking). The notes and conclusions from the test are already written into the process and conclusions above.
![](../images/wk07test.jpg)*Bela and Bea taking the Squeegee2000 for a test run, 2019*
**Shrinkage after 1 day**:
* 1000 to 790 mm = 21% on the long edge
* 500 to 365 mm = 27% on the short edge
We imagine the difference in shrinkage across the length vs. width has to do with maybe the longer distance giving more surface friction between the alginate and the acrylic substrate so it moves less?
##Celebrating
![](https://media.giphy.com/media/W8krmZSDxPIfm/giphy.gif)
##Credits
*Concept: everyone!
*Machine design: everyone!
*Snack supplies: everyone!
And then we took a lead on different things each, while still assisting each other where needed:
* Technical design plan: Loes & Bea
* Technical troubleshooting and improv due to oversights in technical design plan: everyone!
* Digital design in Rhino: Bea
* Rubber duck (with opinions): Loes
* Construction testing: Paulina
* 2D mold designer: Bela
* Toolguide: Loes
* Pattern stamping module: Michelle (WIP)
* Texture buyer: Bela
* Sustainability consultants: Bea & Bela
* Coach: Bela
* Assembly: Bea, Bela, Loes
* Testing: Bea & Bela
* Chef cook (of big bioplastic batches): Cecilia
* Instruction manual designer: Paulina
* Documentation: Loes
* Lead photographer: Bela
* Disaster and financial support: Cecilia ;-)
* Laser support: Henk!
##Lecture notes
Notes from the [lecture by Varvara Guljajeva](https://class.textile-academy.org/classes/week08/)
The origigins of knitting; it's a very old craft. Dates back to 400-500 BV.
Handcranked circular knitting machines for socks!
The knitting machine was the first personal manufacturing tool at home. Brother used to produce a lot of machines but discontinued at a certain point.
##Inspiration
Knitic
Post-functional wearables
Neuroknitting - Varvarag
Glitchknit.jp
Oiko-nomic threads
ayab-knitting : alternative way to control the Brother KH-9xx range of knitting machines using a computer.
Openknit and Kniterate
Idda knitting machine
Kniterate.com
Ecal - Rocking Knit
Wind knitting factory
\>> A lot of the examples are exploring new or open source ways of making textile patterns.
\ No newline at end of file
docs/assignments/week08.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 8. Computational couture
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
## Research
This week I produced some printed results, but I mainly spent a lot of time documenting what I learned from the Grasshopper tutorials I did, to build up a vocabulary or archive of useful *clusters* that represent a functionality or method. A bit like a function in programming I guess? Once I have a good overview of these it will be a bit easier to start doing my own designs/scripts by using them as building blocks. Screenshots of these annotated blocks allow me to quickly look at how stuff is done without having to go all the way into Rhino & Grasshopper (it gets a bit slow :D)
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
**"Tangible" Results**
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
Besides the documentation below, I also tried out some designs by printing them on textile. I worked with the image sampler to create some shallow surfaces consisting of separate geometries. They would fall apart if printed in the usual way, but printing them on textile holds them together. Sizing is a bit of a trial and error still. These samples are useful to try out how small you can go without elements just falling off. I printed these with an Ultimaker 3, using PLA, and Cura as a slicer.
## Useful links
![](../images/wk08_printtest1.jpg)*First test on organza looking promising at first, Loes Bogers, 2019*
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
![](../images/wk08_printtest2.jpg)*3D texture on velour/velveteen, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_printtest4.jpg)*Some truchettiles on velour/velveteen (right) and lycra (left), a bit too thick for my taste, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Code Example
Use the three backticks to separate code.
**Things I can think now that I've tried making a few of these**
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
* Thin, single layer lines on velour/velveteen are so nice! Go nozzlesize (0.4mm) in the design and extrude the minimum (0.1mm) for standard setting print in Ultimaker.
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
```
![](../images/wk08_printtest9.jpg)*Not stretching the fabric out is a mess (left), single thin lines on velour/velveteen are beautiful though! (right), Loes Bogers, 2019*
* Very small dots jump off like crazy! Don't do very small single dots
* One layer of PLA is flexible, but it gets rigid after that real quick. If you design a relatively dense patterns I'd probably not make it higher than 1 mm for big chunks at a time.
* Could you print interlocking elements onto textile to sculpt garments?
* Grid-like structures give interesting rigid parts but need to have a function, otherwise it's just, well, hard.
* Covering the print bed with double sided tape helps prevent the textile from moving around and being dragged by the nozzle.
## Gallery
![](../images/wk08_printtest10.jpg)*Double sided tape on the bed, to keep the textiles from moving around, Tesa tape, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
* Lycra needs to be fully tensed (stretched as for as possible), or the printer nozzle goes on a date with the textile. We do not want.
* Single lines on thin stretchy lycra are a bit ugly in my sample but I think they could potentially be interesting to give textures/frills.
* Organza is amazing, pink is amazing. You're perfect, never change.
* It would be nice to be able to turn off the skirt line (outside design, the printer adds this). Check out how.
* Printers just don't do small intricate objects all too well, so be aware.
## Video
![](../images/wk08_printtest6.jpg)*These came jumping off, too small, I kind of like what the white line is doing curling up the lycra on the left though, Loes Bogers, 2019*
### From Vimeo
* Stopping a print halfway sounds like a good idea, but you don't get a full shell unless it runs until the end. You don't really want to see infill I suppose. Unless you do, of course.
* Scaling after the fact in the slicer software seems like a good idea too. But thin lines will get thick if you scale up and vice versa. Your working parametric now, Lucy goosey, just push a few sliders and do things at their proper size ;-)
* The Ultimaker 3 does an automatic leveling sequence to check if the bed is level and even. It does not want to have textile stuck on top of the bed. Luckily, the PRUSA printer, the ultimaker 2+ and 2+ extended can be fooled.
* Slowing down the print speed to 50% helps create better adhesion to the fabric, and make nicer lines with less dragging.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
![](../images/wk08_printtest8.jpg)*Trying out the grid deformation designs (with tensors technique, see below), slowing down the speed of the printer gave much better adhesion (right), only printing one layer keeps the textile very flexible, Loes Bogers, 2019*
### From Youtube
##Tutorial time
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Designing parametrically takes quite a different shift in thinking about shapes and designing. I have done simple parametric design using Eagle (for electronics production), Processing and very basic parametric 3D design using Fusion360. Rhino+Grasshopper definitely allows for super beautiful architectural forms and patterns. But I found out quickly that it's quite hard because it takes quite an abstract mathematical approach to shapes and relationships. This doesn't come naturally per se, so I decided to do loads of tutorials to get a grip on it and maybe tweak a few to understand the design to fabrication process.
## 3D Models
**Plug-ins and user objects**
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
Get your plugin on here: [Food4Rhino](https://www.food4rhino.com/)
I used bifocals as recommended by Eugenio.
And also used the *remap+* user object that is used a lot by the Parametric House guy.
###Tutorials with Eugenio Bettucchi (Noumena)
Eugenio guided us through some basics in Grasshopper, such as the interface, using fields with attractors and repulsors and all sorts of components and useful methods to link things together.
* [Tutorial 1](https://vimeo.com/372876664)
* [Tutorial 2](https://vimeo.com/372895793)
* [Tutorial 3](https://vimeo.com/373176432)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EexonaUZhxs?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JnrGAdoXsy4?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/179EzWVsEAY?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rufBrcaMdgI?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
###Tutorials by Parametric House
I also enjoyed a lot the tutorials by Parametric House! They don't just show how to build up a design, but also explain the logics behind it, which is reaaaally helpful at this beginners stage. I saved them in a [Youtube Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXJnjBsCdBxHFOV1te8BiZnfz9LF7mpHT) for later reference.
**Rotating curve**
Pretty nice beginner tutorial this one [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXYMQh1Z_r4&list=PLXJnjBsCdBxHFOV1te8BiZnfz9LF7mpHT&index=9&t=0s).
![](../images/wk08_rotatingcurves1.jpg)*Rotating curves, step one, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_rotatingcurves2.jpg)*Rotating curves, step two, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_rotatingcurves3.jpg)*Rotating curves, step three, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_rotatingcurves4.jpg)*Rotating curves, step four: ***an important one!*** Offset, merge, loft, extrude, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UIfnxwnrKa0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*And the tutorial in action on my laptop! Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Geometric Pattern**
[This tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_bZJjkkkG8&list=PLXJnjBsCdBxHFOV1te8BiZnfz9LF7mpHT&index=3&t=0s) was great for creating tile-like patterns like the one I made below. I was not successfull in creating a printable design yet! I have to study the parameters a little better to understand how I can avoid making crazy intersecting lines and end up with curves that an be offset and extruded. But good start and lots of playing around.
![](../images/wk08_prusasaysno.jpg)*Some other examples I made. Looking really cool, but Prusa slicer says no. Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Truchet tiles**
[This Truchet Tiles tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIc7a2mectY&list=PLXJnjBsCdBxHFOV1te8BiZnfz9LF7mpHT&index=4&t=0s) was also a super nice one.
![](../images/wk08_truchettilestutorial.jpg)*Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_truchettiles1.jpg)*Cluster to create a random pattern in a grid, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_truchettiles2.jpg)*Producing a pattern that can be created for each cell, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_dispatch.gif)*Switching between modes, Loes Bogers, 2020*
![](../images/wk08_truchettiles5.jpg)*Exploding cells and using the segments to define parameters for curves, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_truchettiles6.jpg)*And another version of join curves offset, loft, extrude, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Pattern using Booleans & Dispatch**
[This one here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs2YzNyQuiU&list=PLXJnjBsCdBxHFOV1te8BiZnfz9LF7mpHT&index=5&t=0s) explains an easy way to generate patterns using **dispatch** and **booleans**. Here's the overview, and below a video of some slider action:
![](../images/wk08_dispatch_genepool.jpg)*Studying and annotating the dispatch tutorial by Parametric House on Youtube, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LehVgqH19bM?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Graft, Flatten, Simplify, Parametrize**
You have to do quite some data management to organize and merge lists and groups of data well in a way that can be translated to geometry but this is so abstract, it's not easy to understand the why and how. This video does a great job at exaplaining why and when you should use these.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-JRWoTzI9Co" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Here it is also explained in a tutorial file I made following the lecture by Eugenio, that shows the difference in a different way.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vYnLqIBnE2E?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**MD Slider**
I find the MD slider very useful! You can use it to represent an area or surface in percentages (x: 0 to 1 and y: 0 to 1), which is also referred to as UV values. Oki cool. Some components only take UV values like that (so not absolute points relative to an origin, but points relative to the size of an area expressed in percentage. The image sampler also uses UV values for example.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uEh8DaA5X_I" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Image sampler**
This is an [image sampler tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RvgvPw6kxo&list=PLXJnjBsCdBxHFOV1te8BiZnfz9LF7mpHT&index=11&t=0s) that allows you to use simple images to create geometry. I used this to print some of my samples.
![](../images/wk08_imagesampler4.jpg)*Part 1 of the clusters used for image sampling: using Reparametrize, UV Values, MD slider, and custom preview and remap+, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_imagesampler5.jpg)*And this is part 2, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_imagesampler6.jpg)*Using the grayscale image to make a 3D shape, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_imagesampler1.jpg)*Trying out a different image, and this time making cones, part one, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_imagesampler2.jpg)*and part two, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_imagesampler3.jpg)*Creating a pattern of truncated cones, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Substrate**
I made some architectural shapes on a surface following this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlRgjS7R8pg
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_W5pJIH00DE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
![](../images/wk08_substrate.jpg)*The clusters, note the one on the bottom right, to select elements from a large group, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Tensors**
I also did a mute tutorial (much less informative for sure!) but still got some interesting results and prints out of this one. [Grid Distortion in Grasshopper using Tensors] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY4Byucrcpw) by Geometry Overload on Youtube.
![](../images/wk08_tensors1.jpg)*Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_tensors2.jpg)*Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_tensors3.jpg)*Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk08_tensors4.jpg)*Loes Bogers, 2019*
##Designing for the 3D printer
The main techniques I see coming back in most tutorials. For future reference. I see different things happening with the data management so have to study that a bit more.
![](../images/wk08_loft_extrude1.jpg)*A way to create solids from curves, Loes Bogers, 2019*
There's many more techniques to do it depending on how you're constructing it I think. But this works, also the one below. Sometimes capping surfaces helps. Sometimes it gets real messy with offsets though...
![](../images/wk08_loft_extrude2.jpg)*And another way to create solids from curves, Loes Bogers, 2019*
##Inspiration
https://youreshape.io/fold-the-interfashionality/
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=paneling+tools+grasshopper
https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/new-quadremesh-command/85601
http://www.iaacblog.com/programs/fabricflation-_-structuring-textile-techniques/
http://www.co-de-it.com/wordpress/informed-flexible-matter.html
https://vimeo.com/299603461?fbclid=IwAR3DAIucdoxKruKTUdKozmeb14g2tdqWu2RUyt8FYzi2Z6O4GVDm0NtQGTM
**Auxetic structures and metastructures**
You can cleverly engineer materials so the change states in a way. Oh that is so cool! Bea found a file somewhere from somebody who made them. I'd like to explore this further. Especially for textiles it's interesting because they can really shift shape and SIZE!
[This article](https://issuu.com/danielvr81/docs/out_of_plane_pages_09.14.2015) describes some of the process behind developing the designs for these, and the theory. A bit dense but very interesting ideas there. I wish I had spent more time studying math and physics though, if only then I'd known how interesting the applications of such knowledge would be!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dVge8FHcIbI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
![](http://fab.academany.org/2018/labs/fablabulb/img/ga_digital_mechanics/bistable_metamaterial-1.png)*Bistable auxetics - squared building block and unit cell in the undeformed and stretched state. [Rafsanjani, Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2016](https://arxiv.org/pdf/1612.05988.pdf).*
Amazing work done last year at Fabricademy here:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IFIpsXHsGm0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
##Lecture notes
What is computational design? A series of [automated] instruction carried out in a specific order (also definition of *scripting*). Hmmm this is debatable if you ask somebody with a humanities background.
Alberti: instructions for a building. Forms into numbers and instructions forfabrication.
Deleuze describes Cache's objectile ranks. See also, Mario Carpo's "The Alphabet and the Algorithm".
The capacity to produce variety.
**Workflows**
1. design through parameters.
2. loops and recursivity: output is result of a number of iterations over a duration of time
3. agent based design
4. CFD,eg Wearpure.tech, co2 absorbing garment
4. physics simulation
4. structural analysis: knowing where tension etc is will affect aesthetics and form
4. optimization of materials
4. evolutionary solver
**Sectors of application**
* fashion
* architecture
* interior design
* installations
integration of machine protocol AND design actions. Like the dress that is printed in one piece in a fold, but that unfolds into a large dress once it's produced.
Anywhere where it's nice to produce variety by controlling parameters. Connection between form and function gets a whole new dimension here. Whoa.
**Inspiration**
Nervous System
Conditional design - Luna Maurer etc
marey'S studies (time)
Wearpure project from WAAG: adding powder to material so it absorbs co2. Optimized to increase absorbtion of air by simulating. Then 3D printing filament onto textile.
Behnaz Farahi - http://behnazfarahi.com/caress-of-the-gaze/
**Why Grasshopper?**
Because it doesn't require programming or scripting knowledge to make generative algorithms. Allows designers to do it.
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
docs/assignments/week09.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 9. Textile as scaffold
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
![](../images/wk09_crystalmesh.jpg)*Never thought I'd be making crystal mesh, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Research
##Results
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
This week I grew several crystals with alum, including a conductive crystal. I made some composites by growing small crystals on textile swatches. And made a 3D model that I CNC machined and used to make a silk-bioplastic composite and to do leather forming.
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
![](../images/wk09_blackdiamonds.jpg)*Conductive Alum Crystals on a pipe cleaner, tulle and conductive thread, made with Bare Conductive Ink, Loes Bogers & Frank Vloet, 2019*
## Useful links
![](../images/wk09_whitediamonds.jpg)*Alum Crystals on velveteen, felt and loosely woven cheesecloth, Loes Bogers, 2019*
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
![](../images/wk09_finalresult.jpg)*Leather molding on a 1.5 piece mold, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Code Example
##Growing crystals using yarn and textile
Use the three backticks to separate code.
Sugar dissolves in hot water, but not in cold water. Dissolving: loose molecules spread evenly throughout because in hot water everything is dancing and agitated. When it cools down the molecules want to group together again, into a (partially) solid form. Crystals form better if they have a rough substrate to grow on, like a piece of thread or fabric. If you are using a dirty container or one with rough surfaces they can start growing on the jar.
The less you stir the water, the bigger the crystals can grow. Less agitation is better.
**Alum crystal recipe**
This is the [source of the recipe](https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/growing-gems-crystal-project/) we used.
* Alum
* Clean beaker or jar
* Saucer or shallow dish (a petri dish works, too)
* Pencil
* Fishing line
*Process:*
In one beaker, slowly add alum to 1/4 cup of very hot tap water, stirring to dissolve. Keep adding the alum until no more will dissolve: this is a saturated solution. Pour a little bit of this solution into a shallow dish or saucer and let it sit undisturbed overnight. Make sure you only pour the clear solution, not any of the undissolved material. You can pour it through a coffee filter if necessary.
![](../images/wk09_crystalgrowing.jpg)*Alum crystal growing on felt, after 2-3 hours, Loes Bogers, 2019*
*Seed crystals vs. growing on a substrate*
The recipe talks about making loose crystals, but we're growing them on different substrates. I used velour/velveteen, a loosely woven cheesecloth, and a piece of tulle that I hung in small jars or put in a shallow dish (petri dish).
The next day you should see small crystals growing in the dish. When they look to be a good size, carefully pour off the solution.
*To grow seed crystals*
Don't add a substrate, but instead just let the solution sit.
Make another saturated alum solution with about 1/2 cup of hot water. Pour the solution into a clean beaker or jar; avoid pouring any undissolved material.
Remove the biggest and best-looking of the small crystals from the saucer to use as your seed crystal.
Tie the fishing line to the seed crystal. This can be tricky; a pair of tweezers will help. If you need to, you can score a groove in the crystal to hold the line in place.
Tie the other end of the fishing line to a pencil, then set the pencil across the top of the jar so the seed crystal is suspended in the alum solution without touching the sides or bottom of the jar.
Note: if your seed crystal starts to dissolve, that means your solution isn’t saturated enough. Remove the seed quickly and add more alum to the solution, filtering off any undissolved particles.
Cover the jar with a paper towel to keep out the dust and let your crystal grow until you are happy with its size. When you take it out of the solution, set it on some plastic wrap to dry.
If you see other crystals growing in the jar, transfer the solution and seed crystal to another clean jar.
The small crystals that formed in the saucer grew because of nucleation. A few alum molecules found each other in the solution and joined together in a crystal pattern. Other alum molecules continued to join them until enough molecules gathered to become a visible crystalline solid. (Chemists call that a crystal “falling out of” the solution.) If you left these crystals in the solution they would continue to grow, but they wouldn’t get very big because they would all be competing for the remaining alum molecules in the solution. Instead, you took one crystal and used it as the only nucleation site in the solution. It was the primary site for the alum molecules to join together, so the crystal could grow quite large.
**Conductive crystals**
Frank and I made a few samples to create conductive crystals based on this [recipe](https://wikifactory.com/@ejtech/dark-diamond-mining) from EJTECH he found. They made some [beautiful examples](https://amorphousallotropes.tumblr.com/) that they then used as capacative touch sensors for different applications.
* 1x [Bare Electric Paint 50ml jar](https://www.kiwi-electronics.nl/electric-paint-50-ml?gclid=Cj0KCQiA5dPuBRCrARIsAJL7oejLwCvxu4EcBaYfAV09r28b2mbIvQiD6MunQLaKv3B55o-Gm4NxO48aAtEZEALw_wcB)
* Boiling water
* [Alum](https://www.deonlinedrogist.nl/chempropack-aluin-1000gr-p-62657.html?channable=e23640.NjI2NTc&cross=0&dtext=0&dtag=0&dmenu=0&dpath=0&dafval=0&dvraag=0&drel=0&ingr=0&etk=0&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5dPuBRCrARIsAJL7oegCNkstlFkvrebmSPGZz6hSHlXuRV7YbjOyxNZR_sYytOgeAv8-wKYaAu71EALw_wcB) (or the same amount of borax)
* Fishing line
* Wooden stick
* Substrates like textiles/yarns/pipecleaners
The Bare Conductive paint we used was a bit old but heating it up and diluting helped dissolve everything anyway. We used tulle, pipecleaner stick and conductive thread for these samples.
![](../images/wk09_conductivecrystal.jpg)*Frank pouring the alum solution through a funnel, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Boil the water and add 100g of alum. Stir until super saturated and the powder is no longer dissolving. Add 1-2 teaspoons of Electric Paint (amount changes the resistance of the crystal!) and stir. Crystals form bigger when it cools down slower.
Wait 12 hours, take out the crystal, reheat the solution and add 3-4 more tablespoons of alum to saturate it more. Wait for it to cool down before putting the crystal back in or you might dissolve it. You basically give it more food to grow.
Wait another 12 hours and take it out. Continue the 12 hour cycle replenishing the solution with alum depending on how big you want the crystals to grow.
**Threading tulle with conductive yarn**
We laced the tulle with some conductive yarn to see if this makes it easier to solder the crystal/sensor to a circuit.
**Capacitive touch test**
I tested the black alum diamonds by connecting them to a Bare Conductive Touch board, a dev board with capacitive touch sensing built-in. So I could see immediately if touching these crystals could trigger a response in a circuit. The big ones were perfect! The small mesh is triggered only when you touch the ones that sit on the conductive thread. See below.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/--3tFxQ8eBc?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KX75g5se9ik?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Creating a swatch for the capacative crystal**
I made a swatch using this crystal in week 10! You can take a look at the documentation of that week, which was about [E-textiles and Electronics II](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/loes.bogers/assignments/week10/).
##Bio-composite and Leather molding
I really loved one of the wooden molds Anastasia showed in her [presentation on *Cuir Bouilli*](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1l996bONiYH1lQwb3qWC1InSZ1QEAp0LpILAAkpUZ6dA/edit#slide=id.g467e8bcb80_1_157), and thought it would be feasible for me to create a similar design using Grasshopper. So I did! This is the inspiration piece :) As I was playing around with it I kind of liked a less tidy piece, one that maybe looks a bit more like a tumor growing than a collection of neatly arranged spheres.
![](https://www.worthproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/WORTH_VALENCIA2737_WORTH_39_WEB.jpg)*["Esther hates PVC"](https://www.worthproject.eu/project/esther-hates-pvc/), mold for leather belt, Esther Perbandt, Loes Bogers, 2019*
###Design Process
**Approach**
* do a very simple design, but one I can build from scatch in Grasshopper
* design something with a 2-part mold (never done before)
* go through motions of machine again. I worked with CNC milling machine a few times before for Fabacademy's [Computer Controlled Machining Week](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/08computercontrolledmachining.html), the [Molding and Casting week](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/09moldingcasting.html) and for [the Composites week](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/12composites.html). But it's been a while, and designing for this machine can be quite complex I think.
* Figure out the process of leather molding (never done before), maybe even do a biocomposite as a bonus using the same mold :)
**First designs**
* I tried remaking a design from lecture that I liked in Grasshopper. When you know what you want it's much easier!
* Thinking in molds: adding a box. Searching for Boolean Union and Boolean Split in grasshopper (spoiler: it's *SolidUnion* and *SolidDifference*). On hindsight I didn't have to make the boxes this thick, it would only be extra milling time, so I chopped them off later.
* Thinking in molds: offset for the negative mold part to allow for material thickness. I pressed the leather I want to mold between a caliper, it measured
![](../images/wk09_measureleather.jpg)*Measuring the leather to determine offset of negative mold, Loes bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk09_firstdesign.jpg)*First grasshopper design, made totally from scratch! Whoa. Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Grasshopper issues to be solved**
As I started to elaborate the design I was struggling with very long waiting times and beach balls...I started adding panels to each output to see if they were giving the output I expected and if it matched the input it was going into.
When I baked I got like 10 shapes instead of one. And the random number generator was creating 144 values where I was expecting 7. So instead of directly connecting the output of the ball locations I put a [List Length] component after it and used that as input for the random generator. This fixed everything! Just one bake, and no more waiting.
Then I assessed a design I liked carefully with [DimAlign] in Rhino. I checked that the deep cavities were not too steep, and most corners and negative space between balls can be done with 5mm milling bit (2 flutes). I know it won't be perfectly sharp between the balls for the positive mold but I'm hoping that the negative mold part can compensate a bit for it.
![](../images/wk09_unmillable.jpg)*Unmillable parts of the design that needed to be changed, Loes Bogers, 2019.*
I decided to populate manually using control points in Rhino, because had to adjust the positioning of the balls so the design could be milled with a 5mm milling bit. The spaces between the balls were often too small, and moving around was an easier way to control the position of the balls than the 2D populate component. The best one I could think of anyway.
I streamlined the "code" as much as I could, making things relative to one another where I could manage and where it made sense. I'm pretty happy with result, it works very fast now and I definitely feel a little more confident in Rhino/Grasshopper now. Small steps, easy does it.
![](../images/wk09_grasshop1.png)*Final design in Grasshopper, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk09_grashop2.png)*Final design in Grasshopper, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk09_molddesigns.jpg)*Design of the molds, Loes Bogers, 2019*
And this is the [Grasshopper file here](../files/wk09_ballsmold.gh)
#Milling on the Shopbot
Lucky me, I had used the shopbot before and could use my notes from back then as we are still using the same machine and software at the lab! I documented it very thoroughly for the fabacademy [CNC machining week](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/08computercontrolledmachining.html), the [molding and casting week](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/09moldingcasting.html) and the [composites week](https://fabacademy.org/archives/2015/eu/students/bogers.loes/12composites.html) where I also made a composite with textile. But gosh it's so long ago! It was really nice to get a refresher with Henk and the other fabricademers.
I forgot you need to click the milling bit into the collet for example. And how to go through all the software steps. But the fear for the machine was engrained enough to still remember everything! Haha. I'm not afraid of the machine, just a little nervous when using it, but healthy nervous that makes me very sharp.
**Settings**
I'd prepared my design with a 5mm flat milling bit in mind and could use the settings that the lab manager, Henk had saved in the software's library. We changed the settings a little bit to work with high density foam, by increasing the stepover for the roughing toolpath, and increasing the feedrate. Because the foam is so soft, it can be milled a bit faster, milling a larger surface per toolpath, and going a bit faster that when you're milling wood for example.
![](../images/wk09_loeshenk.jpg)*Thanks for the settings and the tutorial Henk, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk09_jobsetup_materialmargins.jpg)**
**The finishing toolpath**
For the finishing toolpath we agreed on a 50% step over at a pass depth of 2mm foam. The basic settings are 18K RPM spindle speed (to be set on the machine itself), and a feed rate of 120. The machine estimated a 2 hour job which seemed quite long, and then we figured the feed rate could go up a lot for foam.
![](../images/wk09_jobsetup1.jpg)*Job setup for the roughing toolpath, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**The finishing toolpath**
Here we kept most settings the same because I plan to use the same milling bit. Stepover is smaller here of course: 10%, with a path depth of 0.5mm I exported both toolpaths together.
![](../images/wk09_jobsetup_finishing.jpg)*Job setup for the finishing toolpath, Loes Bogers, 2019*
And this is a familiar step! The infamous zeroing of the machine using the metal bar. Always take a picture. Well here it is :) I ended up needing it too so that was a nice reminder.
![](../images/wk09_zeroing.jpg)*Zeroing the machine, Loes Bogers, 2019*
After all this lenghty setup setup setup up, I could see the simulation of the toolpaths and prepare the machine for milling!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SAZ9OL8TPfo?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Simulation of the toolpaths the milling machine would run for me, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I fastened the foam using double sided tape, and by screwing some wood strips to the sides. Let's start.
![](../images/wk09_fastening0.jpg)*Fastening the material, shot by Bea Sandini, 2019*
**Issues and solutions**
During the last run of the roughing toolpath, the nut of the machine touched the surface of the foam on the edges, the tool depth was not enough to prevent this. Even though we thought we measured and calculated everything. The cavity ended up being too deep for the milling bit. Ouch! I paused the machine of course but there wasn't much I could do in the middle of a job. So Maud – who was interning at the lab – switched off the machine to prevent burning. We discussed if I could salvage the design, and because it was only doing the very last path, it was worth trying to do the finishing toolpath anyway, even though it hadn't totally finished the roughing. The soft foam would probably be cut away just fine. And it did! I had to export the finishing toolpath separately again, double checked the zeroes of the machine and ran the finishing path.
![](../images/wk09_millingdepth.jpg)*Tool depth of 3.5mm, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk09_burn.jpg)*The burn that was made when the shopbot touched the foam during the job, Loes Bogers, 2019*
What happened? In the job setup we sank the design lower into the material but did not add up that number to the milling depth we needed to reach. Easy mistake to make. Will remember for next time.
![](../images/wk09_jobsetup_materialmargins.jpg)**
I solved this issue by cutting away the foam at the edges of the design by hand, before starting the finishing toolpath. This created space for the nut to do the milling without touching and burning the foam.
![](../images/wk09_cutawayframe.jpg)*Cutting away some of the surface to make space for the nut on the outer edges when milling the bottom layers, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Skirt damaging the foam?**
The skirt damaged the foam in a few places, leaving my balls a bit deformed. You can see in the image here how the edges of the passes are not straight, they're already rounded. The skirt passing over it time and time again does that. For these edges it's fine because they will go with the finishing toolpath anyway, but there was also some damage at the top
![](../images/wk09_roughsnowballs.jpg)*Skirt brushing the design, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Fastening, but not so fast**
One corner of my foam started to come off of the bed a little bit. I'd fastened it with double sided tape (covered the entire surface) and screwed some pieces of wood on the sides to keep it in place but it still popped up. It wasn't a huge issue but the final piece had a few lines in it where it cut a part of a path deeper than the rest where to foam was higher in the air than the rest.
![](../images/wk09_finesnowballs.jpg)*But finally, finished snowballs. A bit damaged by the skirt. Note the deeper lines on the right side where to foam lifted a little, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Due to time constraints this week, I just made the positive mold to try out some techniques. Unfortunately there was no more machine time left after all our students did their milling so I couldn't make the negative mold. Instead, I laser cut the outline of the shapes from a piece of acrylic that I could use the clamp down the leather to push it into the corners.
##Gcode study
I also tried to figure out a little bit using this [reference document](https://www.shopbottools.com/ShopBotDocs/files/ComRef.pdf). Below is a snippet from the first part of the Gcode that is actually quite readable if you look up the abbreviations. I annotated it to understand a little. Because I was missing only one path of the roughing, we were wondering if I could just change the gcode file to just run the last few lines. I didn't do it because, well, not sure what the hell I'd be doing, but wanted to know if it would be possible. With a bit of studying it should be doable I think.
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
'----------------------------------------------------------------
'SHOPBOT ROUTER FILE IN MM
'GENERATED BY PARTWorks
// Dimensions I put in for the material
'Minimum extent in X = 0.000 Minimum extent in Y = 0.000 Minimum extent in Z = -50.000
'Maximum extent in X = 300.000 Maximum extent in Y = 300.000 Maximum extent in Z = 0.000
// 300x300 and sunk down 5 mm
'Length of material in X = 300.000
'Length of material in Y = 300.000
'Depth of material in Z = 50.000
'Home X = 0.000000 Home Y = 0.000000 Home Z = 2.000000
'Rapid clearance gap or Safe Z = 2.000
'UNITS:MM
'
IF %(25)=0 THEN GOTO UNIT_ERROR 'check to see software is set to standard
SA 'Set program to absolute coordinate mode
CN, 90
'New Path
/// Roughing toolpath using the toolsettings from Henk
'Toolpath Name = Roughing Toolpath - Top
'Tool Name = 5mm flat 2 flutes (henk-fabacademy2018)
// Modifications we made to those settings: pass depth and stepover
&PWSafeZ = 2.000
&PWMaterial = 50.000
'&ToolName = "5mm flat 2 flutes (henk-fabacademy2018)"
&Tool =1 'Jog Z axis to safe height
C9
TR,18000
C6 'Return tool to home in x and y
PAUSE 2
'
// MS = Move Speed Set (we set feedrate to 120 mm/s)
MS,119.5,39.8
// JZ = Jog on the Z-axis (move up or down)
JZ,2.000000
// J2 = Jog 2 dimensions (move to a point on x & y axis)
J2,0.000000,0.000000
// J3 = Jog 3 dimensions (move to new point on x,y and z axis
J3,254.689957,251.729401,2.000000
// M3 = Move on 3 dimensions using the milling speed
M3,254.689957,251.729401,-6.000000
M3,254.689957,48.270596,-6.000000
[...]
```
And here's the shopbot [file](../files/wk09_combinedtoolpath.sbp).
#Lay-up
##Bio-composite with silk chiffon
I wanted to try the leather molding but found out that without a vacuum pump you need to manually massage it until dry so I had to wait until the next day (it was 4PM when I found out). So I also prepared a bioresin to try a one-layerd silk-bioresin composite that I could let dry overnight. Tomorrow I'll try to do the leather molding.
**Preparing the mold**
I prepared the mold by covering it tightly with cling film. To help make it tight I stuck the mold to a cardboard box, this was a bad idea because my vacuum bag totally did not keep the vacuum and it was probably because of this move. I'm really wondering if the vacuum will be strong enough to push the foil down into the cavities but we'll see. I rubbed it with vaseline as a release agent
![](../images/wk09_clingfilm_base.jpg)*Covering the base with plastic film, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I then prepared all the other layers: silk chiffon (1 layer) for the composite itself, a piece of cling film that I perforated with a pattern rolling tool with the pins
![](../images/wk09_perforator.jpg)*Perforating cling film, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Tool: high density foam mold
Fibre: Silk chiffon
Mold release agent: vaseline
Release fabric: cling film
Perforated release film: cling film, perforated by hand
Bleeder: a piece of cotton canvas
Breather: a cotton mesh
Vacuum bag: a vacuum bag to store clothing items in
![](../images/wk09_layers_EDIT.jpg)*The different layers, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Cooking up a bio-resin**
Bea and I shared a batch of Bio-resin. The recipe we used was enough for both our single layer composite tests:
* 48 g of gelatine
* 8 g of glycerine
* 240 ml water
* Chinese soot ink
Then I started doing the layup by pouring a few table spoons of bioresin over the top, and massaging and molding it in with my fingers. It set incredibly fast! I felt it solidifying in my hand so I had very little time. I'm not sure how this will pan out.
![](../images/wk09_layup1.jpg)
![](../images/wk09_layup2.jpg)
![](../images/wk09_layup3.jpg)
![](../images/wk09_layup4.jpg)*The lay-up process, Loes Bogers 2019*
I finally vacuum sealed the whole thing in a vacuum bag and sucked the air out of it with a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately the vacuum did not hold at all. I think it's because I mounted the mold onto a cardboard box to tension the cling film over it. I think it's impossible to vacuum the box. I tried about ten times but it kept going out of vacuum. Then I decided to take another route. So I took off the bag and the extra layers to let the resin airdry faster. In that case I might be able to use the mold again tomorrow. It was nice to see that the bleeder did its job and soaked up some of the excess bioresin.
![](../images/wk09_cast1_close.jpg)*My first try: surprisingly firm but very little definition and lots of creases, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**First result**
I'm not super pleased with this first result, it has very little definition. Probably a combination of not being able to vacuum it on a onesided mold and the bioresin curing so very fast. I dislike the color but that is easily changed. But on the other hand, it was relatively fast, it's very light but also strong
![](../images/wk09_sheets.jpg)*My sheet hanging out with the other bioplastics, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ROfg14b26QA?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Video to hear the lovely sounds and see the strength of the biocomposite, shot by Bela Rofe, 2019*
###Leather molding
I studied some samples at the lab and talked to Cecilia about the leather molding yesterday. Apparently some good results here came from massaging the leather into the mold by hand. For hours. Since I don't have a double sided mold yet I thought I'd just try it out while listening to the global review and lecture. Why not. cut my 1 mm thick black leather into a rectangle and soaked it in cold water overnight.
![](../images/wk09_leatherexamples.jpg)*Examples at the Textile Lab in Amsterdam, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Massaging the leather**
I spent about an hour massaging the leather with hot water, to form a little bit into the shape, before I put it in a vacuum bag, it helped a lot to cover all the deeper cavities a bit better. Before I was just getting creases and it was hard to control the vacuum. When it was a bit manually preformed this was easier.
![](../images/wk09_leathermanual.jpg)*Manually massaging and forming the wet warm leather onto the mold, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk09_leathervacuum.jpg)*The mold in a vacuum bag, using a cotton canvas as a bleeder, and a ball of yarn as a breather (worked reallly well! Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Faulty vacuum bags?**
I tried two different vacuum bags and vacuumed them about 20 times but they kept releasing their vacuum. Very sad. During the global review I saw someones leather molding process and Anastasia mentioned a frame might help her press the material down around the shape. I thought hey that could help me! I don't have the (machine) time to make the negative half of the mold but cutting the outline of the blobs out of a wooden rectangle is done in a giffy. I baked the Grasshopper shapes again and baked them, then in Rhino I performed the [Meshoutline] command to make an outline of the balls for the negative mold (the ones that have a slight offset). *Clamp clamp clamp clamp.... Boom!* At least the outline will have proper definition now.
![](../images/wk09_woodmold.jpg)*My improvised mold-addons, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk09_finalresult.jpg)*Yes! Look at that definition on the edges, gorgeous. Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Glossary**
>* Bleeder: A nonstructural layer of material used in the manufacturing of composite parts to allow the escape of excess gas and resin during cure. The bleeder material is removed after the curing process is completed and the excess resin taken with it.
>
>* Breather: A loosely woven or nonwoven material that acts as a continuous vacuum path over a part but does not come in contact with the resin.
>
>* Mold Release Agent: A material applied to mold surfaces to facilitate the release of the molded article. Liquid, paste, spray and solid release materials are all common in composite fabrication.
>
>* Peel Ply or Release Fabric: A sacrificial nylon, polyester or non-porous Teflon ply that is placed over the outer plies of a laminate during lay-up. When the resin has cured the peel ply is removed. The results are a smooth surface that is easily prepared for subsequent bonding or painting.
>
>* Perforated Release Film: A solid release film that has been perforated with a uniform hole pattern comprised of usually 0.015” or 0.045”. Hole spacing ranges from 0.25” to 8” spacing. The effect is to restrict the amount of resin bleed that is able to pass through the film.
>
>* Solid Film: A barrier between the bleeder and breather layer to prevent the excess resin absorbed into the bleeder from soaking into the breather. The solid film is sized smaller than the bleeder and breather to allow an air path connecting both.
>
>* Tool: A structure, also referred to as a mold, that provides a specific size and shape in or over which a lay-up is formed, shaped and cured.
>
>* Vacuum Bagging Film: An airtight flexible sheet placed over a lay-up and sealed along its edges. The bag is fitted with vacuum ports and connected to a vacuum source. During the cure the bag is evacuated and the lay-up is compacted under atmospheric or autoclave pressure. Vacuum is applied to the bag during the entire cure cycle.
>
>* Vacuum Port: A machined or cast metal fitting that connects the vacuum bag to the vacuum source. The vacuum source can be a vacuum pump or a compressed air venturi. The port is connected to the vacuum source with a reinforced hose. Both the hoses and ports typically incorporate fittings that allow the hoses to be removed without losing the vacuum.
>
>* Vacuum Sealant Tape: A thick rubber based adhesive tape that is sticky on sides and used to form a seal between the vacuum bag and the tool surface. It has the ability to remain soft and pliable at temperatures in excess of 350ºF.
>
>– Source: https://netcomposites.com/guide/repair/vacuum-bag-terms/
##Lecture notes
[Lecture]() by Anastasia Pistofidou
* Composites
* Crystallization
* Solidification
* Fabric formwork
* Concrete casting
* Technical Textiles
##Technical textiles
What are technical textiles? Not everything is for fashion.
* Agricultural technologies
* Building technologies (thermal wraps etc)
* Clothing technologies
* Geotech (road infra, railways, dams)
* Home technology (furniture design)
* Indu tech (filtration, cleaning, mechanical engineering)
* Meditech (hygiene, medicine)
* Mobiltech (cars, aircraft, trains, space travel)
* Oekotech (environmental protection, waste disposal)
* Packtech (packaging, cover systems, big bags, container systems)
* Protech (person and property protection)
* Sporttech (sport and leisure, active wear, outdoor, sport articles)
**Biocomposites**
Adobe: the earliest biocomposite. They're mud bricks, straw and clay (fibre and a biopolymer). Fibres to reinforce materials.
1. Continuous fibres
1. Discontinuous fibres
1. Particles
1. Fabric/braid/etc
## Gallery
**Skin-Core-Skin**
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
Skin: compression
Core: shear
Skin: tension
## Video
See slides for image
### From Vimeo
**Techniques**
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
Jorge Penadés - Leather waste composite
### From Youtube
Stretching lycra with white glue. Student work at taller Compleja, UAI, Pinochet, Pistofidou
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Ford's Hemp Car**
As much as we like to think biodiesel is a modern breakthroughs, biofuel really isn’t a new development at all. In the 1941 the first prototype car made from and fueled by hemp was constructed by Henry Ford. 70% of the cars body was made of industrial hemp and resin binder along with other cellulose fibres.
## 3D Models
**References (from Anastasia's lecture)**
http://www.sicomin.com/products/epoxy-systems/bio-based-epoxy
https://www.wikihow.com/Stiffen-Leather
http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y1873E/y1873e0a.htm
http://cstsales.com/
http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/
https://www.pinterest.es/fabtextiles/biocomposites/
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
docs/assignments/week10.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 10. E-Textiles and Wearables II
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
![](../images/wk10_heatpad1.jpg)*Lookit! My heating pad powered with a 9V battery, transistor controlled by an ATtiny (details below), Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Research
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IrJuISsyTz4?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
*Soft speaker controlled by ATtiny85, Loes Bogers, 2019*
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
## Results
## Useful links
* I made four coils that an be used as speaker coils or as heating pad, and controlled them with an Attiny85, both in a speaker circuit and as a heating pad
* I made some swatches that I dyed with thermochromic pigments
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
For the week I decided to make a number of coils that I could use both as a speaker and as a heating pad. Even the code turned out to be exactly the same which was really interesting to realise :) Simple principles with 1001 applications, that's beauty right there. I loved going into the bare bones of the physics of electronics this week, I think this is how electronics should be taught to anyone, so we can understand how material properties and laws of physics interact and how you can bend them a little to achieve interesting results and expressions.
##Soft Speakers
## Code Example
**Making a jack connector and soldering the amp board**
I started of by making a jack connector connected to a mono amp board following the tutorial Liza mentioned. I added some shrink tube to insulate the wires inside the metal cylinder. I soldered the amp board together and turned the volume knob on the board up to max with a tiny screwdriver. The board used is an Adafruit Mono 2.5W Class D audio amplifier and Liza describes how to make this jack connector [here](http://thesoftcircuiteer.net/custom-mono-amp-for-textile-speakers/).
![](../images/wk10_jackattack.jpg)*Jack plug soldered to a Mono Amp, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Designing & Fabricating coils**
What makes for a good coil? I guess I will be able to answer this question at the end of the week haha. But we received the parameters to play with. I spent most of the week figuring out and puzzling what makes for a good membrane. It seems to be something light that doesn't let air through. So cellophane or cling film was mentioned by Anastasia, but I also got really good results from a fake leather swatch interestingly enough, not so light but pretty airtight.
*Variables*
* **Coil tightness:**
The tighter the coil, the louder. (It will be since it will have a stronger magnetic field.)
* **Material:** You can hear noise because the sound waves vibrate off the material. How stiff or thick the material is effects the loudness.
* **Magnet size**
The larger the magnet, the louder the volume. You can combine many small magnets or just get a big one BUT be careful - neodymium magnets are very strong.
* **Magnet placement**
The volume will be louder the closer the magnet is to the center of the coil.
**Liza's instructions to design a coil for needlepointing**
Draw a coil on your fabric or paper. It can be any shape you like. Thread your needle with one strand of conductive thread. You can run wax over the end to get it through the hole. Tie a knot 5-6 inches from the end. Come up through the center of the piece of fabric. Stitch around the coil, making sure the conductive thread lines do not touch each other. Make sure the extra 5-6 inches of thread does not get sewn into the coil! We need to keep them separate.
**Lasercutting and heat'n bond**
I decided to also try lasercutting a coil from conductive fabric that I could attach with heat 'n bond, since I hadn't tried that yet. So I designed a simple spiral in rhino that I tweaked a little in illustrator. I forgot to design the leads to the edge of the swatch though, so I had to add pieces at the end and solder them together to ensure a good connection.
* Rhino: Spiral
* Illustrator: offset, add extra lines.
I designed lines of the spiral to be 3mm thick so I could still handle them. Too thin would be crazy. Then I tried to figure out how to work with conductive textile (I missed the first e-textiles week). [This tutorial](https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Work-With-Conductive-Fabric/#step6) and [Bela](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/bela.rofe/assignments/week05/) and [Bea's](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/beatriz.sandini/assignments/week05/) documentation helped a lot!
![](../images/wk10_heatnbond.jpg)*Preparing the conductive textile by ironing on heat 'n bond, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I ironed the heat 'n bond to the conductive fabric before laser cutting (I put a little piece of cotton canvas over it to prevent the plastic melting to the iron. I kept the backing paper during the lasercutting and cut with laser cutter at Speed 100/Power 20. I had to tape it down a few times to keep it from burning. I then carefully ironed the coil to the textile. And finally I added a soldering braid from the back by making a little cut in the center so I could connect to both sides of the coil. A stuck a bit of tape on the back to prevent shorts.
![](../images/wk10_cutting.jpg)*Trying to prevent the coil from going everywhere, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I had to cut off a few windings because I couldn't get them on neatly. So it's a relatively small and weak coil. But it works! You have to get close but you can clearly hear the music with a stack of 5-10 magnets.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D469eZatY8Y?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Lasercutting and needlepointing**
I cut the same spiral shape but without the offset. Instead I just cut the line with a dotted pattern that I can follow with a conductive thread. This coil has a lot more windings so I'm pretty hopeful about these.
**Troubleshooting the coil**
The speaker made a very low sound, which is to be expected, since it has only 7 windings on the coil and I could only make them so tight. Making the coil trace thinner of leaving less offset would have made it impossible to transfer onto textile without shorting the traces somewhere.
What I did do was turn the volume on the mono amp all the way up. Added a few more magnets that I put *below* the coil instead of on top, giving the membrane (textile) a little more space to vibrate). I also used the multimeter to check the resistance in the coil. I couldn't get a stable reading easily so checked the two connections in my coil: one in the center where i connect a desoldering braid via the back, and one at the edge of the coil on the outside to make the other connection with a crocodile clip. I forgot to design it like that so just ironed on an extra piece, but the connection was less strong.
I soldered these connections to ensure a good flow of the current. Below a video of the technique. I heat the lycra a little by holding the iron *just above* the fabric, and then for a split second I touch the solder and conductive fabric, enough to flow. Super quick though or the lycra burns.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ma1goF2PCI4?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I checked again with the multimeter, now I could get a stable reading of 17.7 ohm across. Which I will use for the Thermochromic circuit in which this coil will feature as a heating pad. I embroidered the number on for reference.
I had to solder all the coils because threads broke etcetera etcetera. Lots of soldering-on-textiles practice involved this week.
![](../images/wk10_coils.jpg)*Four coils this week: clockwise from top left: laser cut conductive textile on lycra (17.7 ohm, 8 windings), conductive thread on cotton canvas (16.6 ohm, 19 windings, conductive thread on fake leather (17.2 ohm, 19 windings), crocheted copper wire laced with wool (5.5 ohm), Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Testing the different coils-as-speaker**
1. The hand-threaded black cotton canvas coil swatch - winner of the week! Nice audible sound even when your ear is not on the pad
1. The hand-threaded red fake leather coil swatch - also pretty good!
1. The lasercut lycra coil - very low sound but audible with a cup or by getting very close
1. The crochet copper wire - it basically has not membrane to help make the air particles move! So I tried a weaving technique to integrate a bit of wool to help the coil move air and make audible sounds. I broke a lead in the process, will fix later.
![](../images/wk10_membranes.jpg)*The crochet copper wire coil/heating pad (left), with added wool yarn to act as membrane (right), Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Controlling a soft speaker with an ATtiny85**
The code I wrote for the headpad controlled by Attiny (see below) works unchanged for the speaker as well. The mono-jack connector is connected to a device playing music, and only when pin 3 writes HIGH, the amp gets 5V and the speaker will work.
```
const int buttonPin = 2; // the number of the pushbutton pin
const int ledPin = 0; // the number of the LED pin
const int speakerPin = 3; // pin 3 connected to 5V of mono amp
int buttonState = 0; // variable for reading the pushbutton status
void setup() {
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);
pinMode(speakerPin, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);
if (buttonState == HIGH) {
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
digitalWrite(speakerPin, HIGH);
} else {
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
digitalWrite(speakerPin, LOW);
}
}
```
*Code for heatpad OR speaker circuit with ATtiny85, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk10_speaker_schematic_attiny.jpg)*Schematic for speaker circuit with ATtiny and mono amp, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IrJuISsyTz4?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*And here's the proof ;) playing when button pressed, silent otherwise, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Controlling a soft speaker with a DFPlayer Mini - WIP!!**
This board with a mini SD card holder that can work standalone or with an Arduino (not with the ATtiny though). You could make a full soft MP3 player with this chip! This is the [DFplayer Wiki](https://wiki.dfrobot.com/DFPlayer_Mini_SKU_DFR0299) and here's [Liza's code](https://github.com/lizastark/Projects/tree/master/Sonic_Quilt/dfMini_tutorial) to start with. I documented how I work with ATiny extensively for week 5, which you can read [here](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/loes.bogers/assignments/week05/)
>The DFPlayer Mini MP3 Player For Arduino is a small and low price MP3 module with an simplified output directly to the speaker. The module can be used as a stand alone module with attached battery, speaker and push buttons or used in combination with an Arduino UNO or any other with RX/TX capabilities. – DF Player Wiki
![](../images/wk10_miniplayer_pin_map.png)*DFPlayer Mini Pinout, source: [DFPlayer wiki](https://wiki.dfrobot.com/DFPlayer_Mini_SKU_DFR0299)*
![](../images/wk10_pin_map_desc_en.png)*DFPlayer Mini Pinout, source: [DFPlayer wiki](https://wiki.dfrobot.com/DFPlayer_Mini_SKU_DFR0299)*
Important note for audio files. Careful read notes below will save you a lot of precious time!
* DFPlayer Mini read both MP3 and WAV files.
* All audio files must be placed under /mp3 folder.
* Audio file must be named 0001.mp3, 0002.mp3.....0255.mp3 (4 letters not 2 or 3 letters)
* Audio file names can have any characters after 4 digits, such as 0001\_Bruno\_Mars\_Count\_On Me.mp3
* Tested few under 1 second WAV files and they did not work
* If one of the audio file is removed from SD cared, DFPlayer still can find it and play it! Weird! In the end, I formatted the SD card to make DFPlayer to play the music I specified.
* Delay(seconds); You have to specify number of seconds delay for the audio file to play completely or the next audio file might be started before current audio is over!
* mp3_play (74); means play audio file 0074.mp3
Source: https://www.dfrobot.com/blog-277.html
## Intermezzo: the state of the lab
We tidied up the entire lab last week, it was so bright and shiny and calm when we started the week! A few days in: BOOM! Exploded again hahahha. Working with electronics is such a hot mess!
![](../images/wk10_labspace.jpg)*Our gorgeous mess, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Thermochromic pigment + heating pad
**Experimenting with thermochromic pigment**
We managed to get our hands on two kinds of thermochromic pigment: black that turns grayish/white and green that turns white. I looked up [Kobakant's suggestions for thermochromic ink](https://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=3183) and understood that any dye/pigment/ink you might use for textile, you can use as a binder by just mixing in the pigment.
The only thing to think about is that a pigmented binder might outshine the thermochromic pigment. Using the pale army green with a bright turquoise will just annihilate the effect. If it creates a third color when you mix them, it will probably work.
![](../images/wk10_pigment.jpg)
The black pigment was very dried out, but I could easily dissolve it in a little bit of hot water, and crushing it gently until pasty and then dilute some more
* green pigment + yellow acrylic paint = light green > yellow
* green pigment + pink/purple cabbage ink = grayish > pink/purple
* black pigment + clear binder, like water = black > clear
* black pigment + pearl cream color = grayish pearl > cream pearl
* black pigment + well almost anything lighter than black works really nicely actually! Have a look at Bea's swatches, gorgeous.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eJ3HvC1XJwo?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Pigments responding to body heat while wet, Loes Bogers, 2019*
I also experimented a bit with stenciling and stamping patterns onto the textile. The acrylic is a bit thick so allows for this quite well on a tightly woven fabric. When just using water, or using acrylic paint that is diluted a little bit more, its nice to paint by making paint strokes with a brush. The creases of the cling film also left interesting marks on the swatch I painted with heavily diluted yellow acrylic paint.
It could be nice to do these measurements a bit more precisely, but for now this will have to do....Still have many circuits to make this week.
When all of these dried, it turned out that only the black pigment adhered to the textile fibre well. I'd need a different binder to make the green one work. The all disintegrated and could be brushed off when dry. Cecilia suggested I try the binder that came with the other pigment, or even to try wood glue.
![](../images/wk10_lostpigment.jpg)*The green pigment that was lost with these swatches, and another binder I could try, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Making a transistor circuit**
Transistorrrrs! We're using an N-channel Mosfet transistor here this week to open and close the power flow to a high power actuator such as a heating pad or motor. With this you can power the IC at a lower voltage and use the IC's brain to control when higher power from a separate secondary power source flows to the actuator. This way you can power devices that need a different operating voltage within one control circuit.
![](../images/wk10_transistorbasics.jpg)*Transistor basics, Loes Bogers, 2019*
We have a box of transistors here but I found out it's a mix of Voltage Regulators and Mosfets, they don't exactly do the same thing so I had to look at a lot of tiny numbers to find an N-channel MOSFET. I have a IRF530 here, that can control 100V-14A and the pinouts are the same as the example. Gate, Drain, Source from left to right when viewing it from the top.
I added a 1N4007 diode (1000V-1A) for safety in case I want to use it with motors etc at a later stage. Never hurts to protect a circuit. I used this one because it's what I had in my box of stuff, but didn't have the 1N4001 (50V - 1A) Liza suggested. Emma wasn't sure why Liza would put a diode in series to one of the leads, instead of in parallel across the leads. We asked Liza and she said [...]
![](../images/wk10_mosfetsandnotfets.jpg)*Mosfets and notfets (voltage regulators, they look the same!), Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Calculations to use the coil as heating pad**
Since I had a coil that I could use as a heating pad too, I decided to use it for this experiment as well, at least until I have another coil swatch which I'm working on.
My lasercut coil from lead to lead measures 17.7 Ohm, and I want to run 500mA-1A across the coil so it dissipates a little heat. If I'd aim for 0.5A, Ohm's law will tell me:
* I = 0.5
* R = 17.7
* and V = I\*R = 0.5\*17.7 = 8.85V
So the Voltage should be 8.85V. I could power this circuit with a 9V battery as well, since I'm at the lower end of the range. For a smaller battery, I'd need to design a less resistive coil. To use a 5V battery for example, I'd need to reduce the resistance to 10Ohm by making the coil shorter or remaking it with a more conductive material.
I tested it with the Lab Power Supply and YES! The pad was getting nice and warm but not hot. Lovely. So now that I got these basics, I calculated Ohm's law for all coil swatches aiming for a 0.5-1A current to give myself options. Some thermochromic swatches are thicker (e.g. the felt one), others are very thin (e.g cotton cheesecloth), so varying in amps might come in handy.
COIL SWATCH | RESISTANCE (R) | CURRENT (I) | VOLTAGE (V)
------|--------|--------|-------
Lasercut coil | 17.7 ohm | 0.5 - 1A | 8.85- 17.7V
Thread on cotton | 16.6 ohm | 0.5 - 1A | 8.3 - 16.6V
Thread on fleather | 17.2 ohm | 0.5 - 1A | 8.6 - 17.2V
Crochet copper wire | 5.5 ohm | 0.5 - 1A | 2.75 - 5.5V
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BK-G8rF-AcY?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0VVqC2DPv0o?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q4QmqZ9X3vQ?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wtk_tipmwsQ?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Powering a coil with the ATtiny85 and transistor swatch**
I first made a simple circuit with only a button and an LED for debugging. I burned the bootloader of the ATtiny85, and puts some code together using the examples in the IDE. The LED goes on when you press the button.
When that worked, I attached the gate of the MOSFET to pin 3 on the ATtiny, and added it as output in the code. I also added a line of code to say write HIGH to pin 3 (the gate), when button is pressed (and when the LED is also on), and LOW when it isn't. So when you press the button, the heating pad is powered with the 9V battery, and the LED is the indicator that it is heating.
![](../images/wk10_fritzing_heatpad.jpg)*Fritzing my heatpad circuit, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk10_heatpad_schematic.jpg)*Heatpad circuit schematic, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Use the three backticks to separate code.
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
const int buttonPin = 2; // the number of the pushbutton pin
const int ledPin = 0; // the number of the LED pin
const int mosfetPin = 3; // number of MOSFET gate pin
int buttonState = 0; // variable for reading the pushbutton status
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);
pinMode(mosfetPin, OUTPUT);
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);
if (buttonState == HIGH) {
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
digitalWrite(mosfetPin, HIGH);
} else {
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
digitalWrite(mosfetPin, LOW);
}
}
```
*Code for heatpad OR speaker circuit with ATtiny85*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o_JofkgazBo?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
## References for further reading
Liza suggested browsing the student documentation done for Tom Igoe's Physical Computing ITP class at NYU. Indeed, really amaaaaazing work, wow! Scroll down the pages to see links to student work:
* [Fall 2017](https://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/itp/sections/tom-igoe-fall-2017/)
* [Fall 2018](https://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/itp/sections/tom-igoe-fall-2018/)
* [Fall 2019](https://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/itp/sections/tom-igoe-fall-2019/)
##Emma's tutorial on motion & sound actuators
Both motion and sound are based on the physics principles of electromagnetism. Both motors and speakers work with coils and magnets. Electricity and magnetism are good friends. If you have electricity you always also have a magnetic field. With a coil you can concentrate this magnetic field's force to a limited space, you amplify it. If you run voltage across a coil, it *becomes a magnet*, so you can move stuff around. This is the basic movement used to make a speaker work, and to make a motor turn. They also have coils.
**Lab power supply**
Your second best friend! You can define Voltage and a Current limitation for safety reasons. You can also see how much current your power is drawing, therefor it can help you calculate the best power source required for your project.
**Working with motion and heat**
Working with flipdots etc, you are managing a lot of current, and therefor a lot of heat. It's easy to burn stuff, so you need to know what you're doing. Running 1A current on something for a second is ok, but it gets so hot. You don't want to have it on your skin definitely, it can burn an alligator clip, it will burn you.
**Flip dots**
Invert the orientation of the magnetic field. You do this by inverting the orientation of the leads (changing VCC and GND).
**Speaker**
When we hear sound, the air is moving, the hairs in our ear moves, which we perceive as sound. A speaker just moves the air at the right frequency. You need a conductive coil and a magnet that is connected to a membrane (like a cone).
**How much current can an Arduino supply?**
Arduino can give 5V, but Arduino input/output pins can only sink 20mA per IO pin. An Arduino powered via USB port (the 5V line on the arduino can only give 500mA.
**Coil design**
Some are spirals, but also the knit speakers by Kobakant works. Why? You just need a lot of loops or circles. They don't necessarily need to be nested, like a spiral is. They can also be next to each other like a crocheted textile. What is imporant is that it is made from one continuous piece of conductive material, that is not touching/connecting in between, and that you can access both ends.
**DFPlayer Mini**
It's amazing! A board with a mini SD card holder that can work standalone or with an Arduino (not with the ATtiny though). You could make a full soft MP3 player with this chip! Read the [AD KEY MODE](https://wiki.dfrobot.com/DFPlayer_Mini_SKU_DFR0299) chapter on their wiki. Apparently all it needs is more resistors and switches. Cooool.
**Generating heat**
Make a heating element! You need a lot of current going through a conductive material that can take the heat :) What is important is to know how much resistance the pattern and the materials have. If the resistance is high the current is lower and it might not heat up well. See Liza's slide for material options and tips for use:
* Stainless steel conductive thread
* Karl Grimm conductive thread
* Conductive fabrics
* Nichrome wire or flexinol
**High power LED**
3V, 220mA. You need to dissipate the heat, that's why it's often soldered onto a little board, it's made of metal and works like a heatsink.
**Vibration motors**
Operates on 3V, around 75mA. But can also run between 2-5V with different current.
1.5-3V at 70mA with the device we buy at [Radio Rotor](http://www.rotor.eu/indexprog.php?page=groep.php%3Fgroep%3D600%26pagina%3D1).
With this Liza used a bipolar NPN Transistor: a 2N2222 transistor and a 0.1mF capacitor and the 1N4001 diode to protect Arduino from voltage spikes, and a 1K resistor.
**Shape memory allows (SMAs)**
Metal that can return to a preset "trained" shape, when it's heated to a certain temperature. It comes trained and untrained.
We have a smartwires.eu spool of flexinol that changes state at 9V, 150mA without getting hot. Of course with a power supply you can limit the current, so you need to find the sweet spot where it stays below the current limitation "naturally". We tested at 6V it stays under 150mA. If you wanted to power it on 5V and make it move you could do that by using a shorter wire :D
When you want to do this with longer wires you need more voltage because you have more resistance on a longer strand. The basics, Ohm's law, radida.
How to train an SMA? Something like [this.](https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Form-Memory-Wire-Nitinol/)
The challenge with all these things if thinking up an application and managing to control the circuit in that context.
### Transistors: controlling high-power devices
We want to control a device with an IC, and we also want to power the device. But for a high-power device you don't want to power the device with the control circuit. You need to separate them, because e.g. an IO pin can only give 20mA where you might need 200mA-1A to power your coil, motor, or other. The transistor acts as a gate to a second higher power source that can be opened and closed by an IC pin.
We use a transistor to control the device. There are lots of different ones, but we use the N-Channel MOSFET this week (there's also a P-channel MOSFET). Particularly the IRFZ44N in general, but always check, the pinouts might vary! You need to know which leg is the **Gate, Source** and **Drain**
* Source goes to GND of the circuit (also GND of IC)
* Drain goes to VCC of the external power supply (battery)
* Gate goes to an IO pin that can turn it high/low (5V/0V)
The drain, in a way acts as the GND line for the heavy load component. The Arduino GND and the GND line of the device are not connected on the same line!
**Additions to the transistor circuit**
100kOhm reistor between Source and Drain shown in Liza's examples is to smooth the on/off signal coming from the pin. For simple applications this is not necessary.
You can add a diode between the GND and a motor for safety, so the electricity can only flow in one direction.
**Documenting swatches with actuators**
Specify the Voltage supply: is it 9V, 12V, 5V? And also specify the resistance of the materials and substrate (e.g. 12.7 Ohms, 2.6 Ohms, other?). It give you an idea of the operational mode of each element. And then depending on what you use you either make sure there is less or more resistance, give bigger power supply, etcetera. It gives you a good starting point to work from.
## Lecture by Liza Stark
Whe we wear things:
* express - e.g. crying dress by kobakant
* communicate
* protect - e.g. climate dress Diffus Design
Second skins, and ways to collect data about our bodies and interactions with the environment. E.g. Embodisuit by Rachel Freire.
**Considerations for wearable projects**
1. Application: proof of concept or runway or everyday product?
1. Durability: does it need to be worn daily or for a single event? Demo or shown on a mannequin?
1. Wearability: how should it feel? What types of textile are appropriate for the garment? Do you need a base layer to accomodate electric needs?
1. Washability: does it need to be washable, does the board need to be removable?
1. Power: how long does it need to be powered for? Does the power source need to be reachable?
1. Circuit layout: where will you place the IC, the power source? Should the components be visible or invisible?
All these things need to be in conversation with one another.
###Actuators
Component of a circuit that moves or controls another part based on input. E.g. LEDs, motors, speakers and much more. They can create visual, sonic or motion state changes.
Visual approaches are LEDs, Neopixels, fibreoptics and thermochromic ink.
*LEDs*
Light emitting diode. Consider the viewing angle, it can be wide or narrow, leading to less or more diffuse lights. Throughole or SD. Try to get diffused LEDs. For RGB LEDs, check whether it's a common anode or a common cathode.
Making LEDs sewable, like the Lilypad LEDs that already have a current limiting resistor on it. It can really reduce the brightness of the LEDs. DIY it to control it more.
Projects:
* Climate Dress by Diffus Design
* Hussein Chalayan in collaboration with Swarovski (and the Katy Perry dress after)
* Currente Calamo by subTela
If you connect LEDs to Arduino, you need a 220 ohm resistor for each one, because otherwise it burns at the 5V. Connect no more than 3 LEDs in parallel to an Arduino pin.
*Neopixels*
Adafruits programmable LED. They are RGB LEDs with a driver chip embedded, which makes them addressable so can each be controlled differently with only VCC, GND and a signal pin. They don't light up without a microcontroller programmed to light them up. You can cut them to the desired length. Handyyyyy. You probably want to attach some kind of breakout to connect it.
Flora is a nice board to use neopixels with because it has a lot of GND pins and big sewing holes.
Power them with 5V, lower will result in dimmer lights. Amperage at 60mA per neopixel at full brightness. 40mA also works.
(# of neopixels x 40mA) divided by 1000 is min amount of Amps needed. You can use a power bank or something. Add an 470 ohm reistor between the VCC and the signal pin on Arduino. Also add a 1000uF capacitor across the VCC and GND lines to protect the neopixels from power surges.
E.g. Machine Sewn Neopixel Strips by Kobakant.
*Fibre Optics*
Light goes in on one end, down the other. Consists of *core* and *cladding* which together determine if you can see it visibly from the sides.
Consider LED intensity and the type of fibre. High watt Leds and LEDs with narrow viewing angle work well because they produce a concentrated light source. Neopixels work too.
End emitting fibres, like the lamps, or side emitting fibres, such as EL wire.
How to connect the fibre to the LED with very close contact. Drill hole + heat shrink by Forest Mimms III. Tubing and glue by Maurin Donneaud, or 3D printed enclosures + Glue by Elaine St. Blaine. Try to get the fibre as close as possible to the LED and prevent the light from escaping outside the fibre optics.
Note: Heat can melt the fibres! Hot glue and crazy glue are not great. E6000 glue is a good adhesive.
* Fiber optic dress by Zac posen
* The Burning Bolero by Kobakant
But all too often you either see the woman or the dress, but not both.
**Thermochromic ink**
Thermochromic inks or pigments change state in the presence of heat. Once they reach a temperature, some inks become colorless. Pigments can be mixed with different substrates like paint, glue, polymorph etc. etc.
Sparkfun Thermochromic pigment turns clear at 33 degrees celcius. Can also get them from SFCX in Europe! This one turns clear at 27 degrees celcius. These guys also have pigments and screen printing inks for textiles and paper.
You can also use the eat of your body or a hair dryer to effect this state change. Or with an Arduino by amping up the current so it starts to generate heat.
We bought a bag of this green pigment at the only shop we could find locally that could deliver in a few days: https://www.hackerstore.nl/Artikel/1003
*Pigment variables*
* Pigment: takes more time/energy for it to change state
* Base: what will you mix it with? Will affect transformation time. Screen print base takes longer than white acrylic. White acrylic and blue pigment is the most immediate. You can also combine colors. E.g. red thermochromic pigment with yellow paint = orange.
* Substrate: the material you apply it to. E.g. tracing paper reacts more quickly than canvas.
* Application: how you apply it: paint brush, silk screen? The latter will be more even.
* Ambient temperature: if you show a project in the hot sun, you might have a hard time making state changes.
* Conductive materials: what is their resistance? IF it's too high you won't get a state change, if it's too low you create shorts. E.g. copper tape has no resistance so won't genereate heat. Stainless steel works well, conductive yarns work well. Do not use conductive paints.
*Circuitry for heating element*
We need a lot of energy! So we need a high-load power circuit, which we create with an N-channel MOSFET transistor, that we can use the generate the 500ma to 1A we need to create the transformation. An arduino pin can never supply that kind of current. You use the arduino to control a gate to an external power source.
* Check out Moving Target by Maggie Orth. Animated textiles!
* Wifi Tapestry by Richard Vijgen
* Chromosonic by EJTech
* Codachromics by Lyndsay Caulder
Time is a very important factor here, these transformations are not immediate.
###Sounds
**Fabric speakers!**
* Substrate
* Magnet
* Amp
* Sewn coil
What is sound? Vibrating air particles. It causes the hair in your ears to vibrate which the hair reads as sound.
What is a speaker?
A coil that creates electrical signals, wrapped around a coil. A cone that vibrates a membrane and makes sound. The coil makes the magnet vibrate. Speakers use electromagnetism to work. When you run current through a wire it generates a small magnetic field. You can amplify that field by coiling the wire, so you get a stronger field.
So you create a temporary electromagnet by applying current, and it's paired with a static magnet. So you can vary.
*Variables*
* Coil tightness: tigher is louder
* Material: sound waves need to vibrate off the material. Stiffness and thickness affect loudness.
* Magnet size: larger magnet, louder volume. You can combine magnets, but be careful: **neodymium magnets are very strong.**
* Magnet placements: closer to coil = louder
*Making a speaker*
Create a spiral-shaped coil. You need to have access to one end of the coil. Create length by spiraling outward. Keep threads separate though!
*Circuit:*
Use an ATtiny with Tone() or AnalogWrite().
*Amp:*
Create an amp from an audio jack. Greaaaat. I just followed the [tutorial](http://thesoftcircuiteer.net/custom-mono-amp-for-textile-speakers/) provided by Liza Stark.
*DFPlayer Mini:*
Plays audio files from an SD card. OMG YES!
Example:
Sound Embroidery by Claire Williams
###Motion
**Shape memory alloys (SMAs)**
Metals tha tchange shape when they are heated to a certain temperature. The behave like regular metals when cool and return to preset shape when heated.
*Trained*
Has been trained into a shape through a heating process. When heated it goes into the trained shape.
*Untrained*
Contracts 10% of its length when heat is applied. Is straight.
## Gallery
* Material Substrates: lighter weight paper or fabric is best, no jerky movement like the servos etc, but no torque. Paper, cotton silk are great, not polyester because it can get burned.
* Diameter size: the wider diameter 0.008 inch diameter is pretty good, it's pretty strong but doesn't need too much power.
* Length: resistance increases with length.
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
Examples: GK? Kobakant examples with paper folding, curling and smocking.
## Video
*Connections*
### From Vimeo
You cannot solder directly onto the flexinol because of the oxidation. Use a crip bead, pass wire through crimp bead, and press it with pliers, and then solder the crimp bead.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
*Power circuit*
Use the same circuit for heat that we used for thermochromic ink. Use the analogWrite (pin, value 0-255) function. Start with a low duty cycle of 75 and work your way up. More power makes the movement faster, not more dramatic. If you give the material time to breathe and relax, the next reaction will be more dramatic :)
### From Youtube
*Datasheet*
Look at the datasheet, assuming a 9V battery. To know resistance and amps etc.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
* Luttergill, Kinetic Skorpion Dress by XS labs
* Input Output paper by Jie Qi
* The Culture series by Afroditi Psarra and Dafni Papadopoulou
## 3D Models
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
docs/assignments/week11.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 11. Implications and applications
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
>Our lives are henged round with systems of classification, limned by standard formats, prescriptions, and objects. Enter a modern home an you are surrounded by standards and categories spanning the color of paint on the walls and in the fabric of the furniture, the types of wires strung to appliances, the codes in the building permits allowing the kitchen sink to be properly plumbed and the walls to be adequately fireproofed. Ignore these forms at your peril – as a building owner, be sued by irate tenants; as an inspector, risk malpractice suits denying your proper application of the ideal to the case at hand; as a parent, risk toxic paint threatening your children. To classify is human.
>
> – Bowker & Star, *Sorting Things Out: Clasification and its Consequences*, 2000: p. 1
## Research
## Lost in Material Archives
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSkdPoDWi5P-JfrYTUDtJelboAx5EKclvjIxfGMPSLR_QhpJwobThQY6XcrvoG9nlWe-opwY5jTLvgZ/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=15000" frameborder="0" width="960" height="749" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
## Useful links
## References
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
Bowker, G. and Star, S. L., *Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences*, Cambridge/London, MIT Press: 2000 (1999).
Dekker, A. (ed.) *Lost and Living (in) Archives: Collectively Shaping New Memories*, Amsterdam, Valiz: 2017.
## Code Example
Derrida, J. *Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression*. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996 (1995).
Use the three backticks to separate code.
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
```
## Gallery
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
## Video
### From Vimeo
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
### From Youtube
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
## 3D Models
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
Lévi-Strauss, C. *The Raw and the Cooked* [Le Cru et le Cuit, 1964]. Chicago: Chicago University press, 1969.
\ No newline at end of file
docs/assignments/week12.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 12. Soft robotics
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/LMcdsCr6BBLiezff0w" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/ieVDCHlHimBLucYiU3" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
## Research
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/L4UZpJj941K6EJSsuB" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
*TPU inflatables and the pouring of the silicon, Loes Bogers, 2019*
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
##Results
## Useful links
* I made various inflatables using TPU and thermovinyl (one of my favourites shown in the video at the top)
* Experimented a little with laserwelding instead of baking paper, using TPU
* I made a silicon 2.5D inflatable with a lasercut mold.
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-AWLA4hmmAc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Testing the rubber inflatable (I got very excited feeling all its alive weirdness..., Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Code Example
##2D molds: thermovinyl inflatables
Use the three backticks to separate code.
Our first explorations involved very simple ingredients: thermovinyl, parchment/baking paper and heat. By cutting out airchannels by hand from baking paper, and creating little pockets by welding together two parts of vinyl with heat (using a heat press or iron), we were able to explore some movements and dynamics. Two layers of vinyl are welded together unless there's baking paper between the layers. Where there's baking paper, air can circulate (the baking paper are the air channels). It's not very straightforward to guesstimate what these shapes will do though! So it was good to explore a little first. These are the basics as described by Adriana in the lecture:
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
![](../images/wk12_howto.jpg)*How to do a simple inflatable, Adriana Cabrera for Fabricademy, 2019*
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
```
![](../images/wk12_study.jpg)*Studying simple variations on a shape, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zffNF0xYzGc?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
## Gallery
*Using the heatpress, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
**Hints and pointers**
## Video
* Add a little nugget to the outside to help you insert a straw or tube later to "actuate" the inflatable
* Welding lines should be about 5x5 mm at least so make sure to give a 5mm outside margin, and don't make the welding shapes too small.
* the shiny sides of the vinyl should be on the outsides, the matte side facing in.
* The baking paper is sandwiched between.
* Laser cut the baking paper, or TPU if you want
* **Do not lasercut the thermovinyl! (releases chlorine)**
* Put this sandwich between two sheets of baking paper and heatpress until the the two sides are welded together. This goes pretty fast, take care not to burn it
* 140 degrees Celcius is a good start.
* Peel off one or both sides of the rigid plastic (it will have different results!)
### From Vimeo
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-mQh07jm_YA?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
*Some handcut examples, first actuated with the rigid backing still on, then actuated again without substrate, Loes Bogers, 2019*
### From Youtube
**How to think about design**
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
* Think of simple symmetric paper cutting techniques (manual)
* Look at origami [atterms, replicate folds by welding and creating airpockets (thank you [@Tasneem Hussain in Qatar](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/tasneem.hussain/assignments/week12/), who also developed Arduino circuits and code to control the actuating, awesoooome)
* Make simple shapes and iterate with small variations
* Did I say keep it simple?
* KEEP IT SIMPLE! Like [Valentine Fruchart in Fab Lab ULB, Brussels](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/valentine.fruchart/assignments/week12/#bubbles) here, great idea with this pink bubble inflatable.
## 3D Models
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/379956741" width="640" height="753" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Simple and beautiful working silicon inflatable that Valentine Fruchart in Brussels made this week, so nice!*
* Be precise with cutting or use laser cutter
* Check out [Adriana's nice design pointers in the lecture notes!](https://class.textile-academy.org/classes/week11/) They went up a little late this week but would have been really useful to review them again instead of inventing the wheel haha. Next time :)
* Be brave and do it with biosilicon instead of silicon silicon, like [Gabriela Lotaif's tests](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/gabriela.lotaif/) with alginate in Barcelona. Greaaat!
![](../images/wk12_designpatterns.jpg)*Some design patterns described by Adriana in the lecture, Adriana Cabrera for Fabricademy, 2019*
**About substrates**
I noticed already at this stage that the inflatables behaved very differently when you leave one side of the hard plastic backing on. It helps to control the motion into an upward movement, rather than a cringing, shrinking effect. In this video you can see all samples first with the backing still stuck to the back, and then again without any rigid plastic, just the soft vinyl.
*The tests shown above with and without rigid plastic backing (as a substrate), Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WV3oDL-4Bj0?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*And another few variations that were kind of nice (first with plastic backing, then without), Loes Bogers, 2019*
##2D molds: TPU inflatables
Bea had some TPU left from another assignment, and found out that this also weld together really well when heat is applied to it! It's a material with a really nice feeling, it's also used as a coating for fake leather materials.
I did a bunch of experiment with that too. Some were really cool with great movements, other less (pweeeep!), see below. In Amsterdam you can buy it at Boeken (a textile shop) in many different colors.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/25vC04MQeHI?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
##Designing in Grasshopper
I wanted to practice a bit of grasshopper so I thought: ok maybe I can devise a little study to understand these movements and behaviors better. So I made a design for a rectangle shaped pocket, with simple weld lines at different distances.
The air holes on the sides of the weld line were too small, the airflow was too restricted in the end, but it was nice to design this in grasshopper and create a lot of variations quickly. I did some tests with baking paper, and also experimented with using the laser as a welding tool.
![](../images/wk12_grasshopper.jpg)*The grasshopper file, from scratch :D, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk12_rhino.jpg)*Files generated with the Grasshopper file, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Cutting baking paper**
I also wanted to try cutting the baking paper with laser even though I didn't have the most exciting design. I was wondering if precision in the cutting influenced the movement a lot and I'm pretty sure it does. Small variations in width and placement can really make a difference in the way the inflatable behaves.
![](../images/wk12_bakingpaperlaser.jpg)*Cutting baking paper with the laser cutter. DO NOT CUT THE THERMOVINYL THOUGH!, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Sadly this design wasn't exactly optimal and I wanted to move on to the silicon inflatable so didn't optimize it. The airchannels on the side of the weld lines were a bit too narrow and restricted the airflow too much. But here's an idea:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oXeSHxbe-78?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You can see in these four samples they behave very differently depending on the distance between the weld lines, but they're a bit hard to inflate.
**Laserwelding TPU**
Somebody (Bea? Cecilia?) suggested you can also use the heat of the laser itself quite well to weld these plastics together. Interestingggg. Bea then found [this instructable](https://www.instructables.com/id/Laserweld-Your-Own-Inflatables/) that gives a few pointers.
Basically it requires a lot of calibrating but the basic premise is that you make sure the laser isn't focused/calibrated. I started by trying some settings with the laser head all the way in. These ended up welding OK, but with very thick and bubbly weldlines, making the airflow even more restricted and making the pockets nearly impossible to inflate.
![](../images/wk12_laserweldtest_results1.jpg)*Testing and tweaking until finally: some welded results, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Improved parameters for laserwelding**
After recalibrating I got some nicer results and ended on these parameters. In the video below you can also see that the lines are much cleaner and thinner having the laser a little bit more focused. Lots of tweaking necessary to find a sweet spot though!
* distance between the two thicker rings of the laser head set halfway, at 22mm distance between them
* speed: 100
* power: 18
* corner power: 10
Bea continued a little bit more with the laserwelding and finetuned settings even more. Here documentation [here!](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/beatriz.sandini/assignments/week12/)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7CyaCYQXOiQ?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
## Lineheating device and thick vacuum bags
This device was left untouched so I thought I'd give it some attention. It's an infitiny roll of vacuum bag, and a line welding device (heats up a single line only). I though what I might do with this and tried to recreate the nice arrow shapes with this one.
![](../images/wk12_thickfoil_tools.jpg)**
It's less precise to weld so that's not so nice but this material is hella sturdy! You won't puncture or explode this baby easily.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RmrYItkMYR0?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
## 2.5D Molds for silicon inflatables
**Mold material**
Acrylic sheets (give beautiful shine, easy release, easy to lasercut and glue together), glued together with Acrifix or fast contact glue (seconde lijm).
Glueing large surfaces with glue that dries in seconds is a challenge though!
**Elastomer**
[SmoothOn EcoFlex 00-30](https://www.smooth-on.com/products/ecoflex-00-30/) is used as elastomer. It is translucent and has a shore hardness of only 00-30 which means it's very flexible. Which of course, is what we want for an inflatable. Parts mixed in the ratio 1/1, pot life 45 mins, curing time 30 mins to 4 hours. Wear vinyl gloves (not latex), work in a ventilated room.
It's worth asking about a curing accelerator they should have available at FormX here in Amsterdam, to save some time in curing. Alternatively, you can speed up the curing process also by putting it in an oven set to a low heat (to 50 degrees celcius or so).
**Substrate**
Use substrates that are stiffer/different shore than the elastomer, then it doesn't bulge, but it curves away.
I used a very very stiff substrate on purpose because I wanted to see if it would bulge up whilst staying totally flat. I also made the bottom half pretty thick (= rigid). A bit risky, but worth a shot. My theory might be proven wrong, but then I'll improve using the biosilicon we'll try before the global review.
##Ideas and inspiration
I wasn't quite sure how to think about this but it became pretty clear that silicon molds would be about bulges and very strangelooking wormy things. I am *totally* down with that though. I loved the leather molded tumor-like looking bulges in week 9: Textile as scaffold.
To be totally honest though, I went about the designing very intuitively and as shapes and thoughts started to emerge, I could identify some links to other work, and others were able to point me to some interesting references. This also means I didn't research sooooo well how to achieve certain goals but went about it with my common sense and just made some hypotheses about how I might make bulgy objects. When my cast is cured tomorrow, we'll see how well that worked out :)
Nevertheless, I think the projects below are super interesting and what I'm more or less going for (now).
![](../images/wk12_montsesproject.jpg)*Montse Serrat's Fabricademy Project, [Bodymimicry, 2019](https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/Montserrat/project.html)*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r8lZBaYGBX8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Tactile Vision by Jiabao Li*
![](../images/wk12_inspi_evolution_mcrae_hess.jpg)*I never get bored of Lucy McRae and Bart Hess' Evolution*
![](../images/wk12_interactivearchitecture.jpg)* Francois Mangion and Becky Zhang, Furl: Soft Pneumatic Pavilion, 2014*
##Designing an inflatable and a mold
I used Rhino to design the mold for the inflatable. It consists of designing a treeshape for the airpaths (making sure there's an air hole at an edge). I designed all airpaths to be 6 mm and the space between them at 7 mm. The walls are also 7 mm. I learned to use the *trim* command (finally!) when I learned Rhino has *nothing comparable to the path finder in Illustrator*. Quite disappointing to find out haha! But trim does the job, eventually. Here's a video so I can remember later....
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pbkiEAYWoJI?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
![](../images/wk12_cutfiles.jpg)*Elements to cut, Loes Bogers, 2019*
[Download the cutfile for the mold (.dxf)](../files/wk12_cutfile_mold.dxf)
**Parts list**
The mold consists of two parts that are glued together with a little bit of silicon after:
1. A base
1. Air channels in a tree-like shape
1. An outer frame of 1 or 2 layers high
And the second part of the mold with a piece of textile on top of it is made by constructing a mold of:
1. A base
1. The outer frame of 1 or 2 layers high
1. A (thin) piece of textile to prevent stretching
##Casting the inflatable
* Calculate or measure how much silicon you need. I calculated cm3 with the rough dimensions of the shape, but also checked by pouring water in with the mold sitting on a scale. I ended up with the same numbers: 190 gr for each part of the mold, so 380 gr in total
* Mix part A and part B *slowly*, add colorant if necessary (I tried getting a marble effect by not mixing in all the pearly white acrylic too well, but ended up with blobs...) If you mix fast you will get bubbles = holes in your cast. Nice if you're making silicon cheese.
* Prepare mold with release spray: spray thoroughly, brush into corners, and spray again. Let it dry for 30 mins (I didn't do this...)
* Cover table top with plastic for potential spillage. Pour in a place where you can also let the silicon set without having to move it.
* Use a level (*waterpas* in Dutch) to make sure your mold it absolutely level. If it's not, you can get differences in thickness, which will result in big bubbles in thinner areas, and no airflow in the thicker areas.
* Pour silicon in slowly, from one side of the mould ideally (no moving). Enjoyyyyyyy!
![](../images/wk12cast_collage.jpg)*1. preparing the mold, 2. Weighing the amount of water that goes into mold (weight in grams = cm3) 3. preparing the silicon, 4. casting and adding textile, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mpIX_c6bLeI?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Curing and releasing**
The silicon did not cure overnight. Could be because of the acrylic paint I added. I tried curing it a bit more in the oven but that also didn't work..... pweeeeep. Have to cast again.
Curing in the oven helped the silicon cure a little bit better, but it was still totally snotty and wet on one side, with some integrity on the other, so I could pick it up and it's very stretchy but also snotty and disgusting.
![](../images/wk12_uncured.jpg)*Silicon was mostly left uncured, so sad. Loes Bogers, 2019*
So I studied my failure a bit more and also looked at the other girl's samples. First I realized I'd used the wrong release spray (for hard plastic molds, instead of the one for silicon molds). But the others had also used it without problems.
Bea had mixed some pigments into her silicon too, and we could tell that the dots of pigment were also still soft and liquid. In this petri dish there's some acrylic paint mixed lightly with silicon. You can really see how the parts without color are solid and cured but the brown parts are still liquid.
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/elUgPuGhYP0gHB1Am4" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
*Acrylic paint is not a very good colorant to use with Ecoflex, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Cleaning uncured silicon with alcohol**
I want to cast again but will have to clean this mold first. Oh my gosh. There was no way I could get it off with soap. The [Smooth-On FAQ](https://www.smooth-on.com/support/faq/118/) told me acetone and alcohol were good bets though. So I went and did that. I was able to clean the simple side of the mold (with the textile). The one with the airchannels would be too hard to clean. So I cut out another treeshape for airchannels and glued it inside the simple mould. To cast a sheet with textile you don't actually need a mold necessarily.
I was lucky to learn some tricks from the global review before doing this, so I also checked that the place I was curing in was totally level, to make sure it will be even.
![](../images/wk12_cleanmold.jpg)*I managed to clean half the mold with alcohol, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk12_level.jpg)*Making sure the surface I'm using for curing is totally level, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Smooth-on has dedicated pigments called [So-Strong](https://www.smooth-on.com/product-line/strong/) :) This time around I used a bit of black pigment (that turned a lovely purple/blue), and my silicon cured beautifully in a few hours. Wonderful release, aaaaah. Oh yes I also used thin organza instead of the super thick material I originally used as a substrate.
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/hQjQ2gX4uEr13JUet0" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
*Don't do as I do! Stir slowly the whole time :) Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Releasing the second casting**
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/LlEQhoIYIioUCfzq5D" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
**Glueing the two sides together**
Releasing the silicon is so nice! It's very strong so I wasn't too worried about tearing with this thickness. God I will never get tired of this. It seems pretty uniform in thickness but we'll see. The order of the layers (from top to bottom):
1. Layer with organza pointing upwards
1. Glueing layer (manually applied after curing the other two)
1. Bottom layer with the airchannels, with open channels facing up
We had some different ideas about how to glue the two sides together: Bela put a very thin layer and it was ok, but Bea did the same and had a lot of holes and explosions. So I thought I'd do it nice and thick. Ofcourse it was way too much and I drowned the airchannels. Ughhh. Wiped it all out again and found a middle ground, I hope. The tube I wanted to cast inside kept coming out so I just left it out. I'll poke a hole later. I pressed it down with a sheet of acrylic and some bottles on top. Now we wait!
![](../images/wk12_secondcast.jpg)*Winners in the second round! Two parts of the inflatable before glueing them together (this time with organza instead of thicker stiff fabric), Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Inflating the inflatable**
###Materials & Tools
* Ecoflex Silicon 00-30 shore from SmoothOn (FormX Amsterdam)
* Biosilicon (optional)
* Flex folie (heat transfer t-shirt thermo vinyl)
* TPU: the stuff that is used for fake leather (Boeken, Amsterdam)
* Parchment/baking paper - to create tunnels for airflow
* Heat - iron, heat press, line heat press
* Vacuum bags and vacuum bag sealer strip
* Or try using plastic bags, old inflatables like balloons etc
##Other references and inspiration
![](../images/wk12_instructable.jpg) *Simple but beautiful! Done by Mikey77 at [Instructables](https://www.instructables.com/id/Soft-Robots-Making-Robot-Air-Muscles/)*.
![](../images/wk12_gummy_actuators.jpg)*Edible soft actuators, YES! Kyle Wagner et.al. via [Soft Robotics Toolkit](https://softroboticstoolkit.com/edible-actuators)*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QpnLj-rzjIo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Multi-gait robot at Harvard*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zgM-0sPtDWw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Instructions for educators to make the soft gripper! Whoaaa that's amazing.Via [Soft Robotics Toolkit](https://softroboticstoolkit.com/resources-for-educators/soft-gripper)*
![](https://static.projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/styles/os_files_xlarge/public/sorotoolkit/files/annotated_diagram2.png?m=1404840558&itok=xeuBOjSq)*Open Source Soft Robotics Toolkit Control Board by Wheng Wang et.al. via [Soft Robotics Toolkit](https://softroboticstoolkit.com/book/control-board)*
##Molding & casting basics
Smooth-On has some great tutorials worth watching. It makes way more sense than looking at drawings or reading text (for me :D)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QKrCPvBMbac" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OzomvhHd9vo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8HyVCVfZ_g8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FQ1A7ZjTsx8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
\ No newline at end of file
docs/assignments/week13.md
View file @ 06d4996c
# 13. Skin Electronics
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
##Results
## Research
![](../images/wk13wear4.jpg)<br>*Experiment 1: a public transport chipcard that can be used as skin electronics, Loes Bogers, 2019*
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FA9Pf4BjvgY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
> "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
--------
-------
## Useful links
- [Jekyll](http://jekyll.org)
- [Google](http://google.com)
- [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown)
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/jro8mAq9OXjxpuZP4m" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
*Experiment 2: glowing neopixel crystals, to embed into a wig or headpiece (I didn't do this in the end because I quite like the wearable public transport chipcard idea, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Code Example
Use the three backticks to separate code.
##Material explorations
I started this week by doing some material exploration based on inspiring projects before settling on an idea. So I tried out a few things that are within reach (within reason). I will see what works out well and then continue one or more of the ideas.
We had a table full of amazing hair pieces, make-up, lashes, gems, glitters and stuff people had brought from home. I was totally in my element.
![](../images/wk13_drag.jpg) *Fabulous, pic by Bea Sandini, 2019*
###Embedding crystals in a hair piece
I really enjoyed earlier work growing capacitive alum crystals with Bare conductive ink (week 9), so to start here, I tried growing a clear alum crystal on top of an RGB LED board, I grew black diamonds (capacitive crystals) on a string of conductive thread, and a fake mustache, using the instructions I described already in [week 9](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/loes.bogers/assignments/week09/).
I thought about growing them directly on (synthetic) hair, but that would also turn the hair into a scaffold and make it very stiff. So I decided to make strings that I can work into a wig for example (I have very short hair :D).
**Growing the sensor: black diamonds**
The crystal on the string grew beautifully: as one solo crystal with a gorgeous shape. Very happy. The mustache is a bit of a mess, I might not use it. The last time I made these, one cluster broke in two as I tried to embed it into a swatch. To prevent this one from coming off the string I put a crimp bead at the bottom so it cannot slide off.
![](../images/wk13_blackdiamonds.jpg)*A new batch of black diamonds, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Growing crystal LED boards**
Then I experimented with several techniques to try and grow a clear alum crystal on the LED of an RGB neopixel. Ideally I'd finish with a neopixel that:
* has a beautiful big crystal or cluster in the middle of the LED
* and covering the surface of the board
* leaving the contacts clear for connecting
* doesn't fall apart :)
I got quite good results after some trial and erroring! Bea had a good idea of glueing silk on to give it a mesh to attach too. This had been a very successfull substrate before, resulting in huge crystals.
![](../images/wk13_4crystaltechniques.jpg)*Four techniques, from left to right: 1) sanded and metal wire, 2) silk and conductive thread, 3) silk and plastic string, and 4) seed crystal glued to top, Loes Bogers, 2019*
NR | SURFACE | SUSPENSION | METHOD | RESULTS
------|--------|--------|-------|--------
1| sanded LED pocket| suspended with metal wire | add while solution is hot | very little growth
2| hotglued silk to top | suspended with conductive wire, soldered | add while solution is hot | clusters of small crystals all around board and on wires, chip still accessible due to presoldered wires. But circuit is shorted!!
3| hotglued silk to top | Plastic string | add while solution is hot | clusters of small crystals all around board, not on string, chip accessible after carefully breaking off some crystals from the back
4| hotglued seed crystal to top | Sitting on bottom of jar | add while solution is lukewarm\* | clusters with even smaller crystals, forming a halfdome around top half of the board, botom half still clear of crystals and accessible electronics.
![](../images/wk13_seedcyrstalhotglue.jpg)*three neopixels with seed crystals hotglued on top, Loes Bogers, 2019*
\* the seed crystal dissolves if you put it in while the water is too hot. Do not put it in until it's luke warm, but also not too cold because then the crystals have already started forming and are less likely to attach to your seed crystal. Find a sweet spot. I compare it to tea: if it's nice and hot and you'd drink it. It's too hot. If it gets to the point where you think "I have to drink it now, if I wait a minure longer it will be cold" that's a good moment to put the crystal in :)
![](../images/wk13_4crystals.jpg)*Such beauties! clockwise, starting from the top: 1) sanded, suspended with metal wire, 3) sild and plastic string, 2) silk, conductive thread, 4) seed crystal sitting on bottom of jar, Loes Bogers, 2019*
Clearly, for this purpose, NOT suspending the board had the advantage of keeping the back of the board clear of crystals so it's still possible to solder the pads after. But at the same time forming a beautiful strong cluster in the shape of a dome on the top of the board. The crystals are smaller with the seed crystal than with the glued silk though. It would be worth trying the silk technique in combination with letting the board sit on the bottom. So I did a few of those too, and some looked pretty nice.
**Important!:** when you are not suspending the substrate in the solution, but letting it sit on the bottom, you have to take it out on time. I let them grow for about 2 hours before I took them out. I left a few overnight and they were just one big hard rock the next day. So really time when you should be taking them out and use transparent cups so you can monitor the process.
![](../images/wk13_crystalback.jpg)*Left: bottom of the board with the seed crystal is totally clean, with the others I had to carefull break away some crystal clusters to free up the connector pads again. This makes the clusters weaker and easier to break altogether, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**Hooking up the neopixels**
I followed the [Adafruit neopixel hookup guide](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide/arduino-library-installation)
*Install Gemma board etc*
I used this [guide](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-gemma-m0/using-with-arduino-ide) to install the Arduino SAMD board support and the Adafruit SAMD
*Install Adafruit_NeoPixel via Library Manager*
From the Sketch menu, > Include Library > Manage Libraries... In the text input box type in "NeoPixel". Look for "Adafruit NeoPixel by Adafruit" and select the latest version by clicking on the popup menu next to the Install button. Then click on the Install button. After it's installed, you can click the "close" button ([Source](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide/arduino-library-installation)
*Schematic using Gemma*
I hooked up the RGD neopixels like so, following the instructions in this [tutorial](https://learn.adafruit.com/flora-rgb-smart-pixels/hook-up-alligator-clips)
![](../images/wk13_hookup.jpg)*Hooking up neopixel to Gemma board, image via [Learn.Adafruit.com](https://learn.adafruit.com/flora-rgb-smart-pixels/hook-up-alligator-clips)*
*Simple code test*
select Sketchbook→Libraries→Adafruit_NeoPixel→strandtest
(If the Adafruit_NeoPixel rollover menu is not present, the library has not been correctly installed, or the IDE needs to be restarted after installation. Check the installation steps above to confirm it’s properly named and located.)
Select your board type and serial port from the Tools menu, and try uploading to the board. If the NeoPixels are connected and powered as previously described, you should see a little light show.
My Gemma didn't show up and I was getting a bit fed up so I continued to develop the code on my Arduino Uno and I'll transfer it later. With the UNO, I could upload the strandtest and see the working LEDs. That all worked fine so I proceeded to solder up my LED crystals so I could connect them and see how the light is being filtered through the alum.
**Soldering**
It turned out to be quite challenging to hook all these babies up. One crystal crumpled while soldering, and the one with the conductive thread attached turned out to be totally shorted. Meh. So in the end I had 3 left. Two of them work fine, but one just won't light up yet and needs some debugging. The signal connection isnt very stable but also hard to reach.
What is important is that each GND and 5V pad will have two wires attached (one going to the previous pixel and one to the next). So plan your soldering and connect both at once. I didn't go through-hole because the crystal prevented me from pushing the wire through, so I just soldered solid core wires to the top of the pad. Fine in most cases but one I guess (where it did go through but then didn't make a good connection, ugh).
![](../images/wk13_soldering.jpg)*Not easy to solder, but a bit of paper underneath helped a lot, Loes Bogers, 2019*
*RGB colors?*
I refreshed my knowledge of making colors with an RGB LED. [This tutorial](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-arduino-lesson-3-rgb-leds/using-internet-colors) explains how to pick a color and then recreate it with an RGB LED. Then I went and found some nice code for a fading LED using a sine wave (that's a very nice way of fading I think, very elegant solution lol) and found [this code here](https://codebender.cc/sketch:136737#NeoPixel%20Breathe.ino) by Jason Yandell. Thanks Jason! I changed the color and defined a nice range for the speed of the breathing, that I want to control by touching (or nearly touching) the conductive crystal.
```
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
//Written by: Jason Yandell
//Modified by Loes Bogers, 2019
#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>
#define PIN 10
// Parameter 1 = number of pixels in strip
// Parameter 2 = pin number (most are valid)
// Parameter 3 = pixel type flags, add together as needed:
// NEO_KHZ800 800 KHz bitstream (most NeoPixel products w/WS2812 LEDs)
// NEO_KHZ400 400 KHz (classic 'v1' (not v2) FLORA pixels, WS2811 drivers)
// NEO_GRB Pixels are wired for GRB bitstream (most NeoPixel products)
// NEO_RGB Pixels are wired for RGB bitstream (v1 FLORA pixels, not v2)
Adafruit_NeoPixel strip = Adafruit_NeoPixel(16, PIN, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
strip.begin();
strip.setBrightness(85); // Lower brightness and save eyeballs!
strip.show(); // Initialize all pixels to 'off'
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
int TOTAL_LEDS = 2; // only using 2 LEDs for now
float MaximumBrightness = 150; // don't set to 255 unless powering with 5V
//Speedfactor between 0.008 and 0.05 is nice
float SpeedFactor = 0.008; // nice and relaxed
float StepDelay = 5; // ms for a step delay on the lights
// Make the lights breathe (65535 is amount of steps)
for (int i = 0; i < 65535; i++) {
// Intensity will go from 10 - MaximumBrightness in a "breathing" manner
float intensity = MaximumBrightness /2.0 * (1.0 + sin(SpeedFactor * i));
strip.setBrightness(intensity);
// Now set every LED to that color
for (int ledNumber=0; ledNumber<TOTAL_LEDS; ledNumber++) {
strip.setPixelColor(ledNumber, 100, 100, 255); //violet=ish
}
strip.show();
//Wait a bit before continuing to breathe
delay(StepDelay);
}
}
```
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/jro8mAq9OXjxpuZP4m" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
*Shine shine shining on, Loes Bogers, 2019*
**More control over the neopixels**
So that worked out very beautifully! I had a little bit of a harder time using an analog sensor to control this code though. So that will take some more work but I'm entering an area I would like to get a little better at so let's drill down. Browsing some forums got me some good insights:
>You, like every other NeoPixel newbie, have discovered that the Adafruit examples are blocking code. They simply run the Led patterns from start to finish without regard for anything else that you'd like to do at the same time. Makes sense because their purpose is to demonstrate the capabilities of the Led strips and how to use the NeoPixel library. They're really not meant for integration into larger projects.
>To do other things at the same time you'll need to "unwind" the loops and learn to do timing with the millis() function instead of delays. [Adafruit](https://learn.adafruit.com/multi-tasking-the-arduino-part-3?view=all) has a tutorial showing one (but not the only) way of doing this.
>
> – [gfvalvo on the Arduino forum](https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=574421.0)
So I followed the link to find out that it is a lovely tutorial telling me I'm not the only one with these questions (yay!)
> So how do you get it to pay attention to external inputs while generating all those mezmerizing pixel patterns? Some of the most common Neopixel questions in the Adafruit forums are:
> * How can I make my Neopixel project respond reliably to button presses?
> * How can I run two (or more) different Neopixel patterns at the same time?
> * How can I make my Arduino do other things while my Neopixel pattern is running?
> In this guide, we’ll look at some ways to structure your Neopixel code to keep it responsive and make it more amenable to multitasking.
> The Update function can be called from your loop() or a timer interrupt and you can update many patterns simultaneously on each pass, while monitoring user interactions at the same time.
Excellent, this is exactly what I was looking for. The tutorial by Bill Earl suggests to work with millis() instead of delays() and not work within one loop but use the Update() function instead. It requires a bit of C++ code, which I always find a bit confusing so it's supernice to have it spelled out like this for better understanding. I'm sure I'm not the only learning struggling to take this hurdle :D The full code is pretty complete and gives a lot of options I probably won't use but instead scale down and use only a few of the functions and adapt them to my setup.
Before running this code, make sure to install the neopixel library. [This tutorial](https://www.ardu-badge.com/NeoPatterns) explains how.
```
#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>
// Pattern types supported:
enum pattern { NONE, RAINBOW_CYCLE, THEATER_CHASE, COLOR_WIPE, SCANNER, FADE };
// Patern directions supported:
enum direction { FORWARD, REVERSE };
// NeoPattern Class - derived from the Adafruit_NeoPixel class
class NeoPatterns : public Adafruit_NeoPixel
{
public:
// Member Variables:
pattern ActivePattern; // which pattern is running
direction Direction; // direction to run the pattern
unsigned long Interval; // milliseconds between updates
unsigned long lastUpdate; // last update of position
uint32_t Color1, Color2; // What colors are in use
uint16_t TotalSteps; // total number of steps in the pattern
uint16_t Index; // current step within the pattern
void (*OnComplete)(); // Callback on completion of pattern
// Constructor - calls base-class constructor to initialize strip
NeoPatterns(uint16_t pixels, uint8_t pin, uint8_t type, void (*callback)())
:Adafruit_NeoPixel(pixels, pin, type)
{
OnComplete = callback;
}
// Update the pattern
void Update()
{
if((millis() - lastUpdate) > Interval) // time to update
{
lastUpdate = millis();
switch(ActivePattern)
{
case RAINBOW_CYCLE:
RainbowCycleUpdate();
break;
case THEATER_CHASE:
TheaterChaseUpdate();
break;
case COLOR_WIPE:
ColorWipeUpdate();
break;
case SCANNER:
ScannerUpdate();
break;
case FADE:
FadeUpdate();
break;
default:
break;
}
}
}
// Increment the Index and reset at the end
void Increment()
{
if (Direction == FORWARD)
{
Index++;
if (Index >= TotalSteps)
{
Index = 0;
if (OnComplete != NULL)
{
OnComplete(); // call the comlpetion callback
}
}
}
else // Direction == REVERSE
{
--Index;
if (Index <= 0)
{
Index = TotalSteps-1;
if (OnComplete != NULL)
{
OnComplete(); // call the comlpetion callback
}
}
}
}
// Reverse pattern direction
void Reverse()
{
if (Direction == FORWARD)
{
Direction = REVERSE;
Index = TotalSteps-1;
}
else
{
Direction = FORWARD;
Index = 0;
}
}
// Initialize for a RainbowCycle
void RainbowCycle(uint8_t interval, direction dir = FORWARD)
{
ActivePattern = RAINBOW_CYCLE;
Interval = interval;
TotalSteps = 255;
Index = 0;
Direction = dir;
}
// Update the Rainbow Cycle Pattern
void RainbowCycleUpdate()
{
for(int i=0; i< numPixels(); i++)
{
setPixelColor(i, Wheel(((i * 256 / numPixels()) + Index) & 255));
}
show();
Increment();
}
// Initialize for a Theater Chase
void TheaterChase(uint32_t color1, uint32_t color2, uint8_t interval, direction dir = FORWARD)
{
ActivePattern = THEATER_CHASE;
Interval = interval;
TotalSteps = numPixels();
Color1 = color1;
Color2 = color2;
Index = 0;
Direction = dir;
}
// Update the Theater Chase Pattern
void TheaterChaseUpdate()
{
for(int i=0; i< numPixels(); i++)
{
if ((i + Index) % 3 == 0)
{
setPixelColor(i, Color1);
}
else
{
setPixelColor(i, Color2);
}
}
show();
Increment();
}
// Initialize for a ColorWipe
void ColorWipe(uint32_t color, uint8_t interval, direction dir = FORWARD)
{
ActivePattern = COLOR_WIPE;
Interval = interval;
TotalSteps = numPixels();
Color1 = color;
Index = 0;
Direction = dir;
}
// Update the Color Wipe Pattern
void ColorWipeUpdate()
{
setPixelColor(Index, Color1);
show();
Increment();
}
// Initialize for a SCANNNER
void Scanner(uint32_t color1, uint8_t interval)
{
ActivePattern = SCANNER;
Interval = interval;
TotalSteps = (numPixels() - 1) * 2;
Color1 = color1;
Index = 0;
}
// Update the Scanner Pattern
void ScannerUpdate()
{
for (int i = 0; i < numPixels(); i++)
{
if (i == Index) // Scan Pixel to the right
{
setPixelColor(i, Color1);
}
else if (i == TotalSteps - Index) // Scan Pixel to the left
{
setPixelColor(i, Color1);
}
else // Fading tail
{
setPixelColor(i, DimColor(getPixelColor(i)));
}
}
show();
Increment();
}
// Initialize for a Fade
void Fade(uint32_t color1, uint32_t color2, uint16_t steps, uint8_t interval, direction dir = FORWARD)
{
ActivePattern = FADE;
Interval = interval;
TotalSteps = steps;
Color1 = color1;
Color2 = color2;
Index = 0;
Direction = dir;
}
// Update the Fade Pattern
void FadeUpdate()
{
// Calculate linear interpolation between Color1 and Color2
// Optimise order of operations to minimize truncation error
uint8_t red = ((Red(Color1) * (TotalSteps - Index)) + (Red(Color2) * Index)) / TotalSteps;
uint8_t green = ((Green(Color1) * (TotalSteps - Index)) + (Green(Color2) * Index)) / TotalSteps;
uint8_t blue = ((Blue(Color1) * (TotalSteps - Index)) + (Blue(Color2) * Index)) / TotalSteps;
ColorSet(Color(red, green, blue));
show();
Increment();
}
// Calculate 50% dimmed version of a color (used by ScannerUpdate)
uint32_t DimColor(uint32_t color)
{
// Shift R, G and B components one bit to the right
uint32_t dimColor = Color(Red(color) >> 1, Green(color) >> 1, Blue(color) >> 1);
return dimColor;
}
// Set all pixels to a color (synchronously)
void ColorSet(uint32_t color)
{
for (int i = 0; i < numPixels(); i++)
{
setPixelColor(i, color);
}
show();
}
// Returns the Red component of a 32-bit color
uint8_t Red(uint32_t color)
{
return (color >> 16) & 0xFF;
}
// Returns the Green component of a 32-bit color
uint8_t Green(uint32_t color)
{
return (color >> 8) & 0xFF;
}
// Returns the Blue component of a 32-bit color
uint8_t Blue(uint32_t color)
{
return color & 0xFF;
}
// Input a value 0 to 255 to get a color value.
// The colours are a transition r - g - b - back to r.
uint32_t Wheel(byte WheelPos)
{
WheelPos = 255 - WheelPos;
if(WheelPos < 85)
{
return Color(255 - WheelPos * 3, 0, WheelPos * 3);
}
else if(WheelPos < 170)
{
WheelPos -= 85;
return Color(0, WheelPos * 3, 255 - WheelPos * 3);
}
else
{
WheelPos -= 170;
return Color(WheelPos * 3, 255 - WheelPos * 3, 0);
}
}
};
void Ring1Complete();
void Ring2Complete();
void StickComplete();
// Define some NeoPatterns for the two rings and the stick
// as well as some completion routines
NeoPatterns Ring1(24, 5, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800, &Ring1Complete);
NeoPatterns Ring2(16, 6, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800, &Ring2Complete);
NeoPatterns Stick(16, 7, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800, &StickComplete);
// Initialize everything and prepare to start
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(115200);
pinMode(8, INPUT_PULLUP);
pinMode(9, INPUT_PULLUP);
// Initialize all the pixelStrips
Ring1.begin();
Ring2.begin();
Stick.begin();
// Kick off a pattern
Ring1.TheaterChase(Ring1.Color(255,255,0), Ring1.Color(0,0,50), 100);
Ring2.RainbowCycle(3);
Ring2.Color1 = Ring1.Color1;
Stick.Scanner(Ring1.Color(255,0,0), 55);
}
// Main loop
void loop()
{
// Update the rings.
Ring1.Update();
Ring2.Update();
// Switch patterns on a button press:
if (digitalRead(8) == LOW) // Button #1 pressed
{
// Switch Ring1 to FADE pattern
Ring1.ActivePattern = FADE;
Ring1.Interval = 20;
// Speed up the rainbow on Ring2
Ring2.Interval = 0;
// Set stick to all red
Stick.ColorSet(Stick.Color(255, 0, 0));
}
else if (digitalRead(9) == LOW) // Button #2 pressed
{
// Switch to alternating color wipes on Rings1 and 2
Ring1.ActivePattern = COLOR_WIPE;
Ring2.ActivePattern = COLOR_WIPE;
Ring2.TotalSteps = Ring2.numPixels();
// And update tbe stick
Stick.Update();
}
else // Back to normal operation
{
// Restore all pattern parameters to normal values
Ring1.ActivePattern = THEATER_CHASE;
Ring1.Interval = 100;
Ring2.ActivePattern = RAINBOW_CYCLE;
Ring2.TotalSteps = 255;
Ring2.Interval = min(10, Ring2.Interval);
// And update tbe stick
Stick.Update();
}
}
//------------------------------------------------------------
//Completion Routines - get called on completion of a pattern
//------------------------------------------------------------
// Ring1 Completion Callback
void Ring1Complete()
{
if (digitalRead(9) == LOW) // Button #2 pressed
{
// Alternate color-wipe patterns with Ring2
Ring2.Interval = 40;
Ring1.Color1 = Ring1.Wheel(random(255));
Ring1.Interval = 20000;
}
else // Retrn to normal
{
Ring1.Reverse();
}
}
// Ring 2 Completion Callback
void Ring2Complete()
{
if (digitalRead(9) == LOW) // Button #2 pressed
{
// Alternate color-wipe patterns with Ring1
Ring1.Interval = 20;
Ring2.Color1 = Ring2.Wheel(random(255));
Ring2.Interval = 20000;
}
else // Retrn to normal
{
Ring2.RainbowCycle(random(0,10));
}
}
// Stick Completion Callback
void StickComplete()
{
// Random color change for next scan
Stick.Color1 = Stick.Wheel(random(255));
}
```
###Making RFID skin electronics
**Inspiration**
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J9rWkgxH3zk?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Loved the Oyster Card Nails done by Lucie Davis! So I went looking for some guidance instructions as to how to get the chip out of a card to put it in something else. I found [this Instructable by ProjectSugru](https://www.instructables.com/id/Transform-your-Oyster-travelcard-with-sugru/).
**Dissolve RFID chip from a card**
Get a card. Check how much money there's on it. Maybe you don't want to lose 50 euros on this experiment. In the Netherlands, you can check the balance of anonymous OV chipcard [here](https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/ov-chip-en-gebruik/gebruik/ov-reishistorie-en-saldo-anonieme-kaart.htm).
Put the public transport card in a non-plastic bowl and cover with aceton. I used a glass pot. Let it sit a little while.
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/W5aMAG9O2W0UNX3JP2" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
*Pouring aceton over an RFID card inside a glass bowl, Loes Bogers 2019*
The tutorial says 6-12 hours, but my card was completely disintegrated within an hour. So keep an eye on it. Carefully take out the coil and chip. Rinse it again in acetone, and then in water. Let it dry for 20 mins or so.
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/fAbJApkqqRlFYOIxxu" width="480" height="360" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/fAbJApkqqRlFYOIxxu"></a></p>
*Disintegration of the plastic encasing (approx. 1 hour), Loes Bogers, 2019*
You can pull it a little to help it along, but it should really come right off. If you cannot easily lift the plastic peels off the chip and coil, just leave it be a few more minutes
**Disposing of the aceton**
Best to let aceton on wet towels and bowls evaporate until they're totally dry before throwing them out and cleaning them. While wet, the aceton keeps eating away at plastics such as bin bag, pipes, what have you :D
**Recoiling the coil**
I let the chip and coil dry, peopled off whatever residue was still there, carefully, and untangled the coil. It's about a metre long. I then recoiled the wire by shaping it around a small cylindrical jar that I then stuck to a piece of vinylsticker (we ran out of painting tape) to flatten it and keep it together.
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/icP1oRKK3qcE78ZqSH" width="480" height="360" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p>*Re-coiling the coil carefully, kept in place with a vinyl sticker, Loes Bogers, 2019*</p>
**Testing the coil**
After all this handling I went down to the metro station to see if my RFID chip was still working. It feels a bit weird to do it, like you're cheating the system haha. Which of course I'm not even doing because I'm not changing anything about the card or the information on it, just giving it a new wrapper
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/et9T_m5meNE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**Concept: fake implant**
No that this all still works, what do I do? I didn't want to make any kind of wearable or bracelet for this that people could mistake for "making it easier" to use a data tracking system to use *public* transport. I think it's very weird for example that people who benefit from paying with cash are worse off or can't travel with this system at all. It does not make sense to me. So I thought of gestures to highlight this fact that we're all willing to comply with these big systems that take our data in the name of ease of travel and convenience.
## Gallery
So I thought of bowing as a gesture to open the gates to the metro system. In a way we are all bowing to the system anyway, so let's make that explicit and stop pretending we control such a system when in fact it's playing us. If bowing should be the interaction, then the chip would have to be placed on a person's forehead.
![](../images/sample-photo.jpg)
![](../images/wk13_pvsElastica.jpg)*FormX liquid latex used to cast the RFID chip, Loes Bogers, 2019*
## Video
As this is skin electronics I thought it should become an extension of that organ. I would love to be brave enough to just implant it, but I'm definitely not, so I decided to cast the RFID tag in a transparent/yellowish tone liquid latex. The chip started "pooping" as the latex cured. This latex cures by evaporating ammonia (it's stinky)! Which caused some of the chip to leak a brownish liquid. I'm not sure what effect that has on its functioning but there's only one way to find out. I will continue with the form factor for now and test it. If it doesn't work I can try other methods of casting the chip in a bit of latex.
### From Vimeo
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/htkHA3xu29mig3Rokh" width="480" height="360" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p>*Latex makes the RFID chip poop, Loes Bogers, 2019*</p>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/10048961" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/10048961">Sound Waves</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/radarboy">George Gally (Radarboy)</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
I have theater make up sealer from Kryolan that I added on top so I can paint over it nicely with any foundation in any skin tone, to make it blend with my skin tone as if it were implanted under the skin. This sealer is used to seal special FX rubber noses etc.
### From Youtube
![](../images/wk13_sealerkryolan.jpg)*Kryolan product placement next to my RFID chip, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjNgJFemlC4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
After a good amount of sealing and drying, I peeled off the chip and glued it to my skin using Kryolan Prosaide (a skin glue used for wigs and mustaches). Then I covered it with some Kryolan TV stick in my skin tone, and powdered it off. TV stick is a concealer with extremly high coverage. You can still see that there's something there - the edges will show a little - but with some theater wax you'd be able to camouflage the edges much more. Now off to bow to the machine!
## 3D Models
![](../images/wk13wear1.jpg)<br>*Prosaide and the chip in liquid latex, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk13wear2.jpg)<br>*Rub on some of the adhesive, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk13wear3.jpg)<br>Distribute it a bit*, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk13wear4.jpg)<br>*...and stick it on!, Loes Bogers, 2019*
![](../images/wk13wear5.jpg)<br>*optional: cover it up with some Kryolan TV stick and set with powder, Loes Bogers, 2019*
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915/embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; vr" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FA9Pf4BjvgY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4A4A4A;">
<a href="https://sketchfab.com/models/658c8f8a2f3042c3ad7bdedd83f1c915?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Dita&#39;s Gown</a>
by <a href="https://sketchfab.com/francisbitontistudio?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Francis Bitonti Studio</a>
on <a href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=share-popup" target="_blank" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1CAAD9;">Sketchfab</a>
</p>
</div>
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