Video - Rendering

Team A Final Proposal -Bio

Class bio

As a class, we are artists who appreciate esthetics, but we are also interested in functional art that combines electronics and art. The class is made up of both graduate and undergraduate student and most students have taken this course because they are interested in working with LEDs and arduino-boards to make interesting visual and interactive artwork. Our motto is “make an artwork work right, and not just make it look good.” 

Something interesting to look at....

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/lights/9380/zoom/

too bad they are so expensive....we could probably only afford 25 and that wouldnt include the costs for wiring and the arduino(s) that we need. Something cool to look at regardless

Photos from Today

Found nice page on led's in general

Hey guys I found these page on leds and it has so e cool info you can check out

http://members.misty.com/don/light.html

http://members.misty.com/don/ledx.html

http://www2.whidbey.net/opto/LEDFAQ/The%20LED%20FAQ%20Pages.html

http://led.linear1.org/

Final Collaborative Project

I think Andrew and JD did a great (and very important) job by taking an immediate tour of the "guts" of the ceiling. Glad to see that there were not a whole lot of "guts" to be found. I think something that would make me feel a lot more comfortable about this process would be to make a timeline of when we plan on getting these tiles made, wired, and how we plan to delegate the work. Personally, I think that this will turn in to a much larger construction project than what we are imagining right now. Without a plan, timeline and agreed upon work schedule this project could very well turn in to a mess. Tomorrow in class I would like to brainstorm and come up with a timeline that I think should accompany our proposal. I would be more than happy to put this timeline together once we collectively agree on a plan of action.

As a side note, I think it would be wise for everyone to take a look at Andrew's sketch over the photograph denoting the task lighting and accent lighting. I think this is the most effective and doable amount of work for us to complete together within the given time frame. I hate to be the group downer/pessimist but I honestly think that replacing the ceiling in its entirely in one month, wiring, and programming it on top of all of our loaded and different class schedules will end in disaster. We might want to consider this drawing as an option for how to approach the project. I think that it makes the most sense.

More Fun Shots of Me Working

My wife Claudia will ask me why there is dust on my pants . . .Ok granted these black photos are kind of pointless, but the lack of shiny reflective things means JD was essentially right - there is not much up there.

Risking life and limb for the class (ha ha)
Can't get up the ladder fast enough
more action shots
my those fluorescents are bright
the vent
electrical conduit pipe, seems to run along the seams
At least in theory, we could do a box that sits inside the ceiling, there is enough height and seemingly no obstructions.

As anyone who has ever dealt with these types of ceiling tiles before (or a ceiling such as this) nothing is ever easy when you get right down to it.

The salient details. The main tiles are 24" x 48" (exactly).
The cut tiles (towards the front) are 24"x 10"Check out my hi-tech measuring device.

A few Ideas

I've come up with a sandwich type assembly that I think may be very easy to deal with. The basic ideas is an opaque backplate that has the LEDs on it, and a front plate that is the diffuser. These are jouned by six bolds about 4 inches apart. The assembly can be fastened with nuts and washers.



Also a second idea. I still want to separate the task lighting from the accent programmed lighting. Both can use the same assembly system, but in two different circuits. Note with this design, I've still left in the overhead fluorescents (and vent).

The space so far

Well Hi everyone! So I've been thinking about the space so far and I think the biggest problem will be actually attaching this secondary wall the the existing ceiling. WE HAVE TO GET THOSE MEASUREMENT RIGHT OR IT WILL ALL BE OFF!!!!

I still say to the best was to go about the vent would either be

A. Cut the new ceiling so that it fits that shape where the vent is, and add a piece of plastic the exact same size of the vent except put it a little lower....

or

{and i think this it the best plan)
B. Just spray paint the vent (with a paint that will adhere to plastic) the same color as the new roof material.

I think having super bright leds replacing the original light is a great Idea! Realistically though, if that will take a hastle (getting permission) I don't think not replacing those would do much damage to our original idea...Besides every thing will be diffused by the new ceiling so maybe it won't look so bad?:(

Questions I have:

-Were still painting the space?
-What Materials were we think for the roof?


What I will try to do right now and have for Tuesday:



I will try to find out how much wattage those incandescent bulbs are putting out, and how many leds we would need to match that. (if we do decide to remove the original lights)

And how much energy the rest of the 32 rgb leds will need to light the space.

I'm still getting thoughts together so I will be back soon!
Tell me if any of my info is wrong!

Innovation Center article

Here’s an article on the Innovation Center and specifically the Interdisciplinary Product Development Class:

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2009/09/whats_next_for.html

Lab Photos (Green Haptics Lab)