Comments Off on Arduino + Touchscreen!

By TeK, June 27, 2012 19:41

The arduino touchscreen shield by watterott.com :: URL? is great fun. TKilla built:

• MIDI Controller for VJing and Audio-Studio
• PONGuino-touch – 2 player touchscreen game
• PC remote control with mouse- and keyboard- econtrol, VLC mediaplayer control,…
• various tests/demos

Infos, Code, Videos & more pictures coming soon

Comments Off on MirrorBot Video – Moving Projections Controller Interface

By TeK, January 5, 2011 17:58

Part #02 of the MirrorBot Demo Video

** Video Installation Audio Visual Special Event n8 @Tacheles 17.12.2010

• Music by Nil Wu Ming — ThanX!!   www.nilwuming.org

• Headsquatter.org Live Visuals       www.headsquatter.org

** Details of the Controller device:

• Programs and Live Mode LCD screen interface

Part #01 of the Video, Installation in MIKZ, Berlin 03.2010: /2011/01/03/mirrorbot-video-moving-projections-in-action

Technical details: lab.synoptx.net/mirrorbot

Comments Off on Software Freedom Day 18.09.2010 E-Lok Berlin

By TeK, September 17, 2010 02:17

Flyer Software Freedom Day 2010 Berlin

LinuxWorks!

ist Gastgeber zum diesjährigen

Software Freedom Day

Der “Software Freedom Day” ist eine jährliche, weltweite Veranstaltung um Freie Software zu präsentieren und den Dialog zwischen deren Nutzern und Entwicklern zu fördern.

In Berlin wird dazu dieses Jahr ein Vielzahl von Ausstellern zusammen kommen. Neben Vorträgen und Infoständen wird somit ein Fest organisiert, das den Teinehmenden bis spät in die Nacht Gelegenheit zum gemeinsamen Austausch und zum Kennenlernen bietet.

Die Organisation erfolgt offen im Wiki:

linuxwiki.de/SFD2010

Comments Off on Headsquatter Live Visuals .: Suppe+Mucke & Suchtfaktor 4.9.’10

By TeK, September 4, 2010 14:22

Today the Headsquatter.org VJ crew plays two live video performances with multiple projections

Suppe+Mucke Strassenfest

Moving projections at Drachenspielplatz Schreinerstrasse or in Samariterstrasse – 20h-22h

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Suchtfaktor Party @MIKZ

Minimal electro 23:59h – late

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headsquatter.org

youtube.com/headsquatter

myspace.com/headsquatter

Come, have a look!

Comments (2)

By TeK, March 13, 2010 18:41

Flash! People on the dancefloor - Mirror Station besides the DJ and the controller box in front

Headsquatter VJ crew used the new version of the moving-projections-robot in MIKZ club in Berlin Friedrichshain @

Suchtfaktor Party 6.3.2010

Mirror Station directing the beamer projection on wall and roof

to create a visuals show with a moving projection.

The  2D (X+Y axis)  mirror-station was mounted in front of a 2500 ANSI lumen beamer – this was strong enough to produce very clear and big projections everywhere in the dancehall.

Two servo motors are driving one mirror in X- *and* Y- axis. The projection can be moved across the walls by a joystick or with automatic pattern programs, synced on beat of the music.

VJ desk: 2 video notebooks, 1 video-mixer, eeePC 701 preview screen, midi controller and mirrorbot controller

30° in vertical Y axis are enough to reach almost any point on the ceiling. Combined with more than 120° on the horizontal axis, it can project on any point on 3 of the walls.

Many guests on the dancefloor were surprised by the projections suddenly appearing and disappearing and when they discovered the mirror-station, they showed it to others. Some people came on stage to the VJ desk to ask how the moving projection works and some more came up to say that they liked the visuals show 🙂

It was fun to “play” the robot just like an instrument with the joysticks. When the positioning button is pressed on beat – matching to the rhythm – the projection is “dancing” across the room!

Comments (2)

By TeK, February 13, 2010 01:23

MirrorBot GUI 3.0 on s65 shield

Finally there is no need for a computer control screen anymore: the S65-Shield rocks!  🙂

Display Code

This display is fast enough, graphical!!, colorful, just big enough and easy to program,for many tasks, where you normally would need a big (pc) screen and ‘real’ software.

Hotspots Setup Screen

So I started to code an Arduino patch for a mirror bot interface. After some nightly sessions it includes:

• “projection display” – showing the current angle of 2 mirrors and the resulting projection (just some lines and rectangles
• animated BPM  “beat-bar” showing current step
• current BPM
• current program name and description

At first, it was difficult to overwrite the previous drawings: if too many lines are drawn at once, it does not work. After some timing tests, I found a working code to redraw all elements without flickering.

Autonomous MirrorControl Box

One trick is to redraw as few pixels as necessary and another is to reduce the updates to only draw something (over) when its really necessary (something changed).

Servo Control Integration

Then I integrated this LCD animation code into the servo control loops and programs. One control loop runs every 200ms to check the input potis. The display animation update is also triggered in that loop.

Another loop runs according to the current BPM and triggers the selected servo move program which moves the servos on beat.

Open Case - Arduino + s65 shield and joystick board

In manual mode the servos are directly moved in the control loop. Servos do not position soo fast and accurate, so it needs some ms to ‘drive’ there, but it is fast enough for most effects. 50-100ms refresh works good and gives a direct response feeling. Next I’m looking for joysticks, which keep the position, because these jump back to the middle and that’s  disturbing in manual mode…

Connections on the shields pins

Unfortunately the 4 Arduino analog input pins, which are left free by the S65 shield, are already used up by the four joystick axis.:

S65 Shield Pins Schematics Image

Hotspots Setup

The Duemillanove still had a lot of RAM -1500byte- and 1/2 code memory free, so I started to hack a setup screen for the hotspot variables of two ServoMirrors into it.

Now the box can be configured for each location live ‘on the fly’ without re-programming by a computer. With the joysticks you can select nice spots in the room and press the encoder to save the value. Currently the values are simply stored into global varaibles. Next step is to save these values to SD card or EEProm..

PS2 to servos and some work todo..

It was easy to write this interface with the S65 library. Simply loop over the variables and draw the text. Draw a box around the selected row and change the selected on encoder turn. Now the box needs some more buttons…

Case

This case was a -fast & furious- test to create at alu-front at home office. Not only that many tools are required, you also need a stand for a drill and equimpment for fixiation to get the metal works really exact. Its not that bad, but it takes long to calculate, drill and saw all holes. You will not get it done without some scratches and unstraight edges, if you dont have a professional workplace.. We are looking for some CNC guys next .. 😉

Comments Off on Software Remote Control – Python GTk Servo Control

By TeK, November 28, 2008 01:03

MirrorBotGUI Servo Control Software

ServoControl - Transparent window, no decorations

The software interface  is a gtk-python program, which controls the movements by keyboard and graphical user interface.

We use this during live visual performances on a Asus EEE netbook, which is also running as a preview screen for the video mixer output.

There are 9 automatic programs to move the projections in different patterns across the wall.

9 automatic, BPM syncronized mirror movent programs

Servo Control GUI live visuals action on eeePC 701

Program Types:

• Scanner – up down movements in 5° or 10° steps, crossover and following
• Hotspots jumping: various pattern between the 2x 6 hotspots: crossover and following,..

The intervals of the movements can be changed to match to the beat of the music in BPM. In manual mode, the mirrors can be moved directly by knobs, – so it can be used just as a live instrument.

This program is focused all the time and receives keyboard inputs. Often we move the buttons out of the screen to see only the display with interesting values (current mirror positions, program,BPM) of the bots.

Video Mixers + eeePC: -preview -ServoControl

The keyboard inputs are sent to the Arduino practically directly over serial by the python GUI. Button click events in the interface also send one char over serial line.

The standard Arduino firmware is limited: it can only receive one char at a time, so for receiving a string of multiple letters you need to implement a loop and wait for a terminating string. For this reason the  first version of this software could sent only “+” and “-” to change the speed, but not a complete new value (like “180” BPM) 🙂

Keyboard Shortcuts:

Servo Control GUI on eeePC in live VJ bpx

• 0-9 : select program
• “s” : start / stop
• + : faster (+1 BPM)
• – : slower(-1 BPM)
• x : manual mode on/off

The python GUI  also reveives strings over serial from the Arduino and extracts the interesting values to display and then refreshs the text fields.

The data format sent by the Arduino is very short and simple, because the serial line is just fast enough to transfer:

• short program descriptions (20 chars) – on program change events
• current speed – every 100-200ms
• beat tick – on timeout

Sending longer strings blocks the Arduino and it will not respond to serial input or loose some commands.

Luckily sending and receiving contemporary works just fast enough  and also python/Gtk handles input and output easily without threading.

btw: do not use to many (long) strings in Arduino or the RAM and flash memory is full soon, but its not that bad (specially with the 328) – this software, uses less than half the flash memory and ca. 1/4 of the RAM. (must check..)

Comments Off on MirrorBot Hardware Interface — Version 2

By TeK, November 25, 2008 05:52

MirrorBot v2 + hardware control knobs

This version is enhanced by real hardware inputs:

2 potentiometer knobs control speed (movement interval) and current program.

Additionally Program 0 adds a special manual mode to control the servo positions directly with the knobs.

Now the system is really useful as Live instrument, because you can inter-act directly with the music and change the posistions or programs matching to breaks and changes  in the music.

An old PS/2 keyboard cable was used to connect the mirror “stations” to the controller box.

Arduino in a box + knobs + external power for servos

The cable length can be increased by plugging more PS/2 cables between – they are/were common for KVM monitor/keyboard switches.

Now the mirrors and beamers can be placed far away from the “remote” controller box, which can also run autonomously without computer connection and just an external powerplug.

For live visuals, we still use the software interface to display the current values like angles, speed and program settings,

but the knobs as a real hardware interface ‘feel’ much better than keyboard presses on a netbook 🙂

MirrotBot V2 - Speed + Prog Knobs

Comments Off on MirrorBot Moving Projections System

By TeK, June 8, 2008 05:23

Mirror Bots .: moving visuals projections – standalone & Linux GUI controller

This is a robotic system to move VJmix projections all over the walls.

Video: MirrotBot in Action Köpi, Berlin 11.2008

Beamer projection reflection on mirror

Mirrors are mounted on servo motors to rotate them in front of dia projectors or beamers. This way, the projections are moved across the walls and the ceiling of the room.

A microcontroller system, connected to a netbook, is used to control the mirror-servo-unit movements.

“Hotspots” are defined to project on the best spots on the walls of the location and create an impressive light show of moving rays and projections on all walls and screens.

1.prototype live action with diaprojector & beamer

This system can be installed in rooms of any size.

It is required to use projection glass or there are double projections and very unsharpened results. The beamers must be powerful to show bright images also on the must distant walls. In big rooms, the projections are really big, so the 2 video mixes can work together as moving textures or moving characters.

The proof-of-concept system was first used by Headsquatter Live Visuals in Berlin @MIKZ – Suchtfaktor – 27.09.2008 with great success and continuously enhanced and tested live.

Hardware

We use a common, programmable input/output hardware controller to trigger motors: Arduino Dicemilia.

1.prototype live action -- only left dia is mirrored

Two Mirrors are mounted on  servos to move them in front of two video beamers. This first version can move 2 projections with 2 mirrors on one horizontal axis between 40° and 130° – ca.  It  creates distorted projections depending on the current angle, but works very well with various kinds of video mixes. High contrast images and vectorial animations work specially good. By positioning two projections besides each other there appear many interesting possibilities.

Combined with fog machines the rays become visible and the moving beams look like a laser show with real videos.

The servo-mirror movements are synchronized to the beat of the music and many programs can be selected, to move the projections in various patterns.

VJ Live Mix Box: Wiimote - VJ mixer - Arduino Servo Control - Mirror (+ eeePC 🙂 ) - Linux Netbook

Software

This MirrorBot is controlled by a linux netbook over serial console via USB cable. The prototype is remote-controlled  by a simple software command line. Various keyboard key presses change program, speed, play/pause mode of the attached servo control box. This works quite good during live visuals mixes, with a mini terminal window in front of a TVtime preview screen of the video mixer.

Pictures by Rue23 in MIKZ 27.09.2008 – Suchtfaktor Party ::

more Pix @